Worst Sports Rules

What about fictional sports? I'm a huge fan of Potter, yet the rules of Quidditch I find a bit unfair. "The game is over when the Snitch is caught."

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Bringing up an old thread but a lot of rules have changed since 2011 and MLB just dropped a doozy for the upcoming season:

"At all levels of Minor League Baseball, extra innings will begin with a runner on second base. The runner at second base will be the player in the batting order position previous to the leadoff batter of the inning (or a substitute for that player). By way of example, if the number five hitter in the batting order is due to lead off the 10th inning, the number four player in the batting order (or a pinch-runner for such player) shall begin the inning on second base. Any runner or batter removed from the game for a substitute shall be ineligible to return to the game, as is the case in all circumstances under the Official Baseball Rules."

This is an awful idea and I really hope it fails in the minors.

I think it'd be awful to do in the majors, but I'm not really bothered by it in any other place. So I guess I'm bothered only insofar as it might herald a change at the major league level. Which would definitely be terrible.

I guess that comes from seeing the minors as clearly just an unabashed funnel for the majors, without a lot of the same history or competitive legitimacy (star players routinely vanish to the majors in the middle of the season) in their own right that needs to be preserved the same way.

Yuck, that's as bad as it gets. I would rather see ties.

I do wish MLB would make a universal decision on the DH. At this point I don't care one way or the other. Let's just all play by the same rules already.

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The tuck rule is the worst

Football is 8n a real tough spot right now. I hate how all the rules seem to favor the offense but they have to continue to do something about head injuries.

Kid joined our baseball team the other day and I remembered him from my oldest son's football team a couple years back. He was incredibly good and aggresive for his age and size, played linebacker. I asked him how football was going, he said he couldn't play because he has had 5 concussions. 5! He's ten years old and they couldn't possibly be talking about head injuries more in our county.

Pleased my boys didn't take to football.

I know it's not the real thing, but flag football is a great way of staying safer and still playing the sport. I'd let my kid play it.

Definitely a possibility. I played football but quickly became basketball obsessed, seems like my kids are going that way as well. They really like baseball too, so no shortage of activities for them at this point.

Well the extra point rules have changed since the original complaint was made about that. Wonder if that has changed anybody's minds.

I find the kick offs to be almost pointless now. I know they moved up the kick off point to minimize injury opportunities in the crazy helter skelter free for all that is the average NFL kick return, but its resulted in NFL level kickers booming the ball through the end zone 80% of the time. Nothing more annoying then sitting through a whole set of commercials to come back and watch the ball get kicked 9 yards deep in the end zone where the catcher takes a knee and BOOM back to more commercials...

The NFL definitely needs to clean up this terrible reception rule and better define what a catch actually is. Its ridiculous right now. I would dare say 20% of what would have been a catch in the 90's and 2000's would not be considered a catch today. I know a catch when I see it. And they are splitting hairs and super over complicating what should be pretty straight forward. Did the receiver maintain control THROUGH the act of catching? Well if he caught it isnt it a catch?? Did he make a 'football move' AFTER catching the ball? What does this all mean?!

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I don't disagree but the NFL rules so heavily favor the offense now that my knee jerk reaction is always to like a rule that favors the defense a bit. Perfect world scenario for me is to clean up the rule like you said but allow more chucking by the DBs.

That's been gone since 2013. It was only used 4 times; once against the Patriots and then for the Patriots in the same year, and then in two other games after that. Crap rule it was.

Yes make the DH universal, put in the pitch clock, and limit the number of pitching changes you're allowed to make in the middle of an inning. Baseball needs new fans, and this would speed the game up a little while adding more excitement.

NBA Basketball -- Tired of the replays, calling everything a flagrant foul... I also wouldn't be opposed giving every team the chance to win the lottery to avoid tanking which is the antithesis of competitive sports.

I agree. MLB does rule changes better than any other league because they have a minor league system. It's the perfect testing ground and I don't think this rule makes it to the "Show." But, if it does and there is a chance (slim as it may be), yeesh... That being said, if it is ever implemented I'll be outraged for approximately 8 games a year. Less if my team wins

As for the NFL (which is a mess) the rule change I would implement now is turn pass interference into a 15 yard penalty like college. You can rip a guys head off with a facemask or de-cleat him 5 seconds after the play ended and get 15 yards but heaven forbid you graze a guys arm 50 yards downfield while the ball is in the air. It's a dumb, one sided penalty (offensive PI happens A LOT more often than they call) that changes the outcome of too many games.

The NFL's pass interference rule is a tough one. Obviously they're just trying to avoid intentional penalties by the defense to prevent big gains.

As far as the catch rule, I don't think the spirit of the rule is any different than it ever was. They've just changed the writing over the years. Technology has made everything too exact in some people's eyes.

I see they( who is they?) fixed some of the rules since my last rant.

Any sport using video replay. WTF! The wide receiver was clearly out of bounds on my 55 inch TV! Is the NFL getting a different picture then me ? No! Then why have the ref on the field use technology inferior to what I have at home. You can't have someone signal to you? Really, a Microsoft Surface?



I guess this give them the opportunity to show more commercials.

Kicking the puck in the net. Distinctive kicking motion? If it goes off your skate, the goal doesn't count or allow them to kick the puck in.

Icing. If a puck is shot or passed beyond the center line and crosses the goal line not on net, the play is dead.

The trapezoid. Remove it, allow the goalie to play the puck.

The PI and the what is a catch rule are my two biggies with the NFL right now. Even if intentional, my thoughts are no penalty should be half the field of play. If 15 yards and a first down is punitive enough for sending someone to the locker room on a cheap shot, potentially missing a game or two with a concussion, its plenty for anything else. Safety is paramount, according to the Commish but I will admit that I love it when my team is the beneficiary of a 30-50 yard PI call. But I still think its unfair.

"... there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing AstroTurf (gone) and the DH."

I don't completely disagree with you on the penalties, and I think it's akin to a 5 yard illegal contact penalty resulting in a first down on third and long. They just don't want intentional penalties and it simply puts the onus on the defense to make a good and clean play. Of course, a lot of these penalties look like they could go against the offense. I think there will be occurrences that will piss people off either way.

The catch rule I find to be rather simple, but again, it will probably depend on who you're rooting for and which way the call goes.