[JTEarley]

Originally Posted by BJC

I also think that first should put something over the bar so that the ball can't bounce back out of the goal. However, I think my reason is a bit different from what everyone else is saying.

A huge problem right now is the multitasking that the referees are having to do. Because the balls are not guaranteed to stay in the goals right now the referees must hold off on lighting up the "can" and starting a new cycle.

Fixing the goals so the balls never bounce back out will allow the referees to push the button right when they see the ball pass through the goal. This would result in:

1. Less strain on the referees. The less time they spend looking at the ball bouncing in the goal the more time they can spend watching the match and doing the rest of what they do.

2. Faster gameplay. This should mostly fix the big delay between scoring a ball and waiting for the "can" to light up. The more of the match the balls are on the field, the more exciting this game will be to watch.

3. The side benefit is it becomes easier for teams to score because the goal bar is no longer de-scoring shots. More teams scoring high goals makes the game more exciting which in turn reflects well on the FIRST organization.

Food for thought
Cheers, Bryan

My opinion exactly