Jeremy Lin: Too Flagrant Not to Call
Please help email the below letter to the
NBA: nba-letters-l@nba.com. or NBA website,
http://contact.nba.com/contact-nba/
Thank you!
Huge credits to
Jenny & KP
Chan for the letter!
Dear Commissioner Silver,
As fans of the NBA and its players, we care deeply about the quality and integrity of the game and the safety of the players. When we see excellence in officiating, as we sometimes do, we can't help but admire the professionalism and skills the officials have brought to the game, often under difficult conditions. Conversely, when we see dubious officiating by the
NBA referees, we cannot help but question the integrity of the game at its very core.
As we are sure you will agree, officiating is the life blood, as well as the heart and soul of the game.
Fair and unbiased officiating elevates the game to its rightful place in our society that prizes above all, fair play, sportsmanship, and respect for one another.
We are certain that this is your commitment to the game, and it will never be less than that.
With that in mind, we would like to bring your attention to one NBA player in particular,
Jeremy Lin of the
Charlotte Hornets. Throughout Lin's six years in the NBA, we have continuously witnessed Lin as the recipient of numerous hard fouls with unnecessary and excessive force by other players. In these cases, the referees either didn't make the calls or made incorrect calls.
Since these are not isolated instances, and they occur with regularity, we wonder what the league has against Mr. Lin. Many fans have contacted and requested answers from the NBA Fan
Relations NY office at nba-letters-l@nba.com, but have so far only received generic and dismissive responses, if at all. We also have sent numerous tweets regarding the questionable calls to @NBA, @NBAOfficial, and @OfficialNBARefs, but have received no response either.
To make matters worse, Lin continues to receive ticky-tacky foul calls on him and non-calls from the referees as Lin frequently gets hammered by other players.
It's not just the fans who have noticed. The TV commentators from various teams also have questioned the referees' non-calls on the hard fouls Lin has suffered.
Below is a video of some examples of the questionable fouls for your review. We are showing just a selected few examples, out of numerous incidents to illustrate the
point. Please kindly provide a comprehensive response as to why these fouls were not called or called as flagrant fouls.
http://youtu.be/KvaM0pMj-8o
Lin's health and safety are at risk, as Lin gets hit unnecessarily and excessively in the face, head, and neck areas by other players frequently. The most alarming aspect of these incidents is that the referees didn't make the right calls to protect the player, Lin, from harm. Evidently, the lack of calls and reviews from the referees encourages other players to continue using hard foul tactics on Lin.
Fans want the
NBA officiating to be more transparent and fair, whether the player is a superstar or not. When the referees step on the court, they are the extension and representatives of the NBA. The referees are to uphold the integrity of the game, show impartiality, and enforce civil behavior from all
NBA players.
Unfortunately, we do not always see this when it comes to officiating, especially pertaining to other players hard fouling Lin.
The NBA has a huge following in
Asia and Lin is one of the very few active players with full
Asian descent in the NBA. It's disheartening to see Lin's mistreatment by the NBA referees. As fans, we ask you to please review this matter seriously and to take action.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
NBA Fans