Official League Rules and Guidelines:

• • No food, drinks, chewing tobacco, chewing gum, or spitting on the playing surface.
  • No glass containers on the playing surface, player's bench, or stands.
  • Smoking is prohibited at all Showtime Sports NJ venues. Violators will be warned and may be banned for repeat offenses. Players are responsible for ensuring their guests also follow this rule.
    

SIGN-UP GUIDELINES & FEES 

• Teams sign up on a first come, first served basis.
• Teams and individual players can sign up any time before the season start date, unless a deadline is put in place.
• Individuals may sign up to be placed on a free agency team. If there are enough players for a team, the Showtime Sports NJ team will create a team from all the free-agent individuals available.
• Showtime Sports NJ has a strict NO REFUND policy. This means that all fees paid upon registration are non-refundable, regardless of any circumstances that may arise, such as changes in personal schedules, injuries, or any other reasons.
• Under certain circumstances, payments/deposits will only be refunded if Showtime Sports NJ does not have a league spot available for you or your team.
  
• Full payment is required before your first game, or your team spot could be forfeited.
• If full payment is made after the deadline, late fees will be charged, unless an approved payment date and deposit plan has been discussed with Showtime Sports NJ. 
• No new teams will be accepted after the first game of league play, unless due to uncontrollable circumstances that Showtime Sports NJ deems necessary.
• No individual will be allowed to participate in any league games until a release form has been properly completed and signed. Please refer to our Liability and Injury Waiver Release Waiver.

Refund Policy 

All players, including those who register a team, sign-up to play on a team, or register as a free agent in any Showtime Sports NJ league, are making a commitment to participate. Showtime Sports NJ observes a "first come, first serve" policy and spots are subject to availability. As a player, you are reserving one out of a limited number of team/player/roster spots. In order for the league to effectively operate and continue to see success, your commitment to participate on a weekly basis is critical. Showtime Sports NJ operations includes, but is not limited to: placing custom shirt/jersey or uniform orders (sometimes with last names) on your behalf, renting time at facilities based on registration levels, ensuring team rosters are evenly distributed, and arranging the game schedule for all participating teams each season. Showtime Sports NJ may also turn away other potential players/teams because of your full commitment. An accurate count of players participating in each league division is needed at the time of the registration deadline to ensure all player shirts/jerseys or uniforms arrive in time before the start of each season. For these reasons, registering to participate in a league comes with a responsibility to play an active role in the spot you filled in support of that commitment. All fees are non-refundable, regardless of any circumstances that may arise, such as changes in personal schedules, injuries, or any other reasons.

Player Rosters

• Player rosters must have a minimum of 7 players. All rosters are capped at 12 players unless approved by Showtime Sports NJ. 
• Players must be 18+ years old to participate.
• Complete player rosters must be turned in no later than four weeks prior to the first league game. This allows to ensure all shirts/jerseys or uniforms are ordered and delivered by Week 1 of the season. 
• All players must sign and complete our Liability and Injury Waiver Release Waiver prior to participating in any game.
• To be eligible for playoffs, a player must be on the original roster and participate in 2 games. Failure to comply will result in the forfeiture of all games played with illegal players.
• Team roster changes are NOT permitted after a team has played 2 games of the season. New players may only be added later to a roster if an existing player is injured and cannot play for the remainder of the season. 
• Injured players can NOT be replaced after Week 6.
• Players are NOT allowed to request to be traded or moved to another team once the first league game of the season has started unless approved by Showtime Sports NJ.

Equipment

• Basketball shoes or similar sports court shoes are required for all players.
• League issued shirts OR Jersey with a number will be provided by Showtime Sports NJ. 
• Teams players must be dressed in the matching league issues shirt/jersey on game days. 
• Any non-Showtime Sports NJ issued shirt or jersey will result in a technical foul to start the game for every player without a number/matching colored shirt/jersey. You can use other Showtime-issued shirt or jersey, but the color must match your team's primary color.

Forfeitures

• If a team is unable to play a scheduled game, the opposing team may choose to accept a forfeit.
• After the first forfeit, the team that forfeited will be responsible for a $50 fine. The second forfeit, a $50 fine. If a team forfeits three times in one season, they will be released from the league, and all money paid will be lost. No refunds will be issued due to forfeits.
• Forfeiture will be incurred if a team has failed to field the minimum number of players within ten minutes.
• The minimum number of players to start a game shall be four and you may play the entire game with four players. Teams may not play with less than four players.
• Any team that does not show up will result in a victory for the opposing team scored 20-0, and no rescheduled game will be given.

Referees

• Referees appointed to officiate each game have complete authority on the field of play, and their decisions on points of fact connected with the game are final. Officiating will be monitored and assessed periodically, and management will always try to provide quality officiating.

Sportsmanship

• Individuals are expected to play under control and within the rules of the game, and to the best of their ability, while avoiding causing any injuries to themselves and other persons using the facility.

Unsportsmanlike Policy

• Showtime Sports NJ has a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY toward fighting, spitting, threatening, or any forms of unnecessary rough play, etc. Anyone involved in this type of behavior will be ejected from the game and facility. The situation will be reviewed by Showtime Sports NJ to determine whether the player will be banned from the league and facility for more than one game or the entire season. 
• A player or coach sent off in (or after) a game by a referee will automatically be suspended from the next game in the season.
• A player or coach sent off for the offense of "violent conduct" (including, but not limited to: fighting, spitting, threatening, continued rough play, etc.) will be suspended as outlined above and, in addition, will be suspended for one additional game and subject to further disciplinary action as decided by the league management.
• A player or coach sent off for "assaulting an official" will automatically be expelled from the league and banned from Showtime Sports NJ. 

Basketball Rules

Game Length:

• Two 20-minute halves with a 2-minute halftime. For some seasons, this format may change. 
• The clock will run continuously except for the last 1 minute of the first half and two minutes in the second half. During the last two minutes before the end of the game, the clock will stop for the referee's whistle.
• The clock will not stop for made baskets.
• Teams will have two timeouts per half for 30 seconds (no carryover). 
• A 5-second count will be enforced when guarding the ball.
• Players have 10 seconds to get the ball across half-court.
• The ball advances to half-court when under two minutes in the second half on time-outs.

Shot Clock:

• There will be a 30 second shot clock for all games.
• The shot clock begins soon as possession begins.
• Shot clock stops ticking when the ball is declared dead by the referee. Shot clock resumes once the ball is put back into play.
• A shot clock violation will be called on a team if they have not shot the ball and still have possession the shot clock reaches zero.

Fouls:

• Any player who commits six fouls during the course of the game will be ineligible for the remainder of the game.
• If a team only has 5 players and one fouls out, the team will continue to play the game with 4 players. 
• A player who receives a TECHNICAL FOUL during gameplay they will have to be benched for 5 minutes. 
• A player who receives TWO TECHNICAL FOULS during the course of the game will be removed from the game and asked to leave the gym. The situation will be reviewed by Showtime Sports NJ to determine if the player will be suspended for one or more games or the entire season. 
• As a result of any technical foul, the opposing team will have 25 seconds to shoot two free throws and that team will also be awarded possession of the ball.