[EricH]

Many points are being illustrated with basketball, so I will use soccer.
In soccer, there are penalties for going out of bounds (other team gets ball) andhitting the ball with your hand (same). But, the scores are usually very low. However, intentionally tripping someone or using hands in a certain area (unless you are a goalie) carries the penalty known as a penalty kick. The person who was fouled gets a kick at the goal. No one can interfere except the goalie, and he can't move until the ball is kicked. One penalty kick can win a game. One foul can equal one penalty kick, which can equal one loss.
The penalty system in FIRST is the same way. Small stuff may or may not affect the outcome. Big stuff probably will. Avoid the big stuff, and you should be fine. Avoid robots that look like they are in the loading zone.