# Professional sports rules you'd like changed **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 19, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348 "2008-09-19T18:56:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![prodicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d9b06d/32.png) [@prodicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prodicus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/21 "2008-09-19T21:03:41Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > I see your point **Rysto** but I still would like to see automatic icing implemented; I just don’t think it’s worth the risk but if they do crack down hard on the interference I’d be happy to be proven wrong on this one. > > SHHHH! 😉 Grapes, Wendel Clark, Strat-o-Matic hockey, the Pixies, etc, etc… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/22 "2008-09-19T21:06:11Z")
I recall reading the overtime coin toss winner in NFL only wins the game less than half the time, which is why some people on the competition committee are not convinced the rule needs changing. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/23 "2008-09-19T21:20:18Z")
Cheerleaders have to wear clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/24 "2008-09-19T21:32:41Z")
> [@Tony](#): > > However, if there was a limit, wouldn’t the problem be that the base runner would then have no concern whatsoever as to how big his lead was off the base? If the pitcher is forbidden to throw to a base (or will be punished with balls), the runner can take a lead halfway to the next base. Not really, because picking off a runner would definatly be worth taking the ball, except on the fourth ball. They’d need some provision for that, sort of like fouls counting as strikes unless it would be the third strike. Actually, I’d make the rule: If the runner is safe and standing, it should count as a ball. If he is put out, chooses to slide, takes the next base or beats out a pickle, then the pitcher is deemed to be justified in the pick-off attempt, and no ball is called. I think this strikes a good balance in keeping the base runner honest, and not allowing the pitcher to endlessly delay the game by throwing to base when the runner has taken only a modest lead. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/25 "2008-09-19T22:02:18Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > I recall reading the overtime coin toss winner in NFL only wins the game less than half the time, which is why some people on the competition committee are not convinced the rule needs changing. You might be right, but just because it works out even doesn’t mean that the rule isn’t stupid. I think any overtime rule in the NFL should provide for at least one possession per team. If you drive down the field and kick a field goal, you should then have to kick off and stop the other team from scoring in order to win the game. Sort of like college football, except without the ridiculous practice of starting at the opponent’s 25-yard line. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/26 "2008-09-19T22:05:55Z")
Hockey: Remove the rule that allows a team that is killing a power play to ice the puck. What a stupid rule. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/27 "2008-09-19T23:11:15Z")
I’d like to see the offsides rule eliminated in soccer. If a team wants to short themselves on the defensive end by having a cherry-picker, that’s fine. The other team can (and should) account for that by keeping their defense home. That would result in opening up the field for fewer players on the offensive end, making the field wider and creating more scoring chances. As it is now, the defense can push up as far as they dare and try to run an offside trap as far up as the 50, and isn’t it the most ridiculous thing when the ref calls offsides at midfield? Open it up a little. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/28 "2008-09-19T23:16:22Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Hockey: Remove the rule that allows a team that is killing a power play to ice the puck. What a stupid rule. Good one. Teams who’ve committed a penalty shouldn’t get a break. Players should fear taking a penalty. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/29 "2008-09-19T23:18:54Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Cheerleaders have to wear clothes. Revoke my Guy Card if you like, but I’d like to see them eliminated altogether. They don’t add a damn thing to the game, and it drives me bonkers when there’s actual game-time action going on, but the camera is focused on some faux-stripper yelling “Woooo!” As to the OP, yeah, add me in to the “revise overtime” crew. At the very least, each team gets one crack at the ball. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/30 "2008-09-19T23:25:34Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > I’d like to see the offsides rule eliminated in soccer. If a team wants to short themselves on the defensive end by having a cherry-picker, that’s fine. The other team can (and should) account for that by keeping their defense home. That would result in opening up the field for fewer players on the offensive end, making the field wider and creating more scoring chances. > > As it is now, the defense can push up as far as they dare and try to run an offside trap as far up as the 50, and isn’t it the most ridiculous thing when the ref calls offsides at midfield? Open it up a little. Open it up? You mean reintroduce a more defensive system, which the offside rule was introduced to remedy? Sure, stick a guy up front. See how much defence appears around him. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/31 "2008-09-19T23:29:32Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Cheerleaders have to wear clothes. > > Revoke my Guy Card if you like, but I’d like to see them eliminated altogether. :smack: For a second I thought you were talking about the clothes. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/32 "2008-09-20T00:23:10Z")
For Football, I’d like to see overtime revamped thusly: A touchdown wins in sudden death, but a field goal allows the other team one more possession. Best of both worlds, to my mind - both teams have a shot, but ballsier plays are rewarded more. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/33 "2008-09-20T00:28:07Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > Forget the touchdown; even a measly field goal is enough to win in overtime. The team that receives the kickoff can expect to start out around their own 30, so all they have to do is drive 40 yards to the opponents’ 30, where a reasonably good kicker can make the 47-yard field goal for the win. My rule suggestion is to ban field goal attempts in sudden death overtime. That would at least give the coin toss loser a little bit of a chance of getting a defensive stop. I like that idea…because it’s either that or adopt the college system. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/34 "2008-09-20T00:35:00Z")
Cricket: End the “free hit” rule after a no-ball (in one-day games). I understand the point of further punishing overstepping, but this isn’t the way to do it. Far too confusing to the spectators, and it’s lost its novelty. Turn the floodlights on in Test matches if it will allow the game to reach the overs quota for the day. A total no-brainer, and it just might save Test cricket in Pakistan, where bad light at the end of the day ruins a lot of matches. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/35 "2008-09-20T00:42:14Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Cricket: End the “free hit” rule after a no-ball (in one-day games). I understand the point of further punishing overstepping, but this isn’t the way to do it. Far too confusing to the spectators, and it’s lost its novelty. Wow! I’ve been lving in the US for a while now, and so haven’t really kept up with international cricket. I had never seen this rule before; it must have been introduced since about 2001. It’s a complete travesty, i reckon. > [@Duke](#): > > Turn the floodlights on in Test matches if it will allow the game to reach the overs quota for the day. A total no-brainer, and it just might save Test cricket in Pakistan, where bad light at the end of the day ruins a lot of matches. Completely agree. I’m a big fan of tradition in test cricket, but not allowing use of the lights seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face—completely pointless. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/36 "2008-09-20T00:51:55Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Hockey: Remove the rule that allows a team that is killing a power play to ice the puck. What a stupid rule. Completely disagree. A team with a good powerplay already scores on about 20-25% of powerplays. If the shorthanded team couldn’t clear the puck to get a change, that number would jump to over 50%. Of all the rules in hockey, this is not the one to change. That’s the equivalent of saying any defensive penalty in football moves the ball to the 10 yard line. It becomes a gimme for the offense. Of the rules in hockey I’d like to see changed: fighting. Fight once (real fighting, not a roughing penalty), and you’re out of the game. Second offense: 3 game suspension. 3rd offense: 10 game suspension. 4th: out for the year. You’d actually get to see the sport become the center of the game. I fell in love with hockey watching the college game, where fighting is a very rare occurance, because it’s an automatic game misconduct, and if you instigate, you’re out plus a one game suspension. The sport is good enough without having to have boxing in the middle of it. ---
**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:** [September 20, 2008, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/37 "2008-09-20T03:29:59Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Open it up? You mean reintroduce a more defensive system, which the offside rule was introduced to remedy? Sure, stick a guy up front. See how much defence appears around him. How does the offsides rule remedy a “more defensive” game? What is more defensive than 10 guys camping out in the defensive backfield? You can’t get tagged for offsides if they’re all lying in wait for you. However, having 20 people on one half of the field totally stifles offense. There’s no space for anything to happen. That’s why games end up as 0-0 ties. Keeping the defense honest by burning them a few times and they’ll keep some people home, reducing the number of people on the offensive side of the ball to cover them and allowing their own offensive players to make things happen. It makes sense to me, anyway. ---
**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:** [September 20, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/38 "2008-09-20T03:44:58Z")
Two changes for baseball: 1. Eliminate that silly third-to-first pickoff move. It’s based on deception, which the balk rule is designed to prevent. It’s technically legal because you can bluff a move to an occupied base, but the purpose is to make the runner think that the pitcher is delivering a pitch. Ninety-nine percent of the time it just wastes time, anyway. 2. If you throw your bat, you’re out. Throwing bats endangers opponents and spectators. Wear better gloves and keep your top hand on the bat. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/39 "2008-09-20T03:48:20Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > I’d like to see the offsides rule eliminated in soccer. Note to Americans: it’s “offside”. Singular. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348/40 "2008-09-20T04:08:46Z")
I found a big hairy thread on another board once which dissected the offside[strikethru]s[/strikethru] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professional-sports-rules-youd-like-changed/464348.md?page=3)