This is a screenshot from yesterday's NBA playoff game between the Heat and the Pacers. In the background you'll see a man taking a photo of David West and LeBron James with his iPhone, and its flash. That is very stupid.
Here's why: Flashes are almost entirely useless at large sporting events. If you want to take a super bright photo of the drunk idiots sitting next to you, or two rows back, sure—go for it. But using a flash only affects what you can actually light up with your setup. If an object is beyond the range of your flash—probably 15 to 20 feet—you're just ruining your photo with the flash.
And look, while there are some examples of when you might want to use a flash at an indoor event, shooting a photo using an iPhone, especially an iPhone located basically in the brightly-lit front row of a basketball arena on national TV, is not one of them. The same goes for any sub-professional setup, really.
This isn't the first time we've told you to cut this crap out. But the last time we yelled at you was almost three years ago, and this ruins enough pictures at every single game that it bears repeating. So stop it.
Screenshot via Tim Burke @ Deadspin.