What are the worst rules in sports?

[DeToxRox]

The NHL thread had me thinking .. What are some of the worst rules in sports?

In the NHL the Instigator Rule is absurd. It takes the frontier justice out of hockey, and allows for annoying players without much skill to run around the ice causing havoc without much fear of reprecution.

The other rule which might be the worst rule ever in anything is the Blackout Rule in the NFL.

It's an antiquated rule from the 50's that was made because people feared games on TV meant no one would go to the stadium to see the game. Only 7 blackouts this year, and 5 were Lions games, so the fact is pretty simple: people go to the games regardless, unless they're driven to insanity like Lions fans.

[MJ4H]

Tuck rule?

[Dr. Sak]

Shouldn't Lions fans be happy there were blackouts? That's fewer games they have to suffer.

[Logan]

It may include the word, but I don't consider the blackout policy an actual rule.

I'm anti-DH, but either way, the rule should be uniform to both baseball leagues.

[SackAttack]

Offside in soccer drives me bugshit.

[MrDNA]

I'm going to throw this one out there: holding in the NFL. It gets called, what, maybe 1 out of every 5 times it happens, so why bother to call it at all? Just go nuts out there and bring back some of the old D-linemen moves that have been outlawed. Give those refs a rest

[JonInMiddleGA]

Block in the back, on the receiving team.

[MJ4H]

Soccer would probably be ridiculous without offsides. But speaking of soccer, how about the away goals rule? My god.

[Logan]

The rule that provides for bout 95% of all unsportsmanlike penalties called in the NFL.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

Shouldn't Lions fans be happy there were blackouts? That's fewer games they have to suffer.

I've never been one - just a fan of the NFL in general. I agree that the blackout rule is just plain stupid, as it prevents a team from gaining new fans when they need them the most. And with ticket prices out of the price range of so many fans these days, it doesn't make a lot of sense.

At least stations are allowed to show other games to replace a blackout. It tends to work out. But they almost didn't show the Thanksgiving game, so there wouldn't have been anything on television in that slot.

At this point, if the NFL is going to insist on keeping this stupid rule, better to give some other more-supported team that Thanksgiving slot. I'm sure they know better than to put the Lions on Sunday or Monday night.

One rule that has always bothered me - sacrifice flies in baseball. We're all used to them, but the concept of not leaving a base until the ball is caught is a little bizarre. Either the ball being caught should end the play, or not.

[Logan]

Save rule. Get battered around, give up a couple runs, earn a save and more money on your next deal!

[MIJB#19]

I thought hard and couldn't come up with anything better than second service in tennis.

[bhlloy]

+1 on the instigator rule.

Also agree with MJ4H, you wouldn't be able to play soccer without the offside rule. If they went back to how it was 10 years ago (no "interfering with play" etc...) it would be fine. Typical FIFA trying to tweak things and screwing them up even worse.

I don't mind the away goals rule so much. It does encourage the away team to at least make a match of it, instead of just sitting back in the first leg and playing for the 0-0. IMO, it's why some of the Euro Cup games have been such classics.

[jbergey22]

Illegal defense in the NBA.

Been watching the NBA for 25 years and still dont really understand it.

[sabotai]

+2 on the instigator rule. I also think the NHL should have No-Touch Icing.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Illegal defense in the NBA.

Been watching the NBA for 25 years and still dont really understand it.

I thought they got rid of that a while back?

[aran]

Whatever rules the A-11 offense is exploiting. They are not strict enough to prevent abuse so they are not well-written rules.

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Illegal defense in the NBA.

Been watching the NBA for 25 years and still dont really understand it.

Apparently playing zone defense in the NBA was illegal until relatively recently? I don't know if I trust that, but I remember reading it.

[Mustang]

Sudden death in the NFL

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by aran

Apparently playing zone defense in the NBA was illegal until relatively recently? I don't know if I trust that, but I remember reading it.

This is correct. Zone defense was illegal in the NBA.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by aran

Apparently playing zone defense in the NBA was illegal until relatively recently? I don't know if I trust that, but I remember reading it.

Yep. So much so that it's still disorienting to me to watch & realize it isn't illegal now.

[Oilers9911]

The touch-up icing rule in the NHL. Someone is going to get paralyzed or killed one day. Nobody gets excited about two guys chasing down an icing. careers have already been ruined or harmed by that ridiculous rule.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Ooh, just thought of another one -- NASCAR's frozen field on yellow.

[Suburban Rhythm]

+3 (are we up to 3) on the instigator. Especially when it's applied so arbitrarily. Also, although haven't seen it called for awhile, the game misconduct for not having your jersey tied down.

In the NFL, I'd never seen it until this past weekend when Aaron Smith got called for unsportsmanlike for "simulating the snap count". WTF! I guess they are saying that is too deceptive...isn't that what offenses are trying to do to defenses all the time!?

And one that has always bothered me-- spiking the ball to stop the clock. If that same "throw" occurs while a defensive player is running towards the QB, people will be howling for intentional grounding. Call it the same way all the time.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Ooh, just thought of another one -- NASCAR's frozen field on yellow.

Didn't the title say sports?

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

And one that has always bothered me-- spiking the ball to stop the clock. If that same "throw" occurs while a defensive player is running towards the QB, people will be howling for intentional grounding. Call it the same way all the time.

Not sure if you realize it or not, but spiking the ball to stop the clock is specifically allowed in the rulebook.

[RPI-Fan]

Instant replay in the NFL.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Not sure if you realize it or not, but spiking the ball to stop the clock is specifically allowed in the rulebook.

i am saying that is an awful rule. Any other time, that is intentional grounding, no? But because the QB doesn't step back from center, it's acceptable-- because of a shitty rule.

[aran]

So how do you suggest teams stop the clock when out of time-outs? Throw the ball away in the direction of a receiver right after the snap?

[molson]

-5-game MLB Divisional Series. So stupid in a sport like a baseball.
-6 division setups in NHL/NBA. I don't know why they annoy me so much, but they do. It just makes the whole league harder to follow. What's wrong with 4 bigger divisions?
-Small MLB strike zone. Though it's better than it was 10 years ago

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

i am saying that is an awful rule. Any other time, that is intentional grounding, no? But because the QB doesn't step back from center, it's acceptable-- because of a shitty rule.

No, it's only a penalty if it's to avoid a sack. If a QB drops back, sees no one open and decides to throw it away even though there's no pressure it's no penalty.

[Grammaticus]

Roughing the passer.

[stevew]

The NBA salary cap and nothing else is even close. It shouldn't take an MBA to figuRe out how to make a trade.

[Grammaticus]

Also for the NFL, it would be great to see one foot in instead of two feet in for a legal in bounds catch.

[Young Drachma]

Baseball's divisional structure was setup with the idea that there would've been two more teams added to the AL by now. This whole 6-team NL Central and 4-team AL West is a bit ridiculous to put it mildly. I don't say expand now, but eliminate the sham that is the two-league structure and find a way to balance things out better.

At the point that we have to suffer through interleague play, we might as well dispense with traditional and arrange a structure that makes sense.

[JW]

The rule allowing NBA teams to advance the ball to midcourt after a timeout after an opposing team basket late in the game. That is the most gimmicky rule in all sport.

[Radii]

The "double bonus" in college basketball where a team gets two free throws automatically after 10 fouls are committed in a half. There's already a punishment for committing too many fouls... individual players start fouling out. Keep shooting 1-and-1's on non-shooting fouls, and if a team's roster is filled with 55-60% free throw shooters, maybe they don't deserve to win close games.

[molson]

Celebration penalties/fines in the NFL

Welker fined $10k for making snow angel

And maybe it's not a terrible rule, but 5 personal fouls for a DQ in college feels like 1 too few. Too many games come down to who's in foul trouble, and it puts too much power in the hands of the refs.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by molson

Celebration penalties/fines in the NFL

Welker fined $10k for making snow angel

Heh, I just posted that in the NFL thread, totally agree.

[stevew]

I don't like welker but it was a stupid fine.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by mckerney

No, it's only a penalty if it's to avoid a sack. If a QB drops back, sees no one open and decides to throw it away even though there's no pressure it's no penalty.

Must cross the line of scrimmage, no? Which, the spike also does not do.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Dola

Traveling

I rarely watch the NBA anymore. But the league even agrees that this is worst rule in sports, going as far as not calling it.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I am torn between 3.

DH in MLB

And in the NFL

Sudden Death OT

And the whole thing regarding it not being intentional grounding outside the tackles that allows a qb to just run from a guy and throw it away to avoid a sack. I say when it's obviously just to avoid a sack it should be loss of down AND move the line of scrimmage to the point where he threw it away.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by JW

The rule allowing NBA teams to advance the ball to midcourt after a timeout after an opposing team basket late in the game. That is the most gimmicky rule in all sport.

Yep. Highly annoying.

I really hate the different rules for different levels of a sport.

[MJ4H]

I hate that a player has to be touched while down in the NFL. Stupid.

[st.cronin]

Sudden death OT in any sport.
Penalty shootout, in hockey or soccer.
Expanded September rosters in MLB.

Rules that should exist:

- In football, any pass that hits the ground before the line of scrimmage, for whatever reason, is a live ball.

- In baseball, there needs to be some rule preventing teams from making excessive pitching changes. The game has become unwatchable to me.

[ISiddiqui]

The Designated Hitter Rule in the American League

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Radii

The "double bonus" in college basketball where a team gets two free throws automatically after 10 fouls are committed in a half. There's already a punishment for committing too many fouls... individual players start fouling out. Keep shooting 1-and-1's on non-shooting fouls, and if a team's roster is filled with 55-60% free throw shooters, maybe they don't deserve to win close games.

This wouldnt be so bad IF they would move the 3 point line 3 feet to make it atleast a somewhat difficult shot to make. Otherwise IMO its too big on an advantage to foul.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

I hate that a player has to be touched while down in the NFL. Stupid.

On the other hand, I hate that a player that stumbles and hits a knee to the ground, but is touched by no one in college football is down.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by RendeR

I thought they got rid of that a while back?

Yeah you are right.

They replaced in with this other rule I dont really understand either. Its called defensive 3 seconds I believe but also has certain conditions to it similiar to the illegal defense from the past.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

On the other hand, I hate that a player that stumbles and hits a knee to the ground, but is touched by no one in college football is down.

But the thing is, there's never any confusion about that. In the NFL, there is routinely some yahoo that jumps up off the ground and starts running around and half the team is standing around thinking the play is over, the other half isn't sure. Just stupid. Not only could someone get hurt like that, it makes the game look silly. Drives me insane every time.