Bad rules in sports.

[FredPuli43]

Is there any rule or 'law' in any game or sport which you think illogical, unfair or just plain wrong? My two are the rule for the net cord in tennis; if it happens on a serve, but the ball is in, a 'let' is called but if that happens in open play it's just good, or bad, luck to the player; and rule about the dart out off the wire in darts; the shot might be a millimetre out from the bull or a treble, but it counts as a shot, just as if the player had missed the board altogether.

[doctordb]

I'd like to know why the same foul will get punished on the halfway line but not in the six yard box during corners.

[factor-fiction]

I don't undertstand why servers in tennis get a second chance at all.

I'm sure when I was learning to be a football referee we were told that if a player takes a throw in and a team mate catches it it's not handball- it never happens but it seemed an odd rule.

If you take penalty during normal time and hit the post you can't follow up to knock the rebound in

[VHG]

It annoys me when in football players are substituted in injury time, the 91st or 92nd minute for example.

I was at Fulham v Swansea last season and Swansea played very well and went 3-0 up, but had not used a substitute.

Near the end they said 3 minutes of injury time, and after about two minutes of those Swansea decided to make 3 substitutions all at the same time.

We all had to wait while each player came off and the new one came on, then after about 20 seconds more football the ref blew his whistle.

I would say no substitutions AT ALL for any reason (even injury) after 85 minutes.

[bibblebub]

The 'let' in tennis is an anachronism that should be got rid.

As for football, a simple and readily available solution is for time-keeping to be done by an official other than the referee, just as it is in rugby; the clock is stopped for things such as substitution and is also displayed for all to see - no more fergie time. At the higher levels of the sport if the technology (e.g. electronic scoreboards) is already there then make full use of it.

[codswallop]

The offside rule in football,I would like to see the length of the field divided into three equal thirds and you can't be offside in the middle third which I think will lead to more attacking football......with more goals!!!!!

[HowardKennitby]

VHG

I agree about stoppage-time subs.

My solution to this is quite radical. I would set the number of subs for a league season at the start. This is currently 3/game in EPL = 114.
I would then let managers use them as they wish and when they are finished that's it. This would introduce an incentive to keep a positive balance to give more options in difficult games.

[Euphemia]

After seeing a New Zealand hockey player receiving a nasty whack on the head from a stick, I was wondering when the rules were changed to allow the sticks to be raised above shoulder level.

[HowardKennitby]

Bibble

Re timekeeping; I seem to remember a few years back in some of the televised matches the time the ball was in play was shown.
My recollection is that it was hardly ever more than 30 mins per half. If this was to become official then matches would get longer by about 30 mins or the playing time would have to be reduced.

[Stephen_G]

Bibble, I've been battering on about using the Rugby method of timekeeping in Football for years, to alleviate "Fergie Time." It should be taken away from the Referee altogether.

[Wharton]

Potting 2 reds in a single stroke in snooker counts as 2 - should be 4 points to the opponent.

[sir.prize]

Wharton - what age are you?

[Wharton]

seventy something - why?

[sir.prize]

You asked me the same yesterday.

[Wharton]

When you get to seventy something sometimes you don't remember yesterday. Why did I ask you, and anyway, what age are you?

[sandyRoe]

Apparently you can be a member of a team that wins a cycling gold but not get one yourself.
http://www.belfasttel...-talent-16194752.html

[DaisyNonna]

Euphemia, trouble is whose shoulder? At 5 foot 2 inches, almost, I was forever being whacked around the head by taller players.

[Mick-Talbot]

Potting 2 reds in a single stroke in snooker counts as 2 - should be 4 points to the opponent.


Totaly disagree with that Wharton.... would ruin the game.

I'm 28 btw.

[Maydup]

I can never understand why in most sports the semi final losers have a play off for the bronze medal, but in Boxing (and judo I think) both losing finalist are awarded a medal. What's to stop them fighting for the medal like other sports? Does anyone know?

[Wharton]

Player lines up red and pots it, he should then be on a colour but the white continues and pots another red - foul stroke - 4 points to the opponent, and I'm old enough to be your thingummyfather.

[Mick-Talbot]

True, Wharton

but players would no longer smash into the pack when they pot the pink or black, making it a duller game.