Basketball revenues are going through the roof. Despite that, many in the industry believe basketball is getting easier. Radio 101 commentator, Xavier Coles, has experienced it first-hand.

During practice, a basketball hit one of Xavier's teammates in the mouth. Although there was no blood and the hit wasn't that hard, the teammate still ran off the court and to the trainer. Xavier overheard his coaches talk about how soft players have become.

Xavier agrees with his coaches. He points to past basketball teams of the '80s and '90s like the Piston Bad Boys who were known for rough and dirty play. He feels players today are not as rugged.

Then there's the rule changes. Xavier's coach, Billy Martin, says the results of those changes are mixed. He tells Xavier, "If it's more like changing the three-point line, I think that's good for basketball. But when you start limiting and making the game so easy, you can't touch players and stuff. You have to look at that aspect, too."

Xavier has heard sports analysts, coaches, and players bemoaning the way fouls are now called. They talk about how plays were not counted as fouls until they drew blood.

Referees are now more fussy about calling fouls, too. Xavier notes that if a player grabs you and you fall down, coaches would call a common foul in the past. Now coaches call a flagrant foul immediately and then go to the monitor to review the play to find out where the player grabbed you, if they had an arm around your neck, if you fell on your own, etc.
 
Xavier wishes the referees wouldn't call so many fouls. He pleas, "Just make the players play and make the game faster and more exciting for everyone."
 

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