# What sports rules do you think could benefit other sports? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 27, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989 "2010-03-27T03:44:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/1 "2010-03-27T03:44:00Z")
I don’t know how this would work but I think basketball could benefit from something like line changing in hockey. No waiting for clock stoppages to get your 3 pt. specialist or defensive stopper in the game. Maybe the rule could contain a provision there never be 6 men on the offensive half of the court and you have 3 seconds to get back to 5 men. Any ideas on how this would work? Any other sports rules you would like to see transfered to another sport? ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/2 "2010-03-27T03:47:18Z")
I don’t think that it would work in basketball. It would be like football: teams would have offensive units and defensive units and exchange for every change in possession. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/3 "2010-03-27T04:08:52Z")
Coaches challenges in hockey. There are so many bad refereeing calls, and occasionally those do cost a team a game. If the coaches could sacrifice a time-out (lose it if they lose the challenge) in order to have a video review of a situation, I think that could really improve the game, and would hopefully improve the refereeing! And there are some really terrible refs out there _cough_Auger\*cough. Right now there’s just no arguing or recourse at all - once a ref calls something, it’s done, regardless of circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/4 "2010-03-27T12:49:36Z")
Sports should not have ties. I like that baseball doesn’t have ties when Bug Selig isn’t screwing it up. Other sports should adopt no-tie rules. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/5 "2010-03-27T13:15:55Z")
Hockey could use the fighting = ejection rule that works just fine in every other sport. Bullshit it’s “part of the game”. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/6 "2010-03-27T13:21:28Z")
“Delay of game” offenses should be used more often. Djokovich bounces the ball 30 times before he serves. After 4 bounces, the umpire should be allowed to whistle and give the opponent a free point. Don’t even get me started on players who suddenly call for the trainer with a phantom muscle pull when they realize that their opponent has gained momentum. Maria Sharapova, I’m looking at you. In baseball, after each swing many batters step out of position to shrug, twist, adjust, spit… In Lisa’s world, once you step up to the plate, you’d be fair game to receive a pitch until you’re through with your turn one way or another. In golf, some pros take FOREVER with those infernal practice swings, then squatting down and eyeballing the rough, then rubbing their chin and thinking about what they’re going to have for dinner. Zzzzzzzzzz. HIT THE BALL, YOU IDIOT!! Can’t you see there are players waiting to play behind you??! ---
**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:** [March 27, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/7 "2010-03-27T15:19:01Z")
Basketball and American football could use soccer’s continuously-running clock. The end of a basketball game becomes torture when the trailing team constantly fouls the other team to stop the clock, and calls timeout after every single made basket. I would keep the countdown clock rather than the uncertainty of the count up, though. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/8 "2010-03-27T15:42:36Z")
I always thought that **power play** should be instituted in all sports. And I hate draws in soccer and hockey; nor do I like shootouts. I always thought it would be a good idea to just keep playing shortened OT periods until someone scored, but taking away a player for each successive OT, i.e. for hockey- 1st OT continue 5-on-5, 2nd OT 4-on-4, etc. until there is a winner. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/9 "2010-03-27T15:50:53Z")
The NBA should run its second round like the NHL: reseed the teams so that the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed. Teams that finish high in the standings should be rewarded for that with the easiest possible route through the playoffs. The NHL needs to adopt the NBA’s rule for seeding division champions. Currently the winners of each conference’s three divisions are ranked 1, 2, 3. This nearly always means that the 4th ranked team will be a better team than the 3rd ranked team. When that happens, the fourth and fifth ranked teams get screwed in the first round, and the top ranked team can get screwed in the second round. ---
**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:** [March 27, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/10 "2010-03-27T16:04:18Z")
Tennis needs a season, which isn’t a rule in other sports, but it is a concept. Tennis runs all year and there is nearly zero time off. It should really run from January-August or so, then have an off season. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/11 "2010-03-27T16:18:32Z")
Back-to-back games in football, so the season’s over sooner. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/12 "2010-03-27T18:27:46Z")
Soccer could use hockey’s offside rules, with lines that the ball has to cross before any attacking players. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/13 "2010-03-27T21:21:38Z")
The National League could use the DH rule. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/14 "2010-03-27T22:26:57Z")
The American League could use no DH, like rational people do. ---
**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:** [March 27, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/15 "2010-03-27T22:31:05Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > Basketball and American football could use soccer’s continuously-running clock. The end of a basketball game becomes torture when the trailing team constantly fouls the other team to stop the clock, and calls timeout after every single made basket. I would keep the countdown clock rather than the uncertainty of the count up, though. I’d just go with hockey-which has exactly one timeout per period. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/16 "2010-03-27T23:52:31Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I’d just go with hockey-which has exactly one timeout per period. In hockey, teams are given a single timeout for the entire game. There are also 3 TV timeouts per period(I think that it’s 3, anyway). ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/17 "2010-03-28T02:35:43Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Soccer could use hockey’s offside rules, with lines that the ball has to cross before any attacking players. I have the opposite opinion. I think low-scoring games like hockey would benefit greatly from a “hail mary” type of play. I don’t have the slightest idea of how to improve soccer, unless it involved lingerie models and lots of mud. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/18 "2010-03-28T08:43:00Z")
Football (the one they play with the feet) needs Rugby’s “backchat” rule: You argue with the ref’s decision, the free kick gets moved up ten yards. Rinse and repeat until you get the message, forcibly from your own side if necessary. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/19 "2010-03-28T14:00:56Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > […] American football could use soccer’s continuously-running clock. What do you mean? It only stops for timeouts and incomplete passes. How would keeping it running improve anything? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989/20 "2010-03-28T14:48:49Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Hockey could use the fighting = ejection rule that works just fine in every other sport. Bullshit it’s “part of the game”. Funny, I was going to say that all the other sports could use fighting = OK, as long as it doesn’t get too out of hand rule. Especially golf. Especially on the LPGA. Booze should be added, too, to make things even more interesting. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sports-rules-do-you-think-could-benefit-other-sports/533989.md?page=2)