Sports Question of the Day

[Skeptic1959]

You are a one-day commissioner for each of the sports below. What is one rule change you make for each?

NFL
MLB
NHL
NBA
UFC

My changes:

NFL-Refine the pass interference rule for defenders to make it more fair for them and allow them to cover a receiver fairly.

MLB-Get rid of the DH

NHL-Fighting is automatic ejection from game

NBA-Replace the 3-pointer with a 4-pointer

UFC-Mandatory championship bouts based on rankings not on favoritism

 

[mudwhistle]

You are a one-day commissioner for each of the sports below. What is one rule change you make for each?

NFL
MLB
NHL
NBA
UFC

My changes:

NFL-Refine the pass interference rule for defenders to make it more fair for them and allow them to cover a receiver fairly.

MLB-Get rid of the DH

NHL-Fighting is automatic ejection from game

NBA-Replace the 3-pointer with a 4-pointer

UFC-Mandatory championship bouts based on rankings not on favoritism

Change the reception rule making it the same as when you cross the plane of the goal line. Possession of the ball with one foot inbounds is enough to be a reception. None of this BS about two feet inbounds, because causing a player to do so can cause injuries. I've seen players who caught the ball 3 yards inbounds but couldn't get both feet down. I'd scrap that nonsense. Also forcing them to hang onto the ball when they're falling out of bounds even after they got both feet down should be scrapped. This too has caused injuries. The players health should take precedent over following ridiculous reception rules.

 

[TNHarley]

Get rid of fighting in NHL? Thats 75% of the hype!
What a horrible commissioner you would be

 

[Skeptic1959]

Get rid of fighting in NHL? Thats 75% of the hype!
What a horrible commissioner you would be

Is that what the sport was created to be? All about fighting? What about the beauty of the sport? The skating, the puck handling, the goal tending? You must be Rodney Dangerfield?

"I went to a boxing match and hockey game broke out!"

Ask Canucks forward Donald Brashear about his game with Marty McSorley or Steve Moore about his incident with Todd Bertuzzi. I'm all for a good knockout in boxing or MMA, but that is the nature of those games and was intended to be just that. Hockey is hockey. When players start seriously injuring other players that are defenseless or being hit with a hockey stick or stomped on with a very sharp skate blade, it is no longer hockey.

 

[TNHarley]

Get rid of fighting in NHL? Thats 75% of the hype!
What a horrible commissioner you would be

Is that what the sport was created to be? All about fighting? What about the beauty of the sport? The skating, the puck handling, the goal tending? You must be Rodney Dangerfield?

"I went to a boxing match and hockey game broke out!"

Ask Canucks forward Donald Brashear about his game with Marty McSorley or Steve Moore about his incident with Todd Bertuzzi. I'm all for a good knockout in boxing or MMA, but that is the nature of those games and was intended to be just that. Hockey is hockey. When players start seriously injuring other players that are defenseless or being hit with a hockey stick or stomped on with a very sharp skate blade, it is no longer hockey.

Why are Ice Hockey Players Allowed to Fight? (3 Reasons) - BS Hockey

 

[Skeptic1959]

BS hockey...perfect. It's BULLSHIT. But to each his own. If you enjoy the fights more than the hockey so be it. You should then be a big boxing or MMA fan too! Then again, this is probably why most sports fans watch the NBA, MLB, NFL, and MMA before they tune into a hockey game.

 

[TNHarley]

If you enjoy the fights more than the hockey so be it

I didnt say that. Didnt even imply it. Fighting brings another element to hockey. Thats it.

 

[Skeptic1959]

If you enjoy the fights more than the hockey so be it

I didnt say that. Didnt even imply it. Fighting brings another element to hockey. Thats it.

And my point is hockey doesn't need fighting. Do fans go to games to watch a hockey game or simply to watch fighting? It makes no sense if it's the latter. Why not just strap on the skates meet at center ice and just have fistfights for 60 minutes?

 

[TNHarley]

If you enjoy the fights more than the hockey so be it

I didnt say that. Didnt even imply it. Fighting brings another element to hockey. Thats it.

And my point is hockey doesn't need fighting. Do fans go to games to watch a hockey game or simply to watch fighting? It makes no sense if it's the latter. Why not just strap on the skates meet at center ice and just have fistfights for 60 minutes?

My first game I went to, i wasnt even in to hockey. In the first 2 minutes, both teams scored a goal and a badass fight happened. I was hooked. I love the fighting. I love how they let them go at it.
Some people arent as boring as you, i reckon.
Its like baseball, if that stupid, boring sport had fights, i would probably give it a chance.

 

[mudwhistle]

BS hockey...perfect. It's BULLSHIT. But to each his own. If you enjoy the fights more than the hockey so be it. You should then be a big boxing or MMA fan too! Then again, this is probably why most sports fans watch the NBA, MLB, NFL, and MMA before they tune into a hockey game.

The reason nobody watches hockey because nobody plays hockey.
Ice rinks are scarce.
Hockey is big in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but not so much in NY or CA.
Now....if you're Russian....hockey is one of their favorite sports.

 

[Skeptic1959]

If you enjoy the fights more than the hockey so be it

I didnt say that. Didnt even imply it. Fighting brings another element to hockey. Thats it.

And my point is hockey doesn't need fighting. Do fans go to games to watch a hockey game or simply to watch fighting? It makes no sense if it's the latter. Why not just strap on the skates meet at center ice and just have fistfights for 60 minutes?

My first game I went to, i wasnt even in to hockey. In the first 2 minutes, both teams scored a goal and a badass fight happened. I was hooked. I love the fighting. I love how they let them go at it.
Some people arent as boring as you, i reckon.
Its like baseball, if that stupid, boring sport had fights, i would probably give it a chance.

I'm a huge fan of MMA and I like boxing. So boring? Not quite. Watching sports for what they were intended to be I'm all for that. But I get your type...when I was a teenager I actually had a VHS tape of nothing but hockey fights. At that time I thought it was cool. Not now. I realized the stupidity of it. For the record, old school baseball was far from boring. And baseball has had plenty of fights some serious so I guess you missed those. Every sport will have an occasional fight but the intentions of the sport are not lost in that like it is with hockey.

Like I've always said, "to each his/her own." Whatever floats your boat dude...

 

[Rocko]

NFL - Replays on pass interference. Not like the last time it was instituted. that was a joke.
NBA - No more rewarding jump shooters with foul calls when they initiate contact. It's ruining the game.
MLB - Keep last year's playoff format for good. It's more exciting that way. I like the DH. Pitchers can't bat for shit, who wants to see them at bat?!!!
NHL - Agreed. Get fighting out of the sport.
UFC - Actually does a better job of putting together big fights than boxing. I'm not really a huge UFC fan. Boxing is much more entertaining.

 

[Skeptic1959]

NFL - Replays on pass interference. Not like the last time it was instituted. that was a joke.
NBA - No more rewarding jump shooters with foul calls when they initiate contact. It's ruining the game.
MLB - Keep last year's playoff format for good. It's more exciting that way. I like the DH. Pitchers can't bat for shit, who wants to see them at bat?!!!
NHL - Agreed. Get fighting out of the sport.
UFC - Actually does a better job of putting together big fights than boxing. I'm not really a huge UFC fan. Boxing is much more entertaining.

Thanks for the responses Rocko! The only reason I said dump the DH is because having pitchers bat was a natural part of the way the game was created and from time to time we do see pitchers that can hi (Babe Ruth among them). As for the UFC, they do have some really great big fights, but at the same time, there are those who are getting cheated out of a title shot because they are not as popular.

 

[Mr. Friscus]

NFL:
1. Make the max pass interference penalty 15 yards and a first down. I freakin' hate 45 yard tick-tack pass interference calls with 1 minute left in the game.
2. Under 2 minutes the clock stops between plays as if it were an out of bounds. I think the whole "run em out of timeouts and kneel down" strategy is pretty boring.

NBA:
1. Make the court 1.5 ft wider, and move the three point line back 1.5 feet all the way around.
2. Make obvious lean-into-defender shots where you change your natural shooting motion non-fouls.

MLB
1. Get rid of a man-enforced strike zone. Have a square grid created from light sensors that are on your body and on the plate. I hate the BS of a "charm" in an inconsistent strike zone. In the NBA, the rim is 10 ft every night, not 9 ft 11inches one night and 10 ft 1 inch the next.
2. De-juice the baseball
3. Allow one batter in each lineup to use steroids. Each team can play one roided up freak in their lineup. They are designated as such.

NHL
I'm fine with the game as it stands for the most part, although the new re-seeding system they have is very stupid.

Tennis
Wood racquets, like in baseball. The new technology has taken away half of the game in serve-and-volley.

Golf
De-juice the ball. As long as guys can drive 340 on a par 5, the course isn't being played as it should. Stop making courses longer and start governing the golf ball. The players are already ahead as they've used massive jumps in technology in golf balls, such as the ProV1. Take away from them, they don't need it, and the game will be more intriguing.

 

[candycorn]

You are a one-day commissioner for each of the sports below. What is one rule change you make for each?

NFL
MLB
NHL
NBA
UFC

My changes:

NFL-Refine the pass interference rule for defenders to make it more fair for them and allow them to cover a receiver fairly.

MLB-Get rid of the DH

NHL-Fighting is automatic ejection from game

NBA-Replace the 3-pointer with a 4-pointer

UFC-Mandatory championship bouts based on rankings not on favoritism

NFL: Prevent teams from calling time out right before the kicker starts to kick the ball. Any time out to "freeze" the kicker must be called with more than 5 seconds left on the play clock. We're going to have a kicker try to stop and rip his knee apart one day

MLB: One rule I've never liked was expanding the rosters on September 1.

NBA: I'm not sure they have it any more but get rid of the bonus. If you have a foul you shoot free throws. No more "fouls to give"

UFC: Not a sport. Human cockfighting.

NFL/NCAA Men's Football--Make all rules for the NCAA the same as the NFL
MLB/NCAA Men's Baseball--Make all rules for the NCAA the same as the MLB
NBA/NCAA Men's Basketball--Make all rules for the NCAA the same as the NBA

In all 3 cases, those who are going to play professionally will have less adaptation shock and those who don't won't be any the lesser for playing 48 minutes instead of 40 in Basketball or swinging lumber instead of aluminum.

 

[Devils_Advocate]

If you enjoy the fights more than the hockey so be it

I didnt say that. Didnt even imply it. Fighting brings another element to hockey. Thats it.

And my point is hockey doesn't need fighting. Do fans go to games to watch a hockey game or simply to watch fighting? It makes no sense if it's the latter. Why not just strap on the skates meet at center ice and just have fistfights for 60 minutes?

I kind of enjoyed the fighting in Baseball and remember when Ryan whipped the crap out of Robin Ventura when Robin got cocky and charged the mound...

So I agree with Harley fighting is part of Hockey just like it was part of Baseball and at times it is fun to watch a cocky athlete get his or her clock cleaned!

 

[Skeptic1959]

You are a one-day commissioner for each of the sports below. What is one rule change you make for each?

NFL
MLB
NHL
NBA
UFC

My changes:

NFL-Refine the pass interference rule for defenders to make it more fair for them and allow them to cover a receiver fairly.

MLB-Get rid of the DH

NHL-Fighting is automatic ejection from game

NBA-Replace the 3-pointer with a 4-pointer

UFC-Mandatory championship bouts based on rankings not on favoritism

NFL: Prevent teams from calling time out right before the kicker starts to kick the ball. Any time out to "freeze" the kicker must be called with more than 5 seconds left on the play clock. We're going to have a kicker try to stop and rip his knee apart one day

MLB: One rule I've never liked was expanding the rosters on September 1.

NBA: I'm not sure they have it any more but get rid of the bonus. If you have a foul you shoot free throws. No more "fouls to give"

UFC: Not a sport. Human cockfighting.

NFL/NCAA Men's Football--Make all rules for the NCAA the same as the NFL
MLB/NCAA Men's Baseball--Make all rules for the NCAA the same as the MLB
NBA/NCAA Men's Basketball--Make all rules for the NCAA the same as the NBA

In all 3 cases, those who are going to play professionally will have less adaptation shock and those who don't won't be any the lesser for playing 48 minutes instead of 40 in Basketball or swinging lumber instead of aluminum.

Thanks for responding! Great answers! However, we can agree to disagree but with the UFC, it's not always just about pounding each other or trying to knock each other out. The true complete martial artist will use an array of skills to defeat another fighter and a very technical fight is always great to see for the MMA purists.

 

[Unkotare]

NFL- Any team playing against Brady gets spotted one touch down to start the game.

MLB- DH for both American and National leagues (I believe they are doing this soon anyway).

NHL- Two pucks at a time.

NBA- Raise the hoops, make the balls heavier, eliminate the 3-point shot.

UFC- In the middle of each match, release lions into the octagon. Stop pretending about what this really is.

 

[Unkotare]

BS hockey...perfect. It's BULLSHIT. But to each his own. If you enjoy the fights more than the hockey so be it. You should then be a big boxing or MMA fan too! Then again, this is probably why most sports fans watch the NBA, MLB, NFL, and MMA before they tune into a hockey game.

The reason nobody watches hockey because nobody plays hockey.
Ice rinks are scarce.
Hockey is big in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but not so much in NY or CA.
Now....if you're Russian....hockey is one of their favorite sports.

Hockey is big in NY.

 

[candycorn]

If you enjoy the fights more than the hockey so be it

I didnt say that. Didnt even imply it. Fighting brings another element to hockey. Thats it.

And my point is hockey doesn't need fighting. Do fans go to games to watch a hockey game or simply to watch fighting? It makes no sense if it's the latter. Why not just strap on the skates meet at center ice and just have fistfights for 60 minutes?

The old joke...

I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.