Headbands are now mandatory for Syracuse Basketball
Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images
Syracuse Orange fans who also follow Major League Baseball are probably aware of the new “Pitch-Com” technology being used between pitchers and catchers. The technology is supposed to prevent sign-stealing and speed up the pace of play by allowing the catcher to call the pitch via a wristband.
So that got us to thinking- what could happen if the technology made it’s way to college athletics. You’d probably think that football would be the biggest beneficiary since plays could be sent right to the quarterback like they do in the NFL. Frankly that’s pretty boring unless you’re one of the staff members who gets to make those giant play cards for the sideline. (With apologies to internet people who beg colleges to put their faces on those cards because they are super insecure and just want attention).
No the fun part would be bringing Pitch-Com technology to college basketball. Why would college basketball teams need to worry about sign-stealing? Glad you asked. For starters it would reduce the impact of schools who do the smart thing and stick their students court-side to disrupt the visiting team’s communication between players and the bench. Yell and scream all you want because the bench can simply call out when they want the defense to trap.
No longer would point guards need to look over to the bench to get the play call. It could be sent to everyone with the press of a button. It would keep coaches from walking out onto the court to call out the offense or defense and we’d all be better off keeping them in the coaches box where they belong.
Sure all the players would need to wear headbands so the speaker would be attached. At least until Apple or Google develop earbud implants that schools could equip athletes with during orientation. Headbands worked for CJ Fair so we don’t see an issue with making everyone wear them.
Imagine the ability for Syracuse players to be able to hear Jim Boeheim’s voice telling them what to do on offense. Of course some players would tire of hearing “Pass” over and over again but when they choose to ignore the request and get hit with a “Pass it or I’ll send you so far down the bench you’ll be sitting in Lawrinson” they will probably move the ball.
Of course the biggest benefit for fans would be putting the wristband on college coaches and watching them throw them in disgust during a frustrating moment. If we’re stuck watching them in casual sideline attire moving forward at least give us something to look for in tense situations. Maybe the next step will be giving coaches the ability to complain to the refs with a click of a button....on second thought maybe we don’t want to take it that far just yet.
