The daftest rule in sport

[Tal]

Sport needs rules, else it's just people in the same outfits doing unnatural things and getting worked up about it. That much we know.

But some rules make no sense, inhibit the enjoyment of the game, add no value, are impossible to enforce or are obvious to improve upon.

I'll start with a few:

1. Offside rule in football

Every bloke in the pub can tell you everything there is to know about football but needs three pint glasses and the salt and pepper to explain the offside rule.

Every week, there's a new, debatable case and the officials struggle to get the application of it right: is he interfering?

Change it to something simple. That's what works best in sport.

2. Allowing rotating substitute fielders in cricket for toilet breaks

If you're injured, come off. If you're not injured, stay on.

If you do need to come off to spend a penny, you should have gone before you went out. They have long breaks every couple of hours and a drinks break every hour. You'll be alright, chap.

Substitute fielder Gary Pratt's run out of Ricky Ponting, whilst unquestionably hilarious, was part of a farce.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/australia/9711843/Super-sub-Gary-Pratts-run-out-of-Ricky-Ponting-still-remains-one-of-defining-Ashes-moments-in-history.html

He was probably a legitimate sub, as it happens, but Australia's captain was already rattled by the revolving door approach England had to resting players.

3. Excessive celebration in American Football

You've done a thing. The kind of thing you are supposed to do in your sport. It's for a lot of money, on telly and with a lot of people interested in how well you do your thing.

You're probably happy about it.

The rules say that's OK, but don't get too excited, don't use any props, don't bring anyone else in, don't touch the post, don't throw the ball anywhere but the ground, don't jump into the crowd, don't...

This article explains:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2522192-the-death-of-the-nfl-touchdown-celebration

Any more for any more?

[rinswun]

98% of the rules of golf.

[George2Loose]

Getting booked for taking your shirt off whilst celebrating
The Duckworth-Lewis thingy in cricket
Rugby Union

[Karabiner]

98% of the rules of golf.

I'm not sure about that figure!

My own pet-hate is having to take a drop from shoulder height ergo getting a plugged lie when your ball goes into a waterlogged bunker.

[david3103]

98% of the rules of golf.

I'm not sure about that figure!

My own pet-hate is having to take a drop from shoulder height ergo getting a plugged lie when your ball goes into a waterlogged bunker.

Waterlogged bunkers shoul be ruled as 'out of play' and either you get a free drop, or a mulligan.

[OverTheBorder]

Accepted rules for fighting in ice hockey, why would assault be a 5 minute penalty.

Great to get people watching but ridiculous in terms of having an accepted etiquette for it in a main stream sport

[TightEnd]

The miss rule in snooker

Called whether there is no attempt to hit it or if he misses a tough escape by a millimetre. surely there has to be a difference?

[Karabiner]

The miss rule in snooker

Called whether there is no attempt to hit it or if he misses a tough escape by a millimetre. surely there has to be a difference?

It is up to the referees discretion.

There were a couple of extremely close misses that were not called in the recent UK Championships and the referees were rightly praised for not calling them.

[TightEnd]

The miss rule in snooker

Called whether there is no attempt to hit it or if he misses a tough escape by a millimetre. surely there has to be a difference?

It is up to the referees discretion.

There were a couple of extremely close misses that were not called in the recent UK Championships and the referees were rightly praised for not calling them.

There were, and this was welcome. until then, 99%+ of all failures to escape from snookers were called as misses. i think in practice the rule needs to draw a distinction between the close miss and the bad miss, or referees use their discretion more often

[anthonyl]

football

Player gets injured from a reckless tackle. Injured player goes off pitch for treatment.

[tikay]

football

Player gets injured from a reckless tackle. Injured player goes off pitch for treatment.

That rule only exists because footballers, not being terribly bright or fair-minded, tried to exploit injury situations.

Had they not done so, there would be no need for that rule.

[vegaslover]

The miss rule in snooker

Called whether there is no attempt to hit it or if he misses a tough escape by a millimetre. surely there has to be a difference?

It is up to the referees discretion.

There were a couple of extremely close misses that were not called in the recent UK Championships and the referees were rightly praised for not calling them.

There were, and this was welcome. until then, 99%+ of all failures to escape from snookers were called as misses. i think in practice the rule needs to draw a distinction between the close miss and the bad miss, or referees use their discretion more often

iirc, players were basically taking the piss out of the rule, hitting it at the right pace so went back to baulk, whether they got a nick or not and basically didn't leave anything easy on. Obv were happy giving away 4 points to get it safe. powers that be cottoned on, hence why pretty much everything gets called a miss

[MintTrav]

Tennis:

1. Second serve - you mess up your play, so you get a second go, with no penalty. Does this happen in any other sport? If they just had one go, they wouldn't be trying to hit aces all the time and you would get more rallies, which is better for spectators.

2. Let - If the ball hits the cord and lands in play on the serve, the shot is replayed. If the same thing happens any other time, it is tough cheese and you play on. Why is there a difference?

[Tal]

Tennis:

1. Second serve - you mess up your play, so you get a second go, with no penalty. Does this happen in any other sport? If they just had one go, they wouldn't be trying to hit aces all the time and you would get more rallies, which is better for spectators.

2. Let - If the ball hits the cord and lands in play on the serve, the shot is replayed. If the same thing happens any other time, it is tough cheese and you play on. Why is there a difference?

Worse still, if it lands your side, it's a fault, so it's second serve. If it lands the other side, you get a free go.

I agree. Should just give you the point.

[JohnCharver]

The rule of not playing for more than two clubs in a season when used for the sake of it is stupid. ben arfa a prime example last season sitting out for 5 months. Not apposed to rule just enforcing it for the sake of enforcing it.

Signing scorecard in golf.