Basketball Manitoba today announced a new regulation on the length of the basketball nets used in all levels of the game, effective April 1. The new regulation will see all nets extend fully from the rim to the floor. The new length comes after extensive research on the growing issues around players being hit in the face with the basketball after a score. This concern has caused countless bloody and broken noses by a player standing under the rim and looking up after the ball is scored.
The new 10 foot long nets will address this by safely transporting the ball directly to the floor after a made basket. During the extensive testing of the new net, nose injuries were down 401%. At the same time during the testing, the 'clotheslining' of players increased by over 1,000%. However, those concerns of player strangulation were deemed far less risky than those of a bloody nose.
To deal with this new strangling risk in games, a new technical foul rule has been added to the rule book. A "Clothesline Technical Foul" (or CLT) will be issued to players choose to use the new longer nets to strangle an opposing player.
Basketball Manitoba's Executive Director commented, "The new nets are a big step forward for our sport. The new sound of safety in basketball is 'SSSWWWIIISSSHHH'!"
The new nets can be purchased exclusively at Home Run Sports by contacting Ogo at ogo@homerunsports.ca. They sell for $41.00 each.
The research on this new equipment rule was done by consulting firm Yad Sloof and Lirpa.
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