Hand Gestures of the Week: Bad Behavior Fouls

Let's start with defining the word respect. Merriam-Webster defines it as, "an act of giving particular attention; high or special regard; or the quality or state of being esteemed." Why am I starting with this? Because the two fouls we'll be discussing here today stem from lack of respect for the referee, coaching staff and / or other players on the field. Simply put, they are fouls for bad behavior.

I understand that you can get riled up during a game, the adrenaline is flowing, the testosterone is raging, you get caught up in the heat of the moment. But is any of that really an excuse for treating a human being like crap? What kind of example does a coach or parent set for players when they're calling the ref names or dropping the f-bomb every other word? The players will then think they can disrespect the ref, their opponent and eventually that turns into disrespecting their coaches and parents. They think that if I can talk this way to one adult, I can talk this way to all adults. Besides, if the roles were reversed do you really want anyone up-in-your-face, spitting out words like Gary Oldman's character on friends? I wouldn't. 

So, let's get down to it shall we? First up is a personal foul, UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT. There are two categories of UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT, non-releasable & releasable. The referee will make the same hand gesture for both. Non-releasable: arguing with an official, using threatening or obscene gestures, bating or taunting, or any other act officials deem unsportsmanlike. Releasable: repeatedly committing the same technical foul, not returning to the field immediately and a substitute deliberately not complying with rules for entering a game. To the right is a quick video that shows the official motion for the foul. It's pretty simple...arms extended on the sides and raised. At the end of the video he does reference football, but the motion made is the same for lacrosse. 

The other bad behavior foul I'd like to discuss is a technical foul, called CONDUCT FOUL. This is when someone aggressively argues or makes gestures about a decision by an official or commits other acts considered misconduct by the official. To the left is a video that demonstrates the arm motion by the official to call this foul.

So, what's the difference between UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT & CONDUCT FOUL? From what I understand, it comes down to the type of foul it is (technical foul usually involves a moving or time violation. They usually result in a 30 second penalty if the fouling team doesn't have the ball at the time of the foul or personal foul involves an infraction that has malicious intent. These penalties are punished by one to three minutes in the penalty box depending on the severity.), whether there's contact or not and the official's judgement. This can be a challenging situation for an observer, coach, player or referee since there are similar types of behavior demonstrated for each type of foul. Respect the decision.

IMHO these are some of the easiest penalties to avoid. When a ref makes a call you don't agree...keep your mouth shut. If someone starts smack-talking and callin' yo' mamma' names...keep your hands to yourself and walk away. Someone flips you off, drops the f-bomb, realize they're trying to provoke you, if you let them, more than likely you're the one who will get the penalty. Walk away and get back to playing lacrosse. Most of all, respect the officials, the coaches, the players and most importantly, yourself. Set a good example and you'll never have to worry about these penalties. Yes, it's that easy.