Music from press box during play

[rocketballz]

Is there any rule about a home team playing music over the PA system when a visiting offensive team begins their huddle, and continues to play music louder as they go to the line of scrimmage, and is still playing until the play is over. I guess they are trying the make the visiting offensive team unable to hear snap count. The official on te field said there was no rule against it, it was just in bad taste for a team to do it. It was only done when visiting team had the ball, and complete silence when home team was on offense.

 

[White hat]

The official is correct, technically. being correct and being right are sometimes different things.
First of all, there is nothing in the Rules Book about it. Not a word. So technically the officials are not in a position to enforce a penalty.

There is a rule against the PA being used in the VHSL handbook, but that's during a live ball. That's strictly administrative. ADs could get involved and a school can be fined.

So what can the officials do?

I've only had a situation like this happen a couple of times and in each case i really believe there was a malfunction with the PA, but when it happened we stood there until it was fixed. I was not going to make an offense work with music blaring from the speakers. It's not fair and I was simply not going to let the game continue.

As a referee, i have that authority. Plus, there is a very seldom used "unfair acts" clause that allows a referee to invoke a penalty for acts not covered in the Rules Book. (This is typically a section reserved for real weird things like a nonplayer running onto the field or making a tackle, I've heard it used when a team somehow stole the helmet of an opponent during a game. I wish I knew more details about that incident) If a team was intentionally playing loud music over the PA like you described, I would invoke the unfair acts clause in a heartbeat.
This post was edited on 11/17 4:55 PM by White hat

 

[rocketballz]

Thanks for the answer. It was definately a deliberate act and it got louder and louder as the team approached the red zone.

 

[Hampton Roads 6]

NFHS and VHSL should pass a rule banning music and bands from playing during a live ball. It would not bother me if they banned it completely except for national anthem. Now if a school wants to shoot a cannon or blow a train horn, or ring cow bell after a touchdown, that is OK.

 

[GoMBKMonarchs]

Let me get this straight

Shooting a cannon is ok, but the marching band has to go????????

 

[White hat]

I love it when the bands play. I think it adds a lot to the entire scene and feel of the game. A good game where both teams have their bands there can get really loud on the field and it's great. I love it when the fans get vocal and carry on. The noise is part of football. Every serious player on the field would love to play in college and that means you're willing to play with 65,000 people yelling. Noise is part of the game.

Artificially amplified noise is another matter altogether. Playing it over the speakers is just wrong and should not have been allowed.

 

[Hampton Roads 6]

Re: Let me get this straight


I don't like it when a team has to use the band to try to stop a no huddle spread offense.

 

[GoMBKMonarchs]

Yeah, problem with that, HR6

Most spread no huddle offenses have their plays called with signal and the ball is snapped on movement by QB- not snap call. It doesn't matter if cannons are exploding and bands are playing- it's all visual. I seriously doubt any team "uses the band"- actual coordination with the bad. If the band plays, it plays. But, I seriously doubt the band director and head coach or coordinating this during the week.

 

[Hampton Roads 6]

Re: Yeah, problem with that, HR6


Probably true 99% of the time. But I recall a game at a certain school that I think there was a pre planned deal.

 

[White hat]

Re: Yeah, problem with that, HR6


I was actually thinking the same thing. Spread offenses are almost immune to problems caused by noise because they don't use cadence like that.