Questions tagged [rules]

Questions about the rules of sports, including regulations for particular competitions or formats. Questions must also be tagged for the specific sport or competition.

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Illegal Stick Rule In NHL

The illegal stick rule has cobwebs on it. When was the last time a team was penalized for it, due to its blade being curved too much? Who were the teams? Back in the day some teams had a great eye for ...
Steve's user avatar
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4 votes
0 answers
157 views

What constitutes a false start on the offense in American football?

I thought I knew the rules of American NFL football but maybe this is a nuanced rule regarding false starts. I know everyone on the offense needs to be set for 1 second/1 count before snapping. ...
Classified's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
368 views

Can woman tennis players participate in men's tournaments?

In chess it is often informally said that there are men's tournaments and women's tournaments. Actually it is not true. There are open tournaments, in which both men and women can participate. And ...
M. Wind's user avatar
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4 votes
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120 views

Does a football referee have a duty to prevent a team from using more substitutions than they're allowed to?

AS Roma lost a game against Spezia in the 2020-21 Coppa Italia because they exceeded the number of substitutions they were allowed to do, mistakenly thinking they could go for a sixth one in extra ...
Labba's user avatar
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4 votes
0 answers
469 views

Is this bat with shiny substance consistent with pine tar legal?

According to the MLB Rules, 3.02(c): The bat handle, for not more than 18 inches from its end, may be covered or treated with any material or substance to improve the grip. Any such material or ...
PiousVenom's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
43 views

MLB tiebreaker: 1977

What were the tie-breaker procedures back in the 1970's in case 3 American League teams were tied for their division lead at season's end?
Drake's user avatar
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4 votes
0 answers
90 views

Why have the vertically passed air gates been abolished?

In the past (up until the new 2014 season), a Red Bull Air Race track consisted of 3 different kinds of gates, requiring different fly through procedures: Pylon pairs to be flown through horizontally....
Christian Rau's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
146 views

What differences are there between the XFL rules of today and the rules of XFL past?

As the title states - I know XFL was a league in the past, with rule differences between them and the NFL. I see the list of XFL/NFL rule differences of the current XFL league exist here, but I'm ...
Jaken's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
265 views

Can the referee in a football match request a video review?

In pro soccer, can the referee request VAR to analyse an incident even though there is no warning from VAR to the referee?
becket.alessio.colddots.com's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
125 views

Can defenders hold each other in the air at a free kick?

I have noticed players standing in a line to block free kicks in the World Cup, with some teams choosing to have a player lay along the ground to block lower shots. Are there any rules preventing ...
user24692's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
576 views

What determines who sits to the umpire's left or right?

When players arrive on court, they'll put down their bags and towels on seats to the umpire's left and right. Is there a rule that determines who sits where, or is it simply that the first player ...
TNipper's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
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Which segmentations are there for sports?

As far as I know, people playing different sports can be separated by age, sex, and sometimes weight. Are there any other segmentations/categories in any sport?
Pablo's user avatar
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3 votes
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Is Japan's Rising Sun flag banned by FIFA?

In this article, for instance, we see the text: the South Korean ministry noted that Fifa has already set the precedent of banning the rising sun flag at international football matches. I've ...
Ken Y-N's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
183 views

Does Nippon Badminton Association forbid players from swapping shirts?

After yesterday’s game between Kentō Momota and Luís Enrique Peñalver at the World Championships in Basel, Peñalver indicated that he wanted to swap shirts with Momota. Momota’s reaction was a bit of ...
Janus Bahs Jacquet's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
174 views

Are tennis rackets checked by officials before matches?

Following this question I started looking for evidence that rackets in tennis were checked by officials, at least on the ATP tour, but couldn't find some. I was able to find the regulations for racket ...
true's user avatar
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Cue ball behind head string in pocket billiards

Is it in print that the complete cue ball must be behind the headstring? Some people think it's only the bottom of the ball that must be behind.
Keith Sobczak's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
144 views

Do the official USAV rules for mixed volleyball require all rotations to be same gender?

I am playing in a mixed league, and they state that if a team has more than 6 people, they can use a rotation substitution, but that A player must substitute for the same gender (i.e. men sub for ...
N. Rraton's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
90 views

Can code violations be overturned?

When Serena Williams was awarded her third code violation during the recently concluded US Open Finals against Naomi Osaka, US Open Referee Brian Earley and WTA Supervisor Donna Kelso were also called ...
Noir Antares's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
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Is there any reason why you get 4 points for a win and 2 for a draw in AFL

Is there some way you can get 1 point or 3 points for a match? If not, it appears to be easier to do the standard 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 for a loss. Is there some historical reason ...
Orge's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
165 views

Boarding, NHL vs USA Hockey

in the USA Hockey casebook, I came across an interesting little nugget. "Player A1 pushes teammate A2 into an opponent who is thrown against the boards violently enough to warrant a boarding penalty. ...
Matt's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
23 views

In basketball, when the ball hits the bottom of the net, wraps around and goes in the right way,. Does it count? Or violation?

If it hits the bottom of the net and the ball gets caught up and rolls around and goes in down through the rim the correct way, is this a counted basket. To clarify, the ball never goes through the ...
Seamus's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
78 views

Law 41.16 Cricket

I would like some clarification about the law 41.16, i.e. Mankad. What if the bowler fails to run out the no-striker runner? We have two situations: A) No-striker manages to be back in touch with his ...
James's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
427 views

What are the eightball rules when white ball and the eightball get stuck in the corner?

What happens when opponent still has balls left, and the eightball was my last ball? The balls are stuck, meaning that when my opponent hits the white ball the eightball will fall into the pocket, ...
wippew's user avatar
  • 21
2 votes
0 answers
57 views

6 players on the court during free throw

A team had six players on the court during the first of two free throws. The extra player was removed before the second free throw attempt. Is this a technical violation or was the time during the ...
George Vomvolakis's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
274 views

During a basketball game, what rules prevent players from acting in distracting/heckling ways to throw off opponents?

During a freethrow, distracting the shooter is clearly disallowed according to the rules. But during the game, what is preventing players from trying to distract each other? For example, by screaming ...
chausies's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
101 views

Is it allowed for the quarterback (or someone else) to punt the ball if he can't find another play?

If the quarterback (or someone else) on fourth down gets in trouble and hasn't passed the line of scrimmage, can he change the intended play and instead punt the ball away?
Ola Ström's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
360 views

How are judges chosen in MMA/UFC fights?

Judges in MMA sometimes make questionable decisions over bouts. So I was wondering, what exactly makes a person qualify to be a judge on professional MMA fights? What criteria is set for someone to be ...
Ali Bronzino's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
88 views

Can a player re-spot a color ball even if the referee intends to do so?

I was just watching a UK Championship game and came across a rare incident. Mark Williams potted the yellow after the last red. The referee should have re-spotted the yellow, but he forgot. Then ...
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2 votes
0 answers
237 views

Are there any specific rules regarding rematch in basketball?

The FIBA Official Rules 2014 gives instructions on how to file protests. However, I could not find any specific rules regarding ordering a rematch due to protests. Can anyone please clarify?
Monty Swanson's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
42 views

What are the qualifications needed for dressage judges?

At the international highest level of dressage (Grand Prix), what are the qualifications a judge has to have in order to qualify as a judge?
YviDe's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
77 views

Can a let become a stroke after a 360° turn?

It is well known that if a player turns 360 degrees to hit the ball at the back wall then they may call a let for safety reasons, or play on and risk a stroke against them if they hit the opponent. ...
xyz's user avatar
  • 121
2 votes
1 answer
157 views

If a batted ball strikes a runner on the offensive team and is caught before hitting the ground by the defense, is this an out?

If a batted ball strikes a runner on the offensive team (assume that the ball already went by an infielder, nullifying any interference) and is caught before hitting the ground by the defense, is this ...
Matt's user avatar
  • 393
2 votes
2 answers
141 views

Is there a [possible] scenario in which the first run counts but the next one does not?

While brushing up on "third out, run counts" rules and "fourth outs" the following came to my mind: With 1 out could a scenario arise where one runner comes in, run counts, and second runner comes in,...
TCovey's user avatar
  • 21
1 vote
0 answers
30 views

If the last defender leaves the court, must the raider cross the baulk line?

In the following kabbadi situation: There is one player left on team A Team B player goes for a raid Team A player leaves the court The team B player doesn't cross the baulk line Will the team B ...
Vaibhav kb's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
43 views

Are there any UEFA regulations for longer added time in football?

Recently we can see matches getting longer and longer. It started with Qatar and FIFA asking referees to prolong added time as much as possible, if there were any delays. Apparently more than 9 hours ...
Destroy666's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
102 views

Offside player intentionally catches knock forward ball by his team mate

So I was watching the old Ireland tour in New Zealand from 2022. I noticed an interesting play that got called as a simple knock on but I think it may have been more. The scenario is- All Black player ...
Matt Barthe's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
39 views

NBA traveling and what steps count towards it

In this video I’m confused on the steps that count towards a travel. It seems like the step counter is wrong in a lot of them. At 1 minute into the video, how many steps does Noah really take? It ...
Jim's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
0 answers
69 views

What happens if the leading baserunner misses a base?

What is the correct ruling in the following situation? Runners on first (R1) and second (R2) Batter gets a hit and is out before reaching first (fewer than three outs) R1 and R2 advance; R1 touches ...
David's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
0 answers
82 views

What is the fairest point system for league table for a group friends playing a 1v1 game amongst each other every once in a while?

For context, me and my colleagues want to set up a point system for a 1v1 table tennis league table in our office which would get updated every time people play each other. We want to award points for ...
Minh Nguyen Nhat's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
82 views

In the NBA, do you get a free throw if you are fouled by the buzzer?

What happens if an NBA player gets fouled right when the shot clock ends, and he gets the and 1. Would he be able to shoot the free throw? Do the referees base this on game point, or just don't do it?
Harry Iguana's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
51 views

What happens to FGA when you score on the wrong basket?

I know that when you score on the wrong basket, the nearest player gets the points (in NBA) - so that's "Field Goal Made". But, what about "Field Goal Attempts"? If the nearest ...
Ish Thomas's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
74 views

How does a body check affect the ruling on Delay of Game penalty call?

In the NHL (and other leagues and levels I'm sure), a 2 minute minor penalty is assessed when a defender in his own zone clears the puck over the high boards. This penalty is waived if the clearing ...
Jason P Sallinger's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
630 views

How many horses are allowed to run a single race?

What is the maximum number of horses permitted to run a race in the United Kingdom? Is it different in the USA, or Australia?
Ginger's user avatar
  • 285
1 vote
0 answers
36 views

NRL (Australia) Rugby - Touching Ball Near Try Line

I have just started watching League and Union Rugby and have been trying to familiarize myself with the rules. While watching this evening's NRL match between the Storm and Cowboys, a cowboys player ...
Shortbus47XYY's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
117 views

Is protest considered as Unsportsmanlike Conduct in tennis?

ITF Senior Regulation define Unsportsmanlike Conduct as: Any misconduct by a player that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the Sport, but does not fall within the prohibition of any specific on‐...
Ram Chandra Giri's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
243 views

Basketball Rule: Reach in with contact but get ball first

I've never really played in official basketball leagues with refs, only pickup games really. I come from a very heavy soccer background where if I get ball first then the players body its a legal ...
Mike's user avatar
  • 111
1 vote
0 answers
50 views

Does Naseem Hamed violate the Marquess of Queensberry Rules in this video?

Rule four of the Marquess of Queensberry Rules: If either man fall through weakness or otherwise, he must get up unassisted, ten seconds be allowed to do so, the other man meanwhile to return to his ...
Wad Cheber's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
15k views

Rule for stopping / starting the clock when running out of bounds with the football in NFL & NCAA

What are the rules and are they the same in NCAA and NFL when it comes to stopping and starting the game clock when a player runs out of bounds with the football. What I have found out is that ...
Ola Ström's user avatar
  • 1,050
0 votes
0 answers
8 views

What happens if a defender blocks a non-ball carrier?

While an offensive player can block a defensive player, the defense can only block or tackle the ball-carrier. What foul (if any) is committed if a defensive player blocks a non-ball carrier?
Phil's user avatar
  • 1
0 votes
1 answer
37 views

Is a rolling start legal in F1?

In F1, there are jump start. Jump start means that you accelerates your car before all the lights go out. In this scenario, sometimes you get penalty for it, sometimes you don't. But, recently I do ...
KMN's user avatar
  • 119