There Needs To Be A Universal Rule For "Cup Checks" Across All Sports
Early humans have been on this earth for at least 1.5 million years. Which means that dudes have been hitting each other in the nuts for at least 1.5 million years. It's one of the oldest jokes in the book. It's as funny as the day is long, just as long as you're not the one who ends up with their balls halfway up their throat. Call it childish humor, call it whatever you want, nut shots will always be funny.
Now obviously there's a difference when it comes to sack taps in your every day life, and sack taps in sports. When it comes to sport, we try to hold ourselves to a higher degree of decorum. Ball tapping your boy while he's chugging his drink will always fly. But ball tapping your opponent in the middle of a game is a bit of a greasy situation. Exemplified by what we saw last night in Brooklyn with James Harden hitting Royce O'Neale with a little bag tag, despite his claims that he never hit him in the "private area".
However, this is where I think a universal "Cup Check" rule should come into play.
The premise of a cup check is to make sure an athlete is wearing the proper protection for their cock and balls. Now I get that athletic cups are traditionally worn for contact sports, and I guess basketball doesn't fall under that category. But for the sake of uniformity, I believe this rule should apply across all sports.
If you "cup check" an opposing player and that player is deemed to be wearing an athletic cup, then you should be ejected from the game. The aggressing player failed the cup check, and should be punished for his lack of character on the field of play. However, if you "cup check" an opposing player and that player is deemed to have NOT been wearing an athletic cup, then the "cup check" was warranted and no foul shall be assessed on the play. There has to be a risk/reward scenario here for the cup check. If it turns out it was justified, you shouldn't be penalized. I'm not trying to victim blame here or anything, but I don't think Royce O'Neale whips his head back and to the left like he just got his nuts shot off from the grassy knoll if he were wearing a cup.
Same thing applies to Joel Embiid kicking Nic Claxton in the taint last night.
If Nic Claxton ain't wearing a cup, then that's a proper cup check by Embiid. No foul on the play. But had he been wearing a cup, then I wouldn't be able to argue an upcoming suspension.
Anyways, I just think this is a really simple rule that would save everybody a ton of trouble. Make every cup check a reviewable play. If the ref goes over to the player on the receiving end of the cup check and he isn't wearing one, then everybody just keeps it pushing.