What is the dumbest rule in sports?

[Big_D]

I was thinking of the idea for this thread when I was looking over my MLB team's minor leaguers and wondering whom we could lose in the upcoming Rule Five Draft. This is when teams get to actually draft players on other team's roster whom they did not protect a player on their 40 man roster. Afterwords, this individual will have to stay on their new team's 25 man roster for the entire season or they will be sent back to their original club-after going through waivers. Therefore teams who have a solid farm system and had too many players to protect will actually be punished and lose these players to their rivals. Conversely, teams who do no have a good system will be able to revamp their future by taken prospects from other teams. The players chosen are also losers in the deal. It is damaging in the fact because the players chosen will have a year of limited playing time and then the following season usually placed back into the minor leagues. If a pitcher was chosen, he would simply be used in only mop-up duty and have to continue with his progression the following season. I am concerned that this might happen to my team as we have so many prospects. There is no logic at all to rule whatsoever. Other stupid rules were the former two line pass in hockey and the also former illegal on-side kick in the NFL. If you recall the latter was when the kicking team would attempt an on-side kick and if it didnt go 10 yards then they simply got to kick again. But, dumbest one has to be the rule five draft.

 

[Xenophon]

Dumbest rule in sports is holding, as players hold each other on every down.

 

[dilloduck]

Allowing QBs to intentional ground the ball.

 

[ba1614]

1)Spiking the ball to stop the clock in the NFL, why isn't it intentional grounding?

2)In the NFL, when the offense fumbles the ball out of the oppositions endzone, the defensive team gets the ball. If the ball never changed possession why doesn't the offense retain the ball?

3)OT in the NFL, both teams should get a chance, like the NCAA.

4)The designated hitter in baseball, shouldn't the rules in a league be the same for everyone? Not to mention I think the DH rule is stupid anyway. Once the leagues merged they should've standardized this.

5)The third strike dropped ball rule in baseball. The batter struck out and shouldn't get new life because the catcher drops the ball.

 

[KGB]

Instigator rule in hockey....by far, the dumbest rule in all of sports....

 

[xsited1]

Allowing women to wear clothing at sporting events.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Bracket racing in drag racing. Should be no dial-ins.

 

[Paulie]

Dumbest rule in sports is holding, as players hold each other on every down.

I don't know about that.. For example, offensive linemen don't "hold", per se, they block. The point is that the DL is supposed to get around the blocking action of the OL, and the hold that is illegal blatantly nullifies the ability to do so. If some guy is merely bumping and banging into you, there's any number of ways to tactfully get around that.

But If all you had to do was just grab onto the guy and hold him in place, the DL would hardly ever reach the QB.

Where I do see a discrepancy, is where the DL is allowed to knock the OL down, but not vice versa. Reggie White would use that club maneuver all the time that knocked a lot of OL on their asses. But the OL can not bring the DL down. That's where I see an unfair advantage.

 

[rightwinger]

The balk
Nobody understands it and who really cares?
If a pitcher can fake out a runner, let the runner pay for his stupidity

 

[Chris]

The Tuck Rule in the NFL.

 

[jgbkab]

If the ball is intercepted by the defender and his momentum takes him into the endzone where he is tackled, the ball is spotted at the point of the catch.

 

[rightwinger]

If the ball is intercepted by the defender and his momentum takes him into the endzone where he is tackled, the ball is spotted at the point of the catch.

Hate that rule, it penalizes a good play by the defense

 

[Paulie]

The balk
Nobody understands it and who really cares?
If a pitcher can fake out a runner, let the runner pay for his stupidity

It wouldn't be stupidity, though. The runner has to know the pitcher is commiting to the pitch before going, so if the pitcher could just fake a pitch and then turn and throw to a base, runners would theoretically never be able to steal a base. Especially if the runner had to wait until they saw the ball actually leave the pitcher's hand and go to the plate. Not even Jose Reyes et al could steal a base with that kind of time.

And "nobody understands it" is a bit disingenuous. Maybe YOU don't, but I do. And many others do as well.

That you would suggest it be removed from the rules pretty much proves that you don't.

 

[Paulie]

I don't like the automatic first down if a pass defender makes illegal contact with a receiver.

To clarify though, if it is pass interference with an imminent intended receiver that the ball has been thrown to, I agree with automatic first down. But not if it's a random receiver running a route that hasn't even been passed to. That should just be 5 yard penalty and nothing more.

 

[Toro]

The absolute stupidest rule in all sports is in college basketball, where they give teams about 400 timeouts, which they all use in the minute of the game, dragging 60 seconds over an hour, I fucking swear...

God, I stopped watching college basketball because of this.

 

[rightwinger]

The rule in soccer where you can't use your hands. Even in hockey, you can slap the puck to the ice. Soccer is the only game where if the ball hits you in the head....people don't laugh at you

 

[Skull Pilot]

Roughing the quarterback or any unnecessary roughness charge. It's football, it's supposed to be rough.

 

[rdean]

Tennis, when the ball clips the net you get another serve. Slows the game down.

 

[rightwinger]

The rule in the NBA where you can't play zone defense

 

[Oddball]

Designated hitter.