By Daequan Mitchell

“Where Amazing Happens.” That’s the motto for the National Basketball Association, also known as the NBA. The NBA is a family-based sporting event, and is one of the most watched sporting events in the country.

For the 2010-2011 season many rules have been put into place. The one that stands out the most is the technical foul rule. The technical foul rule has been around since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, but NBA league officials are making the rule a lot stricter then what it once was.

In previous years to get a technical foul you would have to yell at the referee. First the ref would warn you, then if the yelling continued the player would be penalized with a technical foul, which gives the other team a chance to shoot a free throw and get the ball. Now with the new rule being enforced, all the players have to do is something so small as making a gesture towards the officials, then BAM! They are hit with a technical foul.

NBA league officials decided to make this rule in the summer of 2010; they felt that the NBA players had too much freedom with how they were allowed to act.

Orlando Magic’s Center, Dwight Howard, spoke on the new rule.

“I went to a private school growing up. They had a lot of crazy rules, rules you didn’t agree with, rules you didn’t necessarily think were right, but you just had to [live by them].” This was said after their exhibition game versus the Charlotte Bobcats. He went on to say more about the new rule, “They want us to cut down on talking to the refs, as hard as that may be. We’ve adjusted to everything else that’s put on there. So we’ll adjust.”

Senior Tyler Horton spoke about the new technical foul rule that has taken place in the NBA.

“I believe that it’s a soft rule, because it stops a player from showing true emotion.”

Senior Aaron Bronson agrees with Horton.

“It’s stupid! Because you can’t plead your case,” said Bronson.

The opposition might say that the rule will make the game less violent, and cut down on curse words and things of that sort. However, you have to understand that basketball is a game of emotion and not being able to really show this type of emotion is making the game itself pointless.