# Crazy New Rules in Sports that you'd like to see **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 29, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241 "2010-03-29T19:32:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/21 "2010-03-30T14:24:58Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > In baseball, one simple rule change: The batter may begin running the bases in either direction. There can be 2 men on one base if they are going in opposite directions. You could not only have a double or triple play but up to a sextuple play! And a real grand slam would result in seven runs! I played game called Polish Baseball when I was a kid where there was only two bases and the batter could hit the ball in any direction. Runners could pile up on first base, but they had to score in order. It was pretty fun, maybe there’s a better name for it. ---
**Author:** ![jonesj2205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@jonesj2205](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonesj2205)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/22 "2010-03-30T15:05:39Z")
Foul balls in baseball if the visiting team hits a foul ball into the stands past first or third base the batter (and runners) are allowed any base they can advance to before a fan touches the ball. It’ll give teams low attendance teams a reason to get more people in the seats. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/23 "2010-03-30T17:51:32Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > I played game called Polish Baseball when I was a kid where there was only two bases and the batter could hit the ball in any direction. Runners could pile up on first base, but they had to score in order. > > It was pretty fun, maybe there’s a better name for it. That sounds a little like a game we used to play in elementary school called “Halooshka”. There were two bases; one only a few feet away, and the other one at the far end of the field. A teammate would “pitch” the ball (we used a volleyball), and the act of pitching was something similar to a referee performing a jump ball in basketball, except not throwing the ball so high. You could hit the ball any which way; if you didn’t hit it very far, you could just trot to the “safe” base a few feet away. Or if you crunched it, you could try making it to the far base. Depending on the teacher, a turn at bat would be either 5 out, or everybody on the team would get a chance to bat once each inning, but once the last batter on the team had hit, the inning was over regardless of runners on base, how many out, etc. If a fielder caught the ball on the fly, that would be 2 out; if he/she caught it on one bounce, it was 1 out. ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/24 "2010-03-30T19:19:40Z")
I think instead of throwing it, the pitcher should have to manually run up and put the ball into the catcher’s mitt. If he did so in the strike zone, then its a strike. The batter still tries to hit the ball as usual, but if he hits the pitcher’s hand, its a strike, and if he hits the pitcher’s head, he’s out. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/25 "2010-03-30T20:00:03Z")
If the pitcher hits the batter in the nuts with a fastball, the batter doesn’t get first base. Instead, it’s called a _scroball_ and it’s a called strike. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/26 "2010-03-30T20:30:03Z")
> [@KennerTheGreat](#): > > … Crosby and Ovechkin then select the players schoolyard style… > Finally, each player on the winning team gets a bonus of $100,000 USD. The losers get nothing. This is an excellent suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/27 "2010-03-30T20:50:14Z")
American football: a punting team cannot move beyond the line of scrimmage to tackle a punt returner. Let’s see you punt on fourth-and-short now, pussies! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/28 "2010-03-30T20:52:42Z")
I would like to see any and all ties after regulation settled like a hockey shootout. The details would be difficult. Teams would have their equipment managers bring along sufficient pairs of skates, etc. A local hockey arena would be used for ice. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Nene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@El\_Nene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Nene)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/29 "2010-03-30T20:57:41Z")
Punching A-Rod in the face no longer illegal. ---
**Author:** ![cmosdes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/30 "2010-03-30T21:12:30Z")
I always wondered what some of the indoor sports would look like if they were played outdoors. Take your typical basketball game. Move that into the elements and I bet it becomes a different game. Imagine what these guys would look like on a courts with 6" of snow in 10 degree temps. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/31 "2010-03-30T21:19:15Z")
Any sport–where the score is tied at the end of regulation play, each team shall designate one of its players, from those in the game at the end of regulation, to represent the team in MMA combat against the designee of the other team. Said MMA bout can only end by knockout or submission. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/32 "2010-03-31T03:14:15Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > No matter what the score is, if your Seeker catches the Quaffle, your team automatically wins. That’s no crazier than the actual rules of that game. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/33 "2010-03-31T15:14:51Z")
I think pro wrestling has gotten away from what it originally was about. These no holds barred matches with barbed wire, tables, and ladders are so far removed from pro wrestling’s origins. I think pro wrestlers should wrestle the way that wrestling was made – nude and covered in olive oil. And if it’s an “unsanctioned” match, why are you showing it on your pay per view? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/34 "2010-03-31T15:24:27Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > That’s no crazier than the actual rules of that game. 😃 That IS one of the actual rules. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/35 "2010-03-31T15:30:27Z")
> [@cmosdes](#): > > I always wondered what some of the indoor sports would look like if they were played outdoors. Take your typical basketball game. Move that into the elements and I bet it becomes a different game. Imagine what these guys would look like on a courts with 6" of snow in 10 degree temps. Hell, there should be a genuine “Street” league. Play on asphalt, with cracks and curbs and manhole covers! Play on a sloping concrete driveway, with a garden hose running down the middle of the court! Play on dirt, with an askew rim on a backboard made of sheet metal! And if a player breaks one of Mom’s flowerpots, she’ll yell at him and drag him off by his ear! ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/36 "2010-03-31T15:58:45Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > That IS one of the actual rules. Isn’t the Golden Snitch the one the Seeker has to catch? The Quaffle is the ball that they put through the hoops. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/37 "2010-03-31T16:10:19Z")
> [@El\_Nene](#): > > Punching A-Rod in the face no longer illegal. I vote for this in and out of sport. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/38 "2010-03-31T16:18:33Z")
Home team = Shirts Visiting team = skins Every sport ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/39 "2010-03-31T16:59:54Z")
We’ll try it in womens’ tennis first, though. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241/40 "2010-03-31T17:06:48Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > That IS one of the actual rules. No it’s not. There’s no rule about the Seeker and the Quaffle. When the Seeker catches the Snitch, the match is over, and his team gets 150 pts, usually resulting in a victory. But even that’s not certain - in Book 4, Victor Krum caught the Snitch even though his team was down by more than 150, thereby losing the match. Now certainly with the rules as given, it would be a much better strategy to forget about the quaffle and just have the whole team support the Seeker while he hunts the Snitch (only the Seeker can touch the Snitch). When the 1st movie was released in the theaters, the Quidditch announcer did say that catching the Snitch automatically wins. But they corrected that in the DVD version and in all following movies, and the books have always said the 150 pt. rule. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-new-rules-in-sports-that-youd-like-to-see/534241.md?page=3)