# Obscure sports rules? Have any? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 3, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214 "2009-02-03T03:44:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/41 "2009-02-03T20:23:11Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > If you’ve played football (soccer) you’ll know that there is contant shouting between players as they communicate what to do with the ball. Shouting ‘mine’, ‘I have it’ etc. is against the rules - you must personalise such declarations, ie ‘Mike’s’ or ‘John’s ball’. > > I’ve not ever seen this cautioned in a professional game, mind. This is not a correct statement. There is no place in the Laws of the Game that has such a declaration, nor is there, to my knowledge, a decision from FIFA that says that this would be the case. An individual referee might decide this was unsporting conduct. If so, it is not a foul. The play should continue and the player would be cautioned and shown a yellow card at the first available stoppage of play. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/42 "2009-02-03T20:39:41Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > By George, you’re right! Now I wonder why line drives are excluded from the definition of infield fly. Because as facherwirrt (sp?) points out, the line drive rule applies even if there is just a man on first. The infield fly rule applies only if there are men on first AND second (or bases loaded.) As for the ways a runner can score without crediting a batter with an RBI, there’s more than five. There are ten I can find: 1. Runner on third scores when the batter hits into a double play 2. Runner on third scores when the batter hits into a force out at second or third, and the first baseman then drops the throw of what would have been the second out of a double play - Rule 10.04 (b)(2). 3. Runner on third scores as the result of an error on a batted ball 4. Runner on third advances on a balk 5. Runner on third advances on a wild pitch 6. Runner on third advances on a passed ball 7. Runner on first or second advances on an error during an attempt to throw the runner, or another runner, out from advancing an extra base 8. Steal of home 9. A run scored that would otherwise not have scored but for a fielder’s choice that is not a double play or choice on an initial out - Rule 10.04(c) 10. If a fielder touches a pitched ball - Rule 7.05 (j) Catcher’s interference with the bases loaded would cause the batter to get credit for an RBI, rule 10.04(a)(3). That’s amazing to me, but there it is. I also believe, from reading the rules, that if a runner scores in accordance with the rule against throwing gloves or other equipment at a batted ball, the batter would get an RBI for that. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/43 "2009-02-03T20:43:16Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Normally in horse racing, if a horse is withdrawn at the last minute, you get your money back. However, there is one instance where you can win money even though your horse doesn’t run. It’s called a “Consolation Double.” Basically, it applies to the Daily Double (the winners of two races in a row, usually the first and second). You place your bet before the first race. If your horse wins the first race, and your horse in the second race is scratched after the first race is official, then you get a small payout – not as much as if you won both races, but more than just a refund of your ticket. I think there are similar payoffs other multiple race parlay bets. Interesting. Over here the tote, or parimutuel, substitutes a scratched horse with the returned favourite in that race. Should there be joint or co-favourites, the animal with the lowest racecard number replaces the non-runner in the wager. ---
**Author:** ![Rapier42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/90db22/32.png) [@Rapier42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rapier42)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/44 "2009-02-03T21:36:08Z")
> [@HubZilla](#): > > Would this happen if the defense recovered a fumble in the opponents’ endzone, tried to run it out, but got tackled in the endzone? > > Or would it still be considered a touchback? If the defense recovers the ball in their opponents end zone, it’s a safety. If the defense recovers the ball in their own end zone, which is what I think you meant, it’s a touchback as long as the ball is not advanced out of the end zone. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/45 "2009-02-03T21:39:22Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > If the kickoff goes near the sideline without going out of bounds, the receiving player can put one foot out of bounds and grab the ball in the field of play. This is deemed a kickoff out of bounds penalty even though the ball itself never went out of bounds. That’s the rule in rugby, too. The player is considered part of the touch line in that situation. Also, the player can jump from touch into the field of play, catching the ball. No matter where he catches the ball, if he lands with both feet in play, the ball never went into touch. Don’t even get me started on the rules for what happens when the ball goes into touch in the try zone. I’ve been playing for 8 years and still don’t understand all the situations. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/46 "2009-02-03T22:18:05Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > This is not a correct statement. There is no place in the Laws of the Game that has such a declaration, nor is there, to my knowledge, a decision from FIFA that says that this would be the case. > > An individual referee might decide this was unsporting conduct. If so, it is not a foul. The play should continue and the player would be cautioned and shown a yellow card at the first available stoppage of play. Give it a rest son - the statement is correct, it’s against the ‘law’ or ‘rule’ of sportsmanlike conduct. As there is no exhaustive list of misconduct, it’s meaningless to talk about absences of declarations on the subject. There is no ‘declaration in the Laws of the Game’ that explicitly concerns the bearing of one’s arse upon scoring a goal, but it’s clearly unsportsmanlike conduct. The example I gave is not as obvious, which is why I posted it initially - it’s interesting and would come closest to the ‘verbally distracting an opponent’ example given in the Laws. I’ve played in several amateur games where this has been given btw - actually with a free kick when two players have gone up for a header and someone has shouted ‘mine’. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/47 "2009-02-04T01:02:34Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Give it a rest son - the statement is correct, it’s against the ‘law’ or ‘rule’ of sportsmanlike conduct. As there is no exhaustive list of misconduct, it’s meaningless to talk about absences of declarations on the subject. There is no ‘declaration in the Laws of the Game’ that explicitly concerns the bearing of one’s arse upon scoring a goal, but it’s clearly unsportsmanlike conduct. The example I gave is not as obvious, which is why I posted it initially - it’s interesting and would come closest to the ‘verbally distracting an opponent’ example given in the Laws. > > I’ve played in several amateur games where this has been given btw - actually with a free kick when two players have gone up for a header and someone has shouted ‘mine’. And I have refereed in professional games and I tell you you are incorrect. As a matter of both law and fact. It is a situational case. Unsporting conduct (get the terminology right 😉 ) is not standardized. So the one who needs to give it a rest is you. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/48 "2009-02-04T01:21:56Z")
In **Tennis** , the ball does not have to go over the net to be good. If the angle is right, it is possible and legal to hit the ball around the net, even if it is lower than the pole/net when it crosses the middle line. Also, if the ball hits the other player in the body, you get the point. ---
**Author:** ![jweb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@jweb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jweb)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/49 "2009-02-04T02:38:23Z")
> [@Rapier42](#): > > If the defense recovers the ball in their opponents end zone, it’s a safety. Incorrect. [QUOTE=NFHS Football Rules Book] Rule 8, Section 2, Article 1: Possession of a live ball in an opponent’s end zone is always a touchdown Rule 8, Section 2, Article 1, Subsection b: It is a touchdown when a loose ball is caught or recovered by a player while the ball is on or behind the opponent’s goal line. [/QUOTE] > [@Rapier42](#): > > If the defense recovers the ball in their own end zone, which is what I think you meant, it’s a touchback as long as the ball is not advanced out of the end zone. Correct, unless the momentum exception applies. The momentum exception basically says that if a defender or returner gains possession of the ball between the goal line and the 5-yard-line, and that player’s original momentum carries him into the end zone, and then the ball becomes dead while in the end zone, the ball will be spotted at the point where the player gained possession of the ball. ---
**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:** [February 4, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/50 "2009-02-04T03:33:28Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > In the NFL, if a kickoff goes out of bounds, it is a penalty on the kicking team resulting in pretty good field position for the receiving team. > > If the kickoff goes near the sideline without going out of bounds, the receiving player can put one foot out of bounds and grab the ball in the field of play. This is deemed a kickoff out of bounds penalty even though the ball itself never went out of bounds. This happened to Florida when they were kicking off to LSU last season, much to my chagrin. Florida got the last laugh, though, winning by about 30 points. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/51 "2009-02-04T04:48:42Z")
I’m not really a sports guy, but I think I remember reading somewhere that, in American football, it is—now—specifically illegal to have a midget player pick up the ball, then have a teammate throw the both of them to the goal. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/52 "2009-02-04T04:59:00Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > I’m not really a sports guy, but I think I remember reading somewhere that, in American football, it is—now—specifically illegal to have a midget player pick up the ball, then have a teammate throw the both of them to the goal. It’s against the rules (by precedent) for midgets to play major league baseball. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/53 "2009-02-04T09:16:01Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > And I have refereed in professional games and I tell you you are incorrect. As a matter of both law and fact. It is a situational case. Unsporting conduct (get the terminology right 😉 ) is not standardized. So the one who needs to give it a rest is you. 😉 Reffing a bunch of fatties chasing a ball round a mid-west cornfield doesn’t pass muster as an appeal to authority, **DSYoungEsq**. Although I’m sure you make an excellent referee, out of the Mike Riley school of officiating if your posting style is any guide. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/54 "2009-02-04T13:56:37Z")
Just came across this NFL rule that I was unaware of: > [@](#): > > In the final two minutes of each half, plus on fourth down at any time in the game, a forward fumble recovered by any member of the offensive team other than the fumbler is spotted at the point of the fumble, not the point of the recovery. ---
**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:** [February 4, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/55 "2009-02-04T14:19:10Z")
> [@Hi\_Neighbor](#): > > Just came across this NFL rule that I was unaware of: > > > [@](#): > > > > In the final two minutes of each half, plus on fourth down at any time in the game, a forward fumble recovered by any member of the offensive team other than the fumbler is spotted at the point of the fumble, not the point of the recovery. That rule is a companion for the rule I posted earlier: in the final two minutes, a fumble into the end zone that is recovered by an offensive player other than the player that committed the fumble is spotted at the 1 yard line. The reason is the rule that you cite: awarding a touchdown would be “advancing” the ball. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/56 "2009-02-04T14:32:02Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > That rule is a companion for the rule I posted earlier: in the final two minutes, a fumble into the end zone that is recovered by an offensive player other than the player that committed the fumble is spotted at the 1 yard line. The reason is the rule that you cite: awarding a touchdown would be “advancing” the ball. It stems from the [Holy Roller](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roller_(American_football)) play. In fact, there are a lot of rules that were the spawn of unusual plays that set precedent and needed to be addressed. Check out this Wiki page on [NFL Lore](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League_lore). It lists rules such as the “Greg Pruitt rule (tear-away jerseys are now illegal),” the “Bert Emanuel rule (the ball can touch the ground during a completed pass as long as the receiver maintains control of the ball),” the “Tom Dempsey rule (any shoe that is worn by a player with an artificial limb on his kicking leg must have a kicking surface that conforms to that of a normal kicking shoe),” and more. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/57 "2009-02-04T15:29:49Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Reffing a bunch of fatties chasing a ball round a mid-west cornfield doesn’t pass muster as an appeal to authority, **DSYoungEsq**. Although I’m sure you make an excellent referee, out of the Mike Riley school of officiating if your posting style is any guide. And (factually unsupported) ad hominem attacks don’t past muster as any kind of argument. Appeal to authority is at least a valid (though refutable) argument, and it seems to me that someone who has refereed professional games is more of an authority than someone who talks of their experience in a pick-up game. Of course,I also think that DSYoung is correct: there is nothing in the Rules of the Game that specifically addresses calling for the ball, and I have not seen any official FIFA interpretation that addresses it either. Nor, in my experience (which is less than DSYoung), have I ever heard of any foul being called solely for calling for the ball without using a specific name. It’s certainly possible that some places, particularly pick-up games where people may be switching teams, there’s a tradition that calling for the ball without identifying who you are is unsporting and not done, but it’s certainly not a universal rule of soccer. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/58 "2009-02-04T16:48:59Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It’s against the rules (by precedent) for midgets to play major league baseball. Not exactly. The response to the Eddie Gaedel “experiment” was to make all player contracts subject to approval by the Commissioner. [Golf has some weird ones](http://www.finleyongolf.com/articles/THERULESOFGOLFITSTIMEFORADOSEOFMEDICINE_000.htm), including the rule against removing a half-eaten pear from a bunker, under PGA rules. The R&A will permit it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/59 "2009-02-04T16:51:49Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > That rule is a companion for the rule I posted earlier: in the final two minutes, a fumble into the end zone that is recovered by an offensive player other than the player that committed the fumble is spotted at the 1 yard line. No, it’s spotted at the point of the fumble. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214/60 "2009-02-04T18:49:06Z")
**Quercus** As **Busy Scissors** says, there is nothing in the rules that say a player cannot show his arse after scoring a goal, or at any time for that matter. I think that **Scissors** is right, to call for the ball and thereby distracting an opponent would fall under ungentlemanly conduct [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sports-rules-have-any/484214.md?page=4)