# Is baseball the most complicated sport? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 29, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858 "2008-11-29T00:29:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/1 "2008-11-29T00:29:14Z")
I’m very familiar with the rules for baseball, American football, and basketball, and reasonably familiar with the rules for hockey and soccer. I have been closely following baseball for 55 years and I am still learning about rules in baseball I never knew existed. For example, the rules on what a pitcher is allowed to do on the mound take up a couple of pages in the rule book and even some of these rules are open to interpretation. This makes me wonder, Is there any sport that has more rules than baseball? ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/2 "2008-11-29T00:32:14Z")
Opps. I just realized I posted this on the wrong message board. It should have gone to Game Room. I hope the moderator can move it. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/3 "2008-11-29T01:02:37Z")
I know most of the rules of baseball, but it seems that I hear a new rule in almost every football game I watch. My favorite example happened a couple of years ago. Iowa got penalized for “disconcerting signals” in a bowl game against my beloved Florida Gators. Apparently an Iowa defensive lineman was calling “hut hut” or the like in an attempt to confuse Florida’s offense and cause them to snap the ball early or commit a false start. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/4 "2008-11-29T01:37:52Z")
I thought cricket was supposed to have the most complicated rules. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/5 "2008-11-29T01:48:23Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > I hope the moderator can move it. For you, I’ll give it a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/6 "2008-11-29T02:03:18Z")
No, the most complicated is [Calvinball.](http://www.bartel.org/calvinball/) > [@](#): > > Any player may declare a new rule at any point in the game… ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/7 "2008-11-29T02:16:07Z")
I think football is _way_ more complicated than baseball. Every sport has nitpicky little rules that you wouldn’t know about if you didn’t study the rulebook, but even the basics of football are more complicated than those of other games - think of how difficult it is to explain the concept of downs to a newbie. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/8 "2008-11-29T02:22:56Z")
They say cricket has rules, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out what they are. On that basis alone it is far more complicated than baseball. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/9 "2008-11-29T03:00:43Z")
If I am not mistaken, the football rulebook is the longest and most detailed of all major sports. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/10 "2008-11-29T03:02:56Z")
43-man Squamish anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/11 "2008-11-29T03:16:51Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > They say cricket has rules, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out what they are. On that basis alone it is far more complicated than baseball. Cricket’s actually a pretty straightforward sport, it’s just that they sprinkled it with ridiculous terms for just about everything, so when you see it on TV the commentary sounds like two asylum residents talking to each other. Of course, the game shuts down completely at random intervals for “tea.” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/12 "2008-11-29T04:05:50Z")
> [@Booker57](#): > > 43-man Squamish anyone? [Original article.](http://www.collectmad.com/madcoversite/index-quiz_olympics.html) ---
**Author:** ![mshar253](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@mshar253](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mshar253)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/13 "2008-11-29T04:17:04Z")
Another vote for (American) football. I mean, who the heck knew about that free kick rule that Arizona took advantage of last Sunday? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/14 "2008-11-29T04:17:55Z")
> [@Booker57](#): > > 43-man Squamish anyone? No – the entire rulebook is only about six pages. 🙂 Football is by far the most complex, and is also constantly changing. Further, there are different rules depending on which level you play (high schook, college, and pro). ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/15 "2008-11-29T04:21:59Z")
I’m going with football too. It’s so popular I think a whole lot of people take for granted how complicated it is. Specifically how different rules apply to individual positions in specific situations. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/16 "2008-11-29T04:50:58Z")
Baseball has a really simple core set of rules. You can teach a group of kids who have never seen the sport how to play in 15 minutes. Soccer is probably even more simple. I would say that hockey and football are not as easy to learn the rules for, and cricket is probably harder to learn than most popular sports. Just because baseball has a zillion minute rules doesn’t make it more complicated than other sports. Lots of these rules don’t have to do with playing the game, but with defining terms and closing loopholes (which is why there’s such a big section about what a pitcher is allowed to do on the mound). ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/17 "2008-11-29T05:04:54Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Baseball has a really simple core set of rules. You can teach a group of kids who have never seen the sport how to play in 15 minutes. Soccer is probably even more simple. I would say that hockey and football are not as easy to learn the rules for… Hockey’s just soccer with a puck and sticks. How can it possibly be more complicated to learn? Games that involve putting an object into a net - soccer, hockey, and basketball - are very simple and easy to learn. You put the ball into the net, that’s a goal. In sports topology, they’re all the same game, and for that matter are no different from air hockey. I really don’t think kids can pick up baseball that quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/18 "2008-11-29T05:19:03Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Hockey’s just soccer with a puck and sticks. How can it possibly be more complicated to learn? > > Games that involve putting an object into a net - soccer, hockey, and basketball - are very simple and easy to learn. You put the ball into the net, that’s a goal. In sports topology, they’re all the same game, and for that matter are no different from air hockey. I really don’t think kids can pick up baseball that quickly. I confess that I don’t know much about soccer. Is it really just hockey on grass with a ball? Do they handle penalties the same way? Can a soccer team be short a player for a certain time? Do they have the same sort of rules regarding who is allowed to be where on the ice/field? I was under the impression that hockey and soccer were quite different. If anything, I realize that soccer is probably a lot more complicated than I thought. Basketball, especially NBA basketball, has tons of rules about what is and isn’t allowed regarding types of physical contact, when you’re allowed to touch the ball, when and how you’re allowed to move with the ball, not to mention the different types of penalties for each violation. Baseball has a much simpler “penalty” system. In fact most games you will not see a player breaking the rules. That’s more evidence that baseball is easy to learn and play. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/19 "2008-11-29T05:30:33Z")
I thought they threw out all the rules in professional basketball. I can’t recall the last time I saw traveling called. ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858/20 "2008-11-29T05:43:34Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > Cricket’s actually a pretty straightforward sport, it’s just that they sprinkled it with ridiculous terms for just about everything, so when you see it on TV the commentary sounds like two asylum residents talking to each other. Of course, the game shuts down completely at random intervals for “tea.” Ever tried to explain LBW to anyone? I have. Although your comment about commentary made me miss Henry Blofeld [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-baseball-the-most-complicated-sport/474858.md?page=2)