Handshakes and the Bay State

SPORTING GOODS

As one who's always been a little taken aback at the haste in which Connecticut high school basketball officials head to the locker room at the sounding of the final horn—it seems to me they move much faster in that moment than at any time during the actual game—I'm interested in this story where apparently their Massachusetts' counterparts won't be able to make such a speedy exit (albeit grudgingly).

For implementing a rule that promotes sportsmanship, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association has been accused of bordering on delusional.

This, according to Alan Goldberger, a lawyer from New Jersey who was speaking on behalf of the Massachusetts State Basketball Officials Association in a case the referees are so far losing, and should lose ...

The "absurd" rule in question requires high school basketball referees to remain at courtside during the teams' post-game handshake. Many referees worry this will expose them to danger from irate fans, and open up liability issues.

I have to admit I agree, for the most part, with the officials on this one for two reasons. First, I think it should be up to the coaches to ensure that handshakes take place—if, indeed, handshakes are to be used at all. (A president of a regional officials' board in Massachusetts admits that he knows of a case where post-game handshakes were omitted because they were deemed too dangerous.)

Second, I'm struck by the fact that Connecticut's Shoreline Conference has abandoned this year the alternate introduction practice that it had mandated for the past few years at the beginning of girls' basketball games. (I always felt that this mandate was instituted to reduce the biased intonations that some obnoxious high school PA announcers use in their player introductions, but that's neither here nor there.) The reason for the change: The Conference felt that it wanted no mixing of the teams at center court prior to the game. If one sports body has determined that the less handshaking the better, it seems to me that the MIAA mandate is problematic at best.