Following is my response to the technical foul issue. I sent it to the league office using the following URL:

http://www.nba.com/email_us/contact_us.html

I doubt that my email will generate a response. But what if everyone sent one? You are welcome to copy mine, alter it, and use it as you like. (If you copy and paste outright, be sure to add your name at the end.)

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Mr. Stern,

I am a supporter of the National Basketball Association. I patronize basketball through media, merchandise, and ticket sales. I appreciate the product that is offered by the athletes, owners, and support personnel and choose to spend my money supporting that product.

I am writing to you to you, however, to voice my displeasure with the recent alterations in officiating by the League Office. The change in how technical fouls are perceived, particularly with regard to demonstrative gestures, is greatly detracting from my enjoyment of the game.  According to Stu Jackson, Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations, this change was implemented based (in part) on fan research which “shows that people think NBA players complain too much and they do so much more than players in other leagues.”

I have two responses to this statement:

1.       Could you please make this data publicly available? While I have conducted no formal survey, my informal data on this subject has not confirmed this opinion in any way whatsoever.

2.       A great deal of complaining may be indicative of petulant players. Or it may be indicative of an officiating problem. How did you come to the conclusion that the players are the issue? I would be interested to know the results of the study that led you to this conclusion.

I would like to continue to support and enjoy my favorite sport. These are, however, difficult financial times, and choices have to be made with regard to where entertainment may be purchased most appropriately. If the attitude of the league office towards officiating continues in its current direction, I imagine that, inevitably, this will affect my patronage of this sport in a fiscal sense.

I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,