# When was the last time a professional sports team had to forfeit a game?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [December 9, 2019, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590 "2019-12-09T12:57:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2019, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/21 "2019-12-10T01:51:17Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#):
>
> Unfortunately the Kansas City crew has a long history [of screw-ups.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPOZbG7ibEE)
Nice. I thought you were going to link to this story, when the Kansas City Royals were in Milwaukee for a game, and the night before, thieves broke into the clubhouse and stole most of the uniforms. So they had to wear Brewers road uniforms for the game the next day.
[https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/for-petes-sake/article231472698.html](https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/for-petes-sake/article231472698.html)
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2019, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/22 "2019-12-10T02:24:01Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#):
>
> Unfortunately the Kansas City crew has a long history [of screw-ups.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPOZbG7ibEE)
I knew where that was going to go before I even clicked on it. One of my all-time favorite ads. Great googly moogly!
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### Author:  [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2019, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/23 "2019-12-10T06:20:50Z")
[Pakistan forfeited during a Test against England in 2006](https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/14596/scorecard/225258/england-vs-pakistan-4th-test-pakistan-tour-of-england-and-scotland-2006)
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### Author:  [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2019, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/24 "2019-12-11T04:41:25Z")
Put me on the list for the NFL not allowing a forfeit in the KC-NE game. There’s just no way. They would have found a way to reschedule.
There was a close call in 2019 Copa Liberatores final between Buenos Aires arch rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate. The Bocas bus was attacked on the way to the stadium by River fans and the broken glass from projectiles injured some of the players.
The game was cancelled at the last minute, and cancelled again the next day as Bocas demanded a forfeit; the game was eventually held in Spain.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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### Author:  [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/25 "2019-12-11T17:59:21Z")
Yes, no way on Earth the NFL would have let the NE/KC game end in a forfeit. Especially since they had already briefed the refs on making sure that KC won. 😉
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### Author:  [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2019, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/26 "2019-12-11T18:10:12Z")
The more I think about it, the NFL will never allow a forfeit in the modern era. Obviously with Vegas getting a team and the NFL acknowledgment that people gamble on football, there’s no way they’re turning down that money.
Plus, even with two teams completely out of the playoff picture, they could still affect the draft order.
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### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2019, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/27 "2019-12-21T21:43:38Z")
There was a forfeit in Philly in the 40s or 50s. I don’t recall if it was the A’s or Phillies or when. When I googled it, I found the following
> [@](#):
>
> Umpire George Barr signaled safe hit, trapped ball. Philadelphia players and fans screamed at the decision and the field was littered by the fans with everything they could throw. This caused a forfeit.
but the link attached to it is dead so I could not find more details. What I remember is that the team immediately stopped selling drinks in bottles and dispensed them in paper cups (there was no beer sold at the ball park in my days in Philly). It did get scored 9-0 as provided in the baseball rules. They didn’t have replay in those bygone days, but it became pretty clear that the umpire was wrong.
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/28 "2019-12-21T21:47:34Z")
Interestingly, in US style football any score is possible via some combination of scoring (possible does not mean likely).
This includes a score of 1-0 which is how a game is recorded if a team forfeits before a game starts.
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### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/29 "2019-12-22T00:40:53Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#):
>
> Interestingly, in US style football any score is possible via some combination of scoring (possible does not mean likely).
>
> This includes a score of 1-0 which is how a game is recorded if a team forfeits before a game starts.
You can also end a game where the only score was a one point safety and it would end 1-0.
> **[Football 101: The one-point safety](https://www.thephinsider.com/2018/3/3/17063556/football-101-the-one-point-safety)**
>
> Touchdowns are six points.
> Field goals are three points.
> Conversions are two points.
> Safeties are two points.
> Point after attempts are one points.
> And then there is the one-point safety.
> Tommy boi...
For that to happen, in one play the offense would have to fumble the ball into the end zone and the defense illegally bats it out of bounds. The offense is awarded a 1 point safety. If nobody else scores for the rest of the game it would end 1-0.
Of course that’s very unlikely since a 1 point safety has never happened in the NFL (it has happened in a few college games). So 1-0 is extremely unlikely. But theoretically possible.
(Imagine a game that ends in a 1-1 tie, even more unlikely but still possible.)
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/30 "2019-12-22T01:11:10Z")
> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> You can also end a game where the only score was a one point safety and it would end 1-0.
Cool!
I never knew a 1-point safety existed.
SDMB delivers again.
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### Author:  [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2019, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/31 "2019-12-22T05:42:34Z")
> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> You can also end a game where the only score was a one point safety and it would end 1-0.
No. Read your own link. A one-point safety only occurs on a PAT, which by definition requires a touchdown first.
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### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/32 "2019-12-22T16:49:17Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#):
>
> No. Read your own link. A one-point safety only occurs on a PAT, which by definition requires a touchdown first.
Read the whole article. Hell, read my whole **post** , I already explained it. :rolleyes:
Here, I’ll even quote the article for you:
“Technically, it also could have been awarded if the offensive team fumbled the ball into the endzone, and the defense illegally batted the ball out of bounds, giving the offense a one-point safety.”
Again, no “point after” try necessary.
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### Author:  [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/33 "2019-12-22T17:15:24Z")
> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> Read the whole article. Hell, read my whole **post** , I already explained it. :rolleyes:
>
> Here, I’ll even quote the article for you:
>
> “Technically, it also could have been awarded if the offensive team fumbled the ball into the endzone, and the defense illegally batted the ball out of bounds, giving the offense a one-point safety.”
>
> Again, no “point after” try necessary.
That sentence does not live by itself. It is still discussing the conversion play (PAT) of the previous sentence.
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### Author:  [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2019, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/34 "2019-12-22T18:18:35Z")
> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> Read the whole article. Hell, read my whole **post** , I already explained it. :rolleyes:
>
> Here, I’ll even quote the article for you:
>
> “Technically, it also could have been awarded if the offensive team fumbled the ball into the endzone, and the defense illegally batted the ball out of bounds, giving the offense a one-point safety.”
>
> Again, no “point after” try necessary.
NFL Rules
> [@](#):
>
> ARTICLE 1. ILLEGAL BAT.It is an illegal bat if:
> (a)any playerbatsor punchesa loose ball in the field of play toward his opponent’s goal line
> (b)any playerbatsor punchesa loose ball(that has touched the ground)in any direction,if it is in either end zone
> (c)an offensive player bats a backward pass in flight toward his opponent’s goal line
The rules explicitly call this illegal batting, not a safety.
ESPN Article on it: [FAQ: What in the world is an 'illegal bat'? - ESPN - NFL Nation- ESPN](https://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/182650/faq-what-in-the-world-is-an-illegal-bat)
Illegal batting in the endzone should award 1st and 10 or some other penalty, not a safety.
NFL Rules on Scoring (section 11):
> [@](#):
>
> ARTICLE 2. TYPES OF SCORING PLAYS. Points are scored as follows:
> (a)Touchdown: 6 points
> (b)Field Goal: 3 points
> (c)Safety: 2 points
> (d)Try after touchdown: 1 point (Field Goal or Safety) or 2 points (Touchdown)
The only way to get 1 point is after a touchdown.
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### Author:  [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/35 "2019-12-22T19:49:11Z")
> [@cmosdes](#):
>
> The rules explicitly call this illegal batting, not a safety.
The two are not mutually exclusive. An illegal bat is a penalty. When the offense commits a penalty behind its own goal line, the defense scores a safety.
You’re correct, however, and the linked article is wrong, in that the hypothetical posited in the article (Team A fumbles across Team B’s goal line, and Team B bats the ball out of the end zone) would not be a safety, because in that case the penalty would be committed by the defense, not the offense. The penalty would be that the offense retains possession, with yardage walked off from the spot of the fumble.
Batted balls can result in safeties, in other circumstances. For example, Player A1 fumbles on Team B’s five-yard line. The ball is nearly at rest at the 2 when Player B1 intentionally bats the ball across the goal line and out of bounds. This is not a penalty–because B1 batted the ball in the field of play, and toward his own goal line–but it is a safety, because the ball is dead behind Team B’s goal line and Team B is responsible for the impetus that carried the ball over the line. If the play occurs on a scrimmage down, it is two points for Team A. On a PAT, it is one point for Team A.
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### Author:  [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2019, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/36 "2019-12-22T21:24:18Z")
NFL has never had a 1 point safety but it almost happened last season.
[1-Point Safety: The NFL Play So Rare It's Never Happened (But Almost Did) - FanBuzz](https://fanbuzz.com/nfl/bills-one-point-safety/)
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### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2019, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/37 "2019-12-22T22:27:41Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#):
>
> You’re correct, however, and the linked article is wrong, in that the hypothetical posited in the article (Team A fumbles across Team B’s goal line, and Team B bats the ball out of the end zone) would not be a safety, because in that case the penalty would be committed by the defense, not the offense. The penalty would be that the offense retains possession, with yardage walked off from the spot of the fumble.
Thank you for correcting the mistake in the article.
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### Author:  [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2019, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/38 "2019-12-23T02:39:37Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#):
>
> The two are not mutually exclusive. An illegal bat is a penalty. When the offense commits a penalty behind its own goal line, the defense scores a safety.
>
> You’re correct, however, and the linked article is wrong, in that the hypothetical posited in the article (Team A fumbles across Team B’s goal line, and Team B bats the ball out of the end zone) would not be a safety, because in that case the penalty would be committed by the defense, not the offense. The penalty would be that the offense retains possession, with yardage walked off from the spot of the fumble.
>
> Batted balls can result in safeties, in other circumstances. For example, Player A1 fumbles on Team B’s five-yard line. The ball is nearly at rest at the 2 when Player B1 intentionally bats the ball across the goal line and out of bounds. This is not a penalty–because B1 batted the ball in the field of play, and toward his own goal line–but it is a safety, because the ball is dead behind Team B’s goal line and Team B is responsible for the impetus that carried the ball over the line. If the play occurs on a scrimmage down, it is two points for Team A. On a PAT, it is one point for Team A.
Good points. You are right that an illegally batted ball is not exclusive of a safety. I was mostly contending a single point safety cannot be had without a touchdown, which you addressed as well. Thanks for clarifying.
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### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2019, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/39 "2019-12-23T21:56:23Z")
> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> You can also end a game where the only score was a one point safety and it would end 1-0.
>
> [Football 101: The one-point safety - The Phinsider](https://www.thephinsider.com/2018/3/3/17063556/football-101-the-one-point-safety)
> For that to happen, in one play the offense would have to fumble the ball into the end zone and the defense illegally bats it out of bounds. The offense is awarded a 1 point safety. If nobody else scores for the rest of the game it would end 1-0.
>
> Of course that’s very unlikely since a 1 point safety has never happened in the NFL (it has happened in a few college games). So 1-0 is extremely unlikely. But theoretically possible.
>
> (Imagine a game that ends in a 1-1 tie, even more unlikely but still possible.)
This sounds like it might be the vestige of the single point play in Canadian football. Most plays that are called touchbacks in American footballs are singles in the Canadian game. The main exception is the end zone interception. The team giving up the single gets the ball on its 25, first and ten. The end zone interception not run out costs no point, but they get the ball on ten yard line, first and ten.
It would be interesting to see a history of how the two games diverged.
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### Author:  [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-a-professional-sports-team-had-to-forfeit-a-game/844590/40 "2019-12-24T17:38:14Z")
If the highway patrol escort had failed, the Chiefs had a backup plan to use a HS team’s helmets:
> **[Kansas City Chiefs were set to rely on high school if equipment failed to...](https://www.foxnews.com/sports/chiefs-rely-high-school-equipment-patriots-game)**
>
> The Kansas City Chiefs avoided a fiasco ahead of their matchup with the New England Patriots on Sunday after their equipment initially ended up in Newark, N.J., instead of Foxborough, Mass.
I guess the rest of the equipment (jerseys, pads, etc) could probably be sourced (if ill-fitting) from a Dick’s or something similar.
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