Be the Referee: YMTC - Sleeper Play

November 25, 2016

This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains why the "Sleeper Play" is an illegal one in high school football.

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – YMTC - Sleeper Play - Listen

Let’s finish up the football season with this You Make The Call.

It’s 4th down and five at the 30-yard line, and the offense begins to leave the field as the field goal unit comes on. One of those offensive players, however, doesn’t make it all the way to the bench. He stops a step short of the sideline, essentially hiding out there.

The ball is snapped, the holder stands and throws a perfect pass down the sideline to a wide-open player – that player who was hiding out at the sideline. Is this legal?

The answer is no. This is a foul for illegal participation. A team can never use a substitution or pretended substitution to deceive the defense.

Past editions
Nov. 17: Automatic 1st Downs - Listen
Nov. 10: Uncatchable Pass - Listen
Nov. 3: The Goal Line - Listen
Oct. 27: Help Us Retain Officials - Listen
Oct. 20: Point After Touchdown - Listen
Oct. 13: Untimed Down - Listen
Oct. 6: Soccer Penalty Kick Change - Listen
Sept. 29: Preparation for Officials - Listen
Sept 22: You Make the Call: Returning Kickoffs - Listen
Sept. 15: Concussions - Listen
Sept 8: Equipment Covering the Knees - Listen
Sept. 1: Play Clock Experiment - Listen
Aug. 25: Clipping in the Free Blocking Zone - Listen

Be the Referee: Basketball Replay

December 26, 2015

This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains the use of instant replay in basketball only for MHSAA Semifinals and Finals.

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment - Basketball Instant Replay - Listen

When watching a college or NBA game, the last 2 minutes of the game can seem like they take forever, especially in recent years where more and more judgment calls made by officials are subject to instant replay.

At the high school level, video is not used to make a ruling or confirm or overturn a call made during the course of the contest. The only time video review is used at the high school level is at the MHSAA Semifinal and Final games held at the Breslin Center. In these games, video review can be used only to determine if a shot was released in time at the end of the 4th quarter or overtime or if that shot in those periods was a 2-point or 3-point field goal when the shot is released near the 3-point line.

The MHSAA believes that this very limited use of replay in these games at the very end of the tournament series in boys and girls basketball is the right call.

Past editions:
Dec. 17: Basketball Communication - Listen
Dec. 10: Basketball Excessive Contact - Listen
Nov. 26: Pregame Communication - Listen
Nov. 19: Trick Plays - Listen
Nov. 12: 7-Person Football Mechanics - Listen
Nov. 5: Make the Call: Personal Fouls - Listen
Oct. 29: Officials Demographics - Listen
Oct. 15: Make the Call: Intentional Grounding - Listen
Oct. 8: Playoff Selection - Listen
Oct. 1: Kick Returns - Listen
Sept. 24: Concussions - Listen
Sept. 17: Automatic First Downs - Listen
Sept. 10: Correcting a Down - Listen
Sept 3:
Spearing - Listen
Aug. 27: Missed Field Goal - Listen