bored on a Friday at my IT job, I found myself perusing the rule books of various sports leagues (this is normal behavior). Reading through Rule 12, “Fouls and Penalties,” something odd caught my eye in Section V – Conduct:

e. Cursing or blaspheming an official shall not be considered the only cause for imposing technical foul. Running tirades, continuous criticism or griping may be sufficient cause to assess a technical. Excessive misconduct shall result in ejection from the game.

Yes, blaspheming an official. Now, I don’t know what sort of English background the person writing these rules has, but, as far as i (and the Merriam-Webster dictionary) am aware, Blasphemy/blaspheming is reserved strictly for when speaking ill of God, sacred objects/beings, or something otherwise considered “inviolable.”

Does this mean the NBA considers its referees to be sacred deities, incapable of being violated by the petty masses at their feet, and eternally protected by the Sanctity of Life?

just something to think about as we head into the season.

Link to the rulebook

Direct-Departure1662

43 | 3 hours ago

Next time I go to a game I am blaspheming an official, wish me luck.

jboogie1844 [OP] | East

4 | 3 hours ago

at least you can rest easy knowing it’s not immediate grounds for a technical foul/eternal damnation

nicehax_

21 | 3 hours ago

is it worth going to hell for calling tony brothers a dumbass

fullmetalsprockets

7 | 3 hours ago

Absolutely.

yrogerg123 | NYK

2 | an hour ago

Too late for you dumdum

zgillet

7 | 3 hours ago

“YOU ARE NO GOD OF MINE!”

TWEEEEEEET!

“Technical foul on Tim Duncan!”

SquimJim | BOS

1 | 2 hours ago

Duncan has been given techs for much less

zgillet

2 | an hour ago

That would be the incident I’m referring to.

guitarpatch

17 | 3 hours ago

Go read the rules on carrying

The NBA rule book is open to interpretation

jboogie1844 [OP] | East

64 | 3 hours ago

we only use the King James Abridged Version over here pal

zgillet

2 | 3 hours ago

I use the LeBron James version.

Inquisitor_ForHire | BOS

1 | an hour ago

Pam - They’re the same version!

ZestycloseZeta | West

0 | an hour ago

Scott Foster uses the Prophet Shaiman version

randotd152

59 | 3 hours ago

So, the use of blasphemy as a non-religious meaning is actually OLDER than its religious use. It’s an ancient Greek word. 100% fine to use it the way the NBA used it.

You also mention Merriam Webster but if you actually look it up, definition #2 is very clearly non-religious:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blasphemy

hickok3 | TOR

16 | 2 hours ago

Was about to come here and post the 2nd definition, but you already brought it up, so I will paste it here since I already copied it.

irreverence toward something deemed important or inviolable

I think it is safe to say that refs are an important part of basketball, regardless of pur feeling on how the NBA’s ref in particular perform.

jboogie1844 [OP] | East

21 | 2 hours ago

yeah but that’s way less funny

GetBack-HonkyCat | PHI

4 | an hour ago

Based

j_cruise | BKN

3 | 2 hours ago

Agreed, it’s still pretty funny though.

omare14 | GSW

6 | 2 hours ago

(this is normal behavior)

Nice to know there’s some solidarity in goofing off during read-only Fridays. Random Wikipedia articles are my fave vice for this.

The other day I killed an hour reading about Roman emperors from like 80-200AD (they literally all were murdered it was a crazy time)

jboogie1844 [OP] | East

5 | an hour ago

lol i work on the manufacturing side of a pharma company, and there’s no OT this week. i showed up to basically an empty parking lot this morning and have had so much time to kill

Fit_Adhesiveness8232 | CLE

150 | 3 hours ago

Now we know why Tony Brothers acts like he does!

BlunderDefect | SAS

29 | 3 hours ago

Blasphemy

SometimesIBeWrong | BKN

9 | 3 hours ago

2 free throws for Tony

KungFuChicken1990 | LAL

2 | 3 hours ago

2 free throws for SGA

Powerviolenc

15 | 3 hours ago

We’ve always wondered about the brothers, turns out they’re all contained in one being. Like the Trinity.

Thousandtree | DET

4 | an hour ago

Out Fathers, the Tony Brothers

Lofty_Vagary

1 | 3 hours ago

Trinity completed by Scott Foster, infused with the holy spirit of Tim Donaghy

Inquisitor_ForHire | BOS

1 | an hour ago

Foster and Donaghy are miles different than Brothers. I don’t hate Tony… Foster? UGH! And of course Donaghy is long gone.

TarnishedChoom | LAL

1 | 2 hours ago

Judge, jury, and executioner

grapplebaby | GSW

1 | 2 hours ago

All of those ref Brothers are corrupt.

eiliant | OKC

1 | an hour ago

Praise be he, the Brother of Tonys

SnooChipmunks4208

11 | 3 hours ago

For Zarba’s sake, pass the ball!

imminentjogger5 | GSW

7 | 3 hours ago

the sacred and propane

ashwinr136 | GSW

1 | 3 hours ago

I’m reminded of Louis the whatever’s finance minister. De something.

bgat79 | LAC

7 | 3 hours ago

The ancient Greek root blasphemía simply meant “defaming,” “slandering,” or “speaking evil of” an authority figure.

The NBA is just really old school with words.

thatguy12591 | NYK

11 | 3 hours ago

I hope this inevitably gets picked up by nba content sites and then the league ends up changing the wording of the rule all because of OP

OppositeClothes5291

5 | 3 hours ago

Makes sense, without that sense of authority, we would devolve to bad boys Pistons basketball

ZestycloseZeta | West

2 | an hour ago

Real

ImprovementClear5712 | LAL

3 | 3 hours ago

IT guy being illiterate, what’s new

Alexcox95 | MIA

2 | 3 hours ago

What does it say about clapping and staring?

bread-depth | PHX

2 | 3 hours ago

Wow I need your IT job.

cl353 | MIA

5 | 3 hours ago

hot take - constantly complaining and villifying refs is just as annoying as bad reffing

dedfrmthneckup | IND

2 | 3 hours ago

Agree 100%. So many people seem to only watch games so they can complain about officiating

Live-Cartographer-52

1 | 3 hours ago

Tim Donaghy* has ENTERED the chat

Kush420Xotix | BOS

1 | 3 hours ago

Yes, the refs are the God of their court.

big_axolotl | LAC

1 | 3 hours ago

Do they keep their holy status after retiring? If so, who wants to join the Church of Crawford with me?

sanfranchristo | SEA

1 | 3 hours ago

It’s really impressive how many highly paid employees and contracted lawyers can write and approve some of the official language in the league rules and CBA. The Kawhi scandal really drove this home (e.g., the lack of a scenario where a player gets paid outside of a contract that isn’t a discounted contract). The current game has deviated so far from the language of some of the rules that they really need to overhaul it if they aren’t going to abide by it.

FatalTortoise

1 | 3 hours ago

Of course they are During matches, the referee is greater than the gods

enad58 | MIL

1 | 3 hours ago

What this means in practice is that you can’t say to the officials that they don’t know what they are doing.

Danibear285 | LAC

1 | 3 hours ago

Smite me, Almighty SMITER!

thirtyseven1337 | NYK

1 | 2 hours ago

“We’re on a mission from God.”

“DON’T YOU BLASPHEME IN HERE”

hussard_de_la_mort | DET

1 | 2 hours ago

Who’s going to get the first tech for saying Jehova?

grapplebaby | GSW

1 | 2 hours ago

So we just gotta get creative when using their name in vain.

nbaistheworst

1 | an hour ago

100

[deleted]

-1 | 3 hours ago

[deleted]

According to The Official NBA Rulebook, Referees are Considered Sacred/Holy Beings