Getting Into the Lane (or Something Much More Important)
I’m not sure that I can think of a sport (at least one that I follow) that has exactly the same rules in place that were in place when I was growing up. Before some smart aleck suggests that the only sports that existed when I was growing up were the original Olympic Games, I can assure that this is not the case!
There are a variety of reasons for changes in the rules for certain sports. Sometimes, those reasons involve concern for the safety and protection of the participants. Maybe there is an effort to speed up the game, to make the event more exciting, to include more participants, or any number of other reasons for changing the rules.
Since we find ourselves in the middle of “March Madness,” I am taking advantage of that to discuss one change that, as far as I can tell, was made in the sport of basketball for none of the reasons I’ve mentioned (with the possible exception of speeding up the game – but I really doubt that). I’m thinking that the change belongs in the “any number of other reasons” category.
It used to be the case that, when a player was attempting a free throw, the players who were lined up along the lane had to wait until the ball hit the rim of the basket before they could get into the lane. For quite some time now, that has no longer been the case. According to the present rules, the players only need to wait until the ball leaves the hands of the player attempting the shot before they can get into the lane.
I’ve not seen any documentation on this, but I have an idea that the primary reason for changing the rule was that the original rule was being violated so often that the officials basically had two choices. They could either blow their whistles every time the rule was broken or ignore repeated violations of the rule.
The first choice had the potential of infuriating the fans who had come to see the athletes perform and not to see officials blow their whistles. The second choice would result in the officials having to make a judgement about the seriousness of the infraction. Everybody would agree that a player could not just “park” in the lane while somebody was attempting a free throw, but how soon was too soon?
It may surprise you (or not) to learn that the “solution” was/is not a solution. At times, I’ve seen players getting into the lane just before the ball leaves the hands of the player attempting a freethrow. Just like “in the old days,” sometimes a whistle is blown and sometimes it is not.
College fans may have seen a game in a recent tournament during which the decision was made to blow the whistle with very little time left in the game. That decision arguably had a significant impact on the game’s outcome.
Believe it or not, this is not a post about basketball. It is about every aspect of our lives.
The following sentence reflects only my opinion. It is not presented as a fact or an absolute truth. It is, however, a very firm opinion of mine.
I believe that every segment of our society would benefit from setting standards and expecting people to live up to those standards instead of lowering standards to the level of conduct of the people.
I’ve seen far too many families, churches, communities, and societies ruined because it was more “convenient” to relax standards than it was to enforce them. I’m afraid that even souls are in danger because of this attitude.
I am afraid that many believe that the definition of the word “grace” is “a casual disregard for and/or willful refusal to accept God’s standards.” That is not the case.
It is absolutely true that “The Lord…is not willing that any should perish…” (2 Peter 3:9), but it is also true that He is not willing to “change the rules” just because I don’t like them or ignore them.
It is not about getting into the lane. It is about getting into heaven.
AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
