Where did I ever say the foul was intentional?
I questioned whether she knew the rules of a flagrant foul is(unsportsmanlike foul is the correct terminology in the womens game). My actual post was If she doesnt know what the rules of a flagrant foul are, considering how many games she covered, perhaps she shouldnt question it.
Never did I say it was an intentional foul. actually it was Ms Vopel who said it was "intentional" in her tweet.
@ochoopsfan , I believe we have a miscommunication. If that is the case, I apologize for not being clearer in my previous response to your post.
What I said (in my previous post) was:
But her questioning whether something was a flagrant foul (specifically wondering if the foul was intentional) and your brief meeting with her a couple of years ago form the basis for your opinion that she is both not a fan of Katie Lou Samuelson and not a fan of UConn?
(emphasis added by me -- CamrnCrz1974)
In other words, based on your posts in this thread, it was my understanding that your opinion as to what Mechelle Voepel thinks of KLS/UConn was based on her Twitter comment (in which Voepel questioned the foul) and your brief interaction with her a few years ago.
I was trying to convey that these two things were the bases for your opinion. I did not mean to say/imply/suggest that YOU said that foul was intentional. Rather, I was attempting to say that your opinion of Voepel's comment on Twitter where SHE questioned the foul (and where SHE had a question as to whether it was intentional) was one of the reasons for your belief as to her opinions of KLS and UConn.
Again, my apologies for the miscommunication.
The actual wording of the rule is---
A flagrant 1 foul (men's) or unsportsmanlike foul (women's) involves excessive or severe contact during a live ball, including especially when a player "swings an elbow and makes illegal, non-excessive contact with an opponent above the shoulders"
There doesnt have to be any intentional action by a player to commit an unsportsmanlike foul.
If one is going to go to social media and question a ruling she sees in a game( a game she has covered since 1984), I would hope she at least knows the rules.
As for the rules, you are correct -- a flagrant or unsportsmanlike foul may be purposeful or unintentional.
However, "intent" is very, very frequently brought up in discussions by announcers of whether something should be called as a flagrant/unsportsmanlike foul. In my experience, in both men's and women's basketball, the announcer's discussion and reference to "intent" most frequently occur in two contexts:
-- Two players going for a rebound where one player's elbow swings in the direction of and makes content with the opposing team's player's neck/face/head; and
-- A defender's foul of a player on a fast break/breakaway who is going in for a layup/dunk.
I did not find it inappropriate or out of line for Voepel to question "intent" in her Twitter comments, seeing as I have seen thousands and thousands of FIBA, NBA, WNBA, MCBB, and WCBB games broadcast over the years where announcers discuss intent in determining if a play is a common foul or a flagrant/intentional one. The announcers and commentators know the rules; they also know that referees/officials are human beings and, in the experience of the announcers and commentators (many of whom are former players) do consider "intent" as part of making the judgment call.
To me, this is a denotation/connotation issue. But I understand your vantage point (and, as an aside, thank you for posting the rule for the BY faithful so we all can see it) and see your perspective on the topic.
I truly apologize for any miscommunication. I certainly was not trying to put words into your mouth (or keyboard). I will attempt to be clearer with the points I am trying to make in my responses to your posts (and to everyone's posts).
