So a box; a square loop.
It would definitely decrease the number of successful field goals.
Would it have a net in the back like a soccer goal?
About a decade ago, I worked a few games as scoreboard operator and assistant statistician for a minor-league arena football team. They played in a multipurpose indoor athletic arena, which primarily served as an indoor soccer field; they had the goalposts for arena football set up in exactly that way, which, AIUI, is typical for arena football.
Below is a picture of goalposts for an arena football game; the “girders” to either side of the uprights hold nets, which are used to bounce a kickoff back into the field of play.
Absolutely. If the ball lands in the net, the attempt is successful. If not, no good.
Judgement calls will no longer be required.
I like it.
How high up would it be? If it’s high enough, it’d be a fairly small change from the current setup.
At the top of the goalposts, which are 35 feet higher than the crossbar.
And it wouldn’t necessarily be a ‘small’ change. Right now, kicks can be higher than the goalposts and still be successful. In my proposal, those kicks would no longer be good. And a kick could hit the top crossbar and be unsuccessful.
Huh, I thought that varied in different stadiums. Yeah, at only 35 feet up, that’d definitely make a difference. If you put the top at 50, though, much less so, and at 75, it basically wouldn’t matter at all.
It probably does vary from stadium to stadium, at the high school level, and perhaps in college as well. But the NFL official height is 35 feet.
From the NFL rulebook
Article 2. Goal Posts
All goal posts will be the single-standard type, offset from the end line, bright gold in color, and padded in a manner prescribed by the League. The uprights will extend 35 feet above the crossbar and will be no less than 3 inches and no more than 4 inches in diameter. An orange-colored ribbon 4 inches by 42 inches is to be attached to the top of each post.
A subsequent post has this info:
So, while it’s not alone in being called the “Eighth Wonder,” there’s at least some tongue-in-cheek rationale for it.
Though, personally, I stand by the “Eighth Wonder” being Andre the Giant.
Mal Meninga approves.