BS rules in Sports that are entertaining, but not fair

[Hoggle]

Probably doesn't work in high end tournaments, but when I used to do Judi I sucked at Judo and so I'd allow my opponent to throw me by half throwing myself, but I'd land on my side so they didn't get a full point and I'd pull them to the ground with me. I was far better at Jujitsu so from the ground I'd hold or submit my opponent quickly.

This tactic pissed off my whole gym but they never really figured out a way to stop me from doing it.

 

[ScoobsJoestar]

Under-arm serving in Tennis. 99.99% of serves are over-arm and it's always bullshit when someone wheels out the under-arm version.

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Nah, heavy disagree. I think they are perfectly fair and add a new dynamic to the game. Underarm serves are fantastic and a great way to combat returners who are literally beside the ballboys/cameramen in some tournaments. They are very fair surprise attacks.

 

[CoolAssGoat]

Whatever rules this bell decided to make up

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Yes, because this year's race directors are doing a much better job, right?.....right?

 

[Trey]

Jump ball resulting in a tip off in the NBA. Really, I don't even think it's fair, I think it's a fucking dumb rule which is trying to replicate the faceoff in Hockey, it's just not the same.

The jump ball to open a basketball game makes sense, it basically has no impact on the final score. To open an overtime, a jump ball is slightly more consequential. But the jump ball rule during regular periods of play seems dumb.

I think the college rule is more fair (possession arrow). I also think there's an argument that a jump ball should always go to the defense, because it should be the equivalent of a defensive stop. Think about it, the defense has successfully stopped the offense without committing a foul or another infraction, why wouldn't this be considered a good defensive play where the defense is thus rewarded the ball? The argument against this is that it'd make the sport less entertaining, make foul vs. jump ball calls left up to officials which would be very frustrating, and it would be a benefit to defenses and the league geenrally prefers offense vs. defense.

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More rules, "Illegal defense" in the NBA, it's such a stupid rule but it creates star player isolations, and the NBA has decided that star player isolation is the peak of NBA basketball, so you can't play effective zone, and the NBA wants stars. I get it. People look at scores and say that 65-60 in college basketball is more boring than 110 - 101 in the NBA. I dunno, I find the style of play in college basketball more entertaining than the pros (and I like the NBA, I'm not an NBA hater), but I get how the NBA also wants to make stars.

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Basically every non-travel call in the NBA. I think it's just utterly stupid.



It's simply not fair that certain players can get away with 5 step carries where they run with the ball like a running back for 22 feet and then finish at the basket and it's called ... whatever ... a pro hop, euro step, whatever the hell it's called. But... whatever. People hate travels on stars. And then you have the flipside of non-running backs who do a pump fake to a drive but they drag their back foot like 6 inches when starting, and it's called a travel. Make no doubt, that foot drag after a pump fake should be a travel, but so should Giannis running 22 feet without dribbling.



"How do you guard a freak like that?!" It's like well...... you shouldn't, he just carried the ball... which is against the rules.

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first is a travel but sometimes refs miss calls, shit happens. second one is legit though. Giannis is a freak for precisely that reason, all time combination of power and balance.

 

[dstarMDA]

You can hit a tennis ball 100 MPH at your opponent and kill him, and as long you intended to hit it in play, you get the point.

But if you intentionally hit the ball (out of frustration) but strike a referee in the leg by accident, you lose the match.

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Seems very fair tbh

 

[pbayne]

the unwritten rule in football that you should kick the ball out of play if someone is down injured.
It is hailed as good sportsmanship but it frequently can be used as a way to either waste time or to put a stop to an attack from the other team.

 

[dstarMDA]

the unwritten rule in football that you should kick the ball out of play if someone is down injured.
It is hailed as good sportsmanship but it frequently can be used as a way to either waste time or to put a stop to an attack from the other team.

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It's on the way out as FIFA insists it's the ref's responsibility to pause the play. Still a common occurrence but highly dependent on the situation now.

 

[just_myles]

Tuck rule. It's exciting cause you swear it's a fumble.

Wall splatting in vf5US. Way too OP and leads shenanigans.

 

[Deleted member 10795]

The English Football League play off system.

Team's that finish 3rd to 6th in the league compete in a two-leg semi final, then a one off final, to see who gets promoted to the division above (i.e the Premier League).

In theory, it's possible for a team to finish 6th, 15 to 20 points behind the automatic promotion spots, and then get promoted without winning a play-off game or even scoring a goal (via 3x 0-0 draws + 2x penalty shoot outs).

However all the teams know what they're signed up for at the start of the season, and they routinely throw up some of the biggest drama in football season after season - at any level or in any division. I've seen my team promoted via the play-offs and also lose in them, and they are a source of both absolute elation and brutally crushing misery.

 

[Brandino]

In pro wrestling, how one tag team can always cheat, and the ref never catches it come on ref! Use your eyes!

 

[Godzilla's Left Toe]

Infield fly rule. Intentional walk without pitching. Runner at 2nd in extra innings. Designated hitter. There are probably more in baseball than in most other sports.

All of these things are about speeding up the game and/or having more scoring. But, they all lessen the chance of really wild stuff happening. And baseball is at its most entertaining when wild stuff happens. Witness how fans go crazy when a position player comes in to pitch when a team is getting blown out.

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Infield fly is to stop inf from intentionally dropping easy pop ups to make a double play Auto IBB is actually for the pitchers because some will lose their rhythm

 

[The Fabled Englishman]

No longer legal in the game, but if we're talking about (historical) levels of unfairness that almost created an international incident - it's this:

From the Vault: The underarm incident

In a moment Richie Benaud described as 'one of the worst things' he had seen on a cricket field, Australia captain Greg Chappell instructs brother Trevor to ...

www.youtube.com

 

[Gawge]

The 40/20 rule in Rugby League:

If you kick the ball from before your own 40m line, the ball bounces, and then goes over the touchline behind your opponents 20m line, you get the ball back from the start of a new set.

It's challenging and really entertaining, a bit weird though.

 

[Lockheartilly9799]

Years ago in NASCAR, former driver Carl Edwards had a penalty where he was trying to avoid a crash and had to go below the yellow line and far enough down where was near the pit road entry and then he went back onto the track. He lost positions. NASCAR was technically right to penalize him but he was just trying to avoid a collision and didn't even gain spots. If you go below the yellow line on a track which enforces the yellow line rule (the rule where you can't go below the line and then pass someone and go back onto the track) and weren't forced down there, you would be penalized. On a technicality, he wasn't forced below the yellow line but if he didn't go down there, he might have wrecked out.

Carl Edwards Screwjob 2006

NASCAR Screwing Carl Edwards in the 2006 Bud Shootout.....The footage speaks for itself....

www.youtube.com

 

[supkid]

I do hate penalty shootouts though, I way prefer the Golden Goal approach. World Cup 1998 best world cup, don't @ me.

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Golden goal was one of the worst ideas ever, and if neither team scored it still went to penalties. So I'm not really sure what you mean by it being better than penalties?

Away goals rule

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It was entertaining when it existed, but the idea behind it wasn't BS in the beginning at least, became more and more BS as travel got easier and teams knew more about each other though.

 

[Stat]

I don't know about hockey but in football, penalties are only used in the knockout stages of a tournament. Ties exist in every league. And if you watch like any extra time before penalties, it shows that players are absolutely done physically after those 2 hours, continuing is no option. Rematches like they used to do back in the day, don't really fit into today's schedules and are an nightmare for any planning. Penalties kinda suck but it is what it is.

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In hockey, they only exist during the regular season after a 3 on 3 period is played. In the playoffs, they do not and they keep playing until someone scores.

(In edge cases, its used in international tournaments because they can't play forever)

 

[Stat]

Golden goal was one of the worst ideas ever, and if neither team scored it still went to penalties. So I'm not really sure what you mean by it being better than penalties?



It was entertaining when it existed, but the idea behind it wasn't BS in the beginning at least, became more and more BS as travel got easier and teams knew more about each other though.

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Can I ask why Golden Goal was hated?

Sudden death continuous overtime is exciting as hell

 

[supkid]

Can I ask why Golden Goal was hated?

Sudden death continuous overtime is exciting as hell

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It was supposed to give more drama to the game, but ended up with teams playing more conservative due to them being terrified of conceding and losing. Plus there has been tons of extra time games that have been completely turned on their head after one team has scored, and it robbed matches of THAT drama and offered up some insipid dire football that still lead to penalties anyway instead.

 

[Junior Asparagus]

It's just so difficult to score in soccer that it's tough to figure out a way how to decide games when they're tied. That said, I never liked penalties either during play or to decide the outcome of a tie game. Penalties have the opposite problem of it being way too easy to score. At least in hockey a good goaltender still has a decent shot of stopping a penalty shot, but the goal percentage in soccer has to be like 80-90% at least.

I also think it's weird in this day and age that they don't keep exact time in soccer, and that extra time is basically up to the referee's discretion. This is basically to give the losing team one last push to add some drama, but the "fair" thing to do would to just have the clock stop when play isn't going on and then the game ends when it runs out like most other sports.

 

[deimosmasque]

The switcheroo rule in Crazy Ball basically negates the rest of the game. It's pretty bad design.

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HA! Love it!

 

[DPT120]

Surprised no one has mentioned NFL overtime rules. Both teams should get the ball.

 

[Filipus]

Golden goal was one of the worst ideas ever, and if neither team scored it still went to penalties. So I'm not really sure what you mean by it being better than penalties?

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I guess in my mind it was Silver Goal (for the two 15 minutes half) and then Golden Goal. What iteration did this? Am I making stuff in my mind? hahaha

I LOVE MY GOLDEN GOAL BABY, PLAY TO THE DEATH.
I just really hate penalties shootouts

 

[deathsaber]

Football (American) - absolutely it's the overtime rule that says if the receiving team (whoever won the coin toss) gets a touchdown on the first possession- they automatically win, the other team doesn't even get a chance with the ball.

Way to give a mega advantage to the team that wins a fucking coin toss. Especially odd, because outside this first possession, the rule no longer applies- if the first team gets a touchdown after that, then the other team gets the opportunity to match and keep the game going.

I really don't know why they do this whole first possession thing, other than it can possibly result in a pretty quick and dramatic end to the game. But not remotely fair.

 

[NinjaScooter]

the Play In in the NBA is dumb but leads to more games/revenue so I get why its sticking around. Same thing with the additional wild cards in baseball.

 

[gosublime]

The 40/20 rule in Rugby League:

If you kick the ball from before your own 40m line, the ball bounces, and then goes over the touchline behind your opponents 20m line, you get the ball back from the start of a new set.

It's challenging and really entertaining, a bit weird though.

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Union has just stolen that last couple of years, except it's the 50/22 and it gives you the attacking lineout.

 

[ElNino]

Balks are just pitchers not being set correctly or doing something illegal to try to fake out a runner. Since they already hold the ball, being able to deke out runners on base would be too much of an advantage defensively. Balks happen more frequently in youth baseball because kids don't have as good of body control to stay set in their windup or forget to take their foot off the rubber strip if they are purposefully going from windup to set position. Also nobody is getting first base awarded to them because of a balk. You could balk all you wanted with nobody on base.

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I was going to say the same thing, if a player was awarded first base it wasn't from a balk as that doesn't have any impact on the batter, only runners on base.

 

[The Albatross]

end zone fumble-touchback rule in the nfl can change the game but is always bullshit when it happens to your team. There are arguments for/against the rule.

If an offensive player fumbles the football and it goes out of bounds in the end zone, the team that was originally on defense now takes over the ball on its own 20-yard line.

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Yeah I've thought about what the best balanced fix for that is and nothing I can think of really gets it right. I don't like how it is now. Fumbling out of the endzone feels weird that the defense would get possession at the 20 yard line, a massive swing for the defense basically doing nothing. It's not like the defense recovered the ball, neither team did, so to award it to the defense feels very consequential.

I think it should just be penalty, like kicking the ball out of bounds on a kickoff is a penalty. So if you fumble out of bounds into the endzone, it's a 5 yard loss from the point you lose possession of the ball and, importantly, a loss of down.

The loss of down is important because if you're being stopped going into the endzone and as a last ditch try to fumble into the endzone to get another play, the loss of down effectively kills that as a potential exploit.

I dont know what the best fix is, but I know how it is now sucks.

 

[supkid]

I guess in my mind it was Silver Goal (for the two 15 minutes half) and then Golden Goal. What iteration did this? Am I making stuff in my mind? hahaha

I LOVE MY GOLDEN GOAL BABY, PLAY TO THE DEATH.
I just really hate penalties shootouts

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Golden Goal came about first and was the first team to score in extra time won the match, then they brought in Silver Goal which was whoever was winning at half time in ET won the match. It produced awful football though. Most teams were terrified to concede.

 

[supkid]

I also think it's weird in this day and age that they don't keep exact time in soccer, and that extra time is basically up to the referee's discretion. This is basically to give the losing team one last push to add some drama, but the "fair" thing to do would to just have the clock stop when play isn't going on and then the game ends when it runs out like most other sports.

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You're confusing injury (added) time with extra time, extra time is two 15 minute halves played after a draw in a knock out tournament. Injury time is time added on to the 90 minutes that is at the officials discretion.

 

[JohnsonUT]

Yeah I've thought about what the best balanced fix for that is and nothing I can think of really gets it right. I don't like how it is now. Fumbling out of the endzone feels weird that the defense would get possession at the 20 yard line, a massive swing for the defense basically doing nothing. It's not like the defense recovered the ball, neither team did, so to award it to the defense feels very consequential.

I think it should just be penalty, like kicking the ball out of bounds on a kickoff is a penalty. So if you fumble out of bounds into the endzone, it's a 5 yard loss from the point you lose possession of the ball and, importantly, a loss of down.

The loss of down is important because if you're being stopped going into the endzone and as a last ditch try to fumble into the endzone to get another play, the loss of down effectively kills that as a potential exploit.

I dont know what the best fix is, but I know how it is now sucks.

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I think the offense should retain possession, but get it at either the point of the fumble or the 10 yard line. I agree loss of down is important.

Fumble rules are just inconsistent across the board. The rules are different if it is 4th down. The rules are different if there is less than 2 minutes left in the half.

 

[Squirrel Killer]

2-pt shots in lacrosse. Just moronic.

 

[RedVejigante]

In pro wrestling, how one tag team can always cheat, and the ref never catches it come on ref! Use your eyes!

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So, I know we're talking about pro-wrestling, which is theater rather than sport, but even as a kid it always really bothered me how in certain tag matches the non-legal man could just enter the ring and break up a three-count to save their partner and that wouldn't end the match in an instant DQ?

 

[ElNino]

2-pt shots in lacrosse. Just moronic.

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Or 3 point shots in basketball, except it's the opposite in that it's made the (NBA) game incredibly boring to watch.

 

[Baron Eyepatch]

If you hit the catcher hard enough so he drops the ball, you're safe. Doesn't make much sense, doesn't test players' abilities other than how hard the runner can hit and how hard a hit the catcher can take, and creates an incentive to take actions that can cause serious injuries.

And it does create entertaining plays (see the climax of A League of Their Own). But I think that telling runners they're not allowed to tackle other players, thereby requiring them to attempt to tap the plate while avoiding the block, can also create some very entertaining slides -- I've seen at least one that I can remember.

 

[SwampBastard]

If a foul ball in baseball counts as a strike in one instance (first or second strike), it should count as a strike as all instances. In theory, a batter could literally hit a thousand foul balls without ever getting a third strike. It's "entertaining" in the sense that it lets the batter stay at the plate longer than they should, but it's a stupid/unfair rule. Two strikes and you hit a foul ball? You're out.

I fucking hate baseball.

 

[Baron Eyepatch]

If a foul ball in baseball counts as a strike in one instance (first or second strike), it should count as a strike as all instances. In theory, a batter could literally hit a thousand foul balls without ever getting a third strike. It's "entertaining" in the sense that it lets the batter stay at the plate longer than they should, but it's a stupid/unfair rule. Two strikes and you hit a foul ball? You're out.

I fucking hate baseball.

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Nah, that's a good rule. In most cases it's not entertaining because it can extend a tedious game or at-bat. But it rewards the batter for getting wood on the ball, and if the batter fouls off 3 or more pitches a favorable crowd starts to get into it. Your proposal would be a big change that would make the pitching game even more strike-out focused and result in fewer pitches per inning, making it easier for starters to go 8-9 innings and diminishing the importance of the bullpen.

Being able to foul off a lot of pitches is actually a valuable skill, especially late in the game when facing a tired pitcher or a closer.

 

[PumpkinPieAddict]

The NHL playoff seeding. No reason the Leaf should face Tampa in round 1 but was still entertaining and high stakes.

 

[SwampBastard]

Your proposal would be a big change that would make the pitching game even more strike-out focused and result in fewer pitches per inning, making it easier for starters to go 8-9 innings and diminishing the importance of the bullpen.

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I'm in favor of anything that makes the game end faster.

 

[Vapelord]

The NHL playoff seeding. No reason the Leaf should face Tampa in round 1 but was still entertaining and high stakes.

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But you probably were not complaining about that seeding rule last year until end of the 3rd period game 4'ish :P

 

[Planx]

If a foul ball in baseball counts as a strike in one instance (first or second strike), it should count as a strike as all instances. In theory, a batter could literally hit a thousand foul balls without ever getting a third strike. It's "entertaining" in the sense that it lets the batter stay at the plate longer than they should, but it's a stupid/unfair rule. Two strikes and you hit a foul ball? You're out.

I fucking hate baseball.

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Because hitting a 98mph fastball with a round bat is the hardest regular skill in sports and even with this huge advantage the best batters in the world still fail at getting a hit more than 7 in 10 times they try.

Might as well have only 1 base, make the bat bigger and call it cricket

 

[impingu1984]

Duckworth lewis method from cricket is literally a BS rule that exists to create a spectacle

When a innings is missed or interrupted due to bad weather or whatever, it's a mathematical formula that creates a target for the opposing team and is supposed to represent what the other would have got had the innings not been interrupted...

Yeah... So it's just so we kinda get a result...

But it's an improved method over what was previously used...

 

[PumpkinPieAddict]

But you probably were not complaining about that seeding rule last year until end of the 3rd period game 4'ish :P

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I, personally didn't think the Canadian division was appealing and thought it sucked for the Habs.

Turns out it worked well for them ... all the way to the finals.

 

[ElNino]

If a foul ball in baseball counts as a strike in one instance (first or second strike), it should count as a strike as all instances. In theory, a batter could literally hit a thousand foul balls without ever getting a third strike. It's "entertaining" in the sense that it lets the batter stay at the plate longer than they should, but it's a stupid/unfair rule. Two strikes and you hit a foul ball? You're out.

I fucking hate baseball.

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In softball a foul ball on two strikes is considered a strike out (at least in Slo-Pitch), but obviously there is a difference between the two. Baseball is by nature a game of managing failures, since only the very best hitters will do so safely even 30% of the time. To not allow a hitter to stay alive with a foul ball would be particularly punishing.

 

[Autumn]

As a non-soccer fan why is the offsides rule implemented?

I always think it's dumb because you can't outrun the opposing player and be there when someone kicks the ball towards you, but I'm thinking I'm wrong because it's not NFL football where a wide receiver can just pass through.

 

[DazzlerIE]

As a non-soccer fan why is the offsides rule implemented?

I always think it's dumb because you can't outrun the opposing player and be there when someone kicks the ball towards you, but I'm thinking I'm wrong because it's not NFL football where a wide receiver can just pass through.

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The sport wouldn't work as well if an attacker (or two) were allowed to hang out at the opposition goal - would mean any turnover in possession could be hit up the field to a waiting attacker.

It would suck, and radically alter the sport, if defenders had to stay in their own defensive third constantly

 

[bryehn]

As a non-soccer fan why is the offsides rule implemented?

I always think it's dumb because you can't outrun the opposing player and be there when someone kicks the ball towards you, but I'm thinking I'm wrong because it's not NFL football where a wide receiver can just pass through.

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That's one of the things I like about soccer. The attacker can still outrun the defender(s), but has to start from equal or lesser footing when the ball is passed to them.

 

[Squirrel Killer]

As a non-soccer fan why is the offsides rule implemented?

I always think it's dumb because you can't outrun the opposing player and be there when someone kicks the ball towards you, but I'm thinking I'm wrong because it's not NFL football where a wide receiver can just pass through.

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Because it would lead to a team camping a striker right in front of the goal.

 

[ElNino]

The sport wouldn't work as well if an attacker (or two) were allowed to hang out at the opposition goal - would mean any turnover in possession could be hit up the field to a waiting attacker.

It would suck, and radically alter the sport, if defenders had to stay in their own defensive third constantly

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I think there could be a middle ground with soccer/football where say you couldn't be beyond midfield if the ball was in your end or when you possess the ball over midfield you can go as far to the goal as you want without being offside. The could prevent "cherry picking" way down hoping your teammates get possession and kick it way down but could open up of the attacking players a bit once you are in your opponents side of the field/pitch.

 

[krae_man]

Know when I see it, but cannot define

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So in that case, is a balk also icing?

 

[Squirrel Killer]

I think there could be a middle ground with soccer/football where say you couldn't be beyond midfield if the ball was in your end or when you possess the ball over midfield you can go as far to the goal as you want without being offside. The could prevent "cherry picking" way down hoping your teammates get possession and kick it way down but could open up of the attacking players a bit once you are in your opponents side of the field/pitch.

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Or we could - and follow me for a bit here - just leave the current association football offside rule as it is since everyone who follows the sport enough to care knows what it is and it works well.