Many people will not understand what kind of question this is.  They will mostly likely say the players on the court decide the game.

This is not always the case.  Sure, in many cases they do, but don’t count out the fans and officials.

In many arenas in the PSAC-West conference, the fans are allowed to be close on the sidelines. In some cases, they can stand a couple of inches away from the opposing player to try to get into his head.

This is not the main problem with fans disrupting the game.  There have been many instances this year when the fans would be screaming obscenities toward the opposing players.

For instance, a couple of weeks ago, the Clarion men’s basketball team walked into a hostile environment at Mercyhurst University.  What made it so bad was how unsportsmanlike and rude the fans were to Clarion players.  It is hard to believe that nothing was said to them by the officials until the final minutes of the game.

Sometimes it will be up to the officials to tell the fans to calm down if they are getting out of control.  Most of the time, the school administrators will tell the team’s fans ahead of time to behave themselves.

Situations like this can end up being embarrassing to a school.  The way the Mercyhurst fans acted was way out of line and an embarrassment to the school.

Don’t get me wrong; not all fans are like that.  Fans should recognize that there’s a fine line and know when they are about to cross it.

The fans in the student section at Tippin Gym have acted responsibly throughout the regular season.  Fans are allowed to get into the heads of the opposing players, but they must still be respectful. Screaming out obscenities is not the way to go.

Now, on to one of the most controversial topics: the way officials determine the outcome of games.

Many people can say that a call here and there really blew the game, but rarely can one say that the last call really ruined the game.  Well, this was the case when Clarion traveled to Gannon University.

Clarion led by a point when Gannon got off a shot to win the game.  The only problem was that the shot happened way after the final buzzer.  For some unknown reason, the officials decided to count the basket.  It is hard to believe a call can be that bad, but it happens all the time.

With the way we use technology today, it is hard to believe there is no replay system to overturn calls like the one Clarion received.

“It is long overdue.  It should already be done,” said Clarion University Men’s Basketball Coach Ron Righter.  “The kids were heartbroken.  We want to get the calls right.”

A couple years back, there was a vote to add a third official to games.  Coach Righter did not vote for it, but the majority passed it to get the third official.

“The officials don’t get a feel of the whole game. They let their guard down with having an extra set of eyes now,” said Righter.  The coach isn’t the only one thinking that.  It is absurd that they can’t get all the calls right with now three officials out there.

The debate about what to do with officials is ongoing. There might come a time where they go back to two officials to experiment with the success rate of the calls.  There might be a time where fans won’t be able to get so close to the floor, or get reprimanded for unsportsmanlike behavior.
Only time will tell.