50 Fun Facts About Sports Rules

In soccer, a player is offside if they are nearer the opponents' goal line than the ball and whom?

The last opponent is usually, but not always, the goalkeeper; the position must also be in the opponents' half.

Which number Law of the Game covers offside in soccer?

Law 12 covers fouls and misconduct, which is where handball lives.

Yellow and red cards were used for the first time at which World Cup?

English referee Ken Aston came up with the neutral colours after language confusion at the 1966 tournament.

Until which year did the laws of soccer provide no method at all for breaking ties?

The IFAB accepted FIFA's penalty shoot-out proposal that February while admitting it was "not entirely satisfied".

The golden goal was formally introduced in 1993 and stopped applying to most FIFA matches in which year?

The silver goal briefly supplemented it from 2002; David Trezeguet's golden goal decided the Euro 2000 final.

The IFAB wrote VAR into the Laws of the Game in March of which year, ahead of a World Cup debut?

It debuted globally at that summer's World Cup in Russia after trials in several major competitions.

Hawk-Eye ball tracking was first used on television in 2001 to analyse what kind of decision?

Paul Hawkins developed the system in the UK; it is now used in more than 20 sports.

The NBA has used a 24-second shot clock since which year?

Syracuse Nationals owner Danny Biasone and GM Leo Ferris tested it in a scrimmage; FIBA did not go to 24 seconds until 2000.

Which league popularised the three-point line, introducing it in its first season in 1967-68?

The NBA only adopted it in June 1979, initially as a one-year trial that many dismissed as a gimmick.

Traveling is called when a player takes more than how many steps without dribbling?

The NCAA and high school rules do not allow the two-step gather that professional leagues permit.

How far is the basketball free-throw line from the plane of the backboard?

The line sits inside the three-point arc at the end of the restricted area, informally called the charity stripe.

Goaltending in basketball is a violation involving interference with the ball when it is where?

In the NBA and NCAA it also covers a ball that has touched the backboard while above rim height.

How many points is a safety worth in American football?

Afterwards the scored-upon team kicks off to the scoring team from its own 20-yard line.

In which year did the NFL adopt the two-point conversion?

That was 25 years after the AFL-NFL merger; the AFL had used the rule before merging.

The NFL abolished the tuck rule in 2013 by what vote of its teams?

The rule had famously overturned Charles Woodson's strip of Tom Brady in the January 2002 playoff game against Oakland.

How does a football returner signal a fair catch?

Under NFL and high school rules the team can then attempt a rarely seen fair catch kick from the spot.

The infield fly rule requires fewer than two outs and a force play at which base?

That means runners on first and second or the bases loaded; the batter is out whether or not the ball is caught.

In baseball, what is the name for a pitcher's illegal motion, usually pretending to pitch?

Under Official Baseball Rules it results in a dead ball or delayed dead ball, and runners advance.

The AL adopted the designated hitter in 1973. The National League followed in which year?

From 1973 to 1975 all World Series games were played without a DH, with pitchers batting.

The baseball strike zone extends from the batter's knees up to what point?

The umpire behind the catcher decides whether the pitch passed through the space above home plate.

A ground rule double awards how many bases to every runner?

It applies when a fairly hit ball leaves the field under the park's ground rules, such as bouncing over the fence.

Unless the ground rules say otherwise, the foul poles in a baseball park lie in which territory?

A ball hitting the pole above the fence is therefore a home run.

In ice hockey, icing occurs when the puck is shot from the team's own half past which marker without scoring?

Professional leagues mostly use hybrid icing, while many amateur leagues use no-touch or automatic icing.

Leg before wicket first appeared in cricket's laws in which year?

Batsmen had begun using their pads to stop the ball hitting the stumps, and writers of the day cried foul.

In a five-day cricket match, a side batting first can enforce the follow-on if it leads by at least how much?

The rule exists to reduce the chance of a draw by getting the weaker side's second innings started sooner.

The Duckworth-Lewis method was first used internationally in 1997 in a series between which two teams?

Australian statistician Steven Stern later became its custodian and the method was renamed DLS in 2014.

How many legal deliveries make up an over in cricket?

All are bowled from one end by a single bowler; wides and no-balls do not count toward the total.

In tennis, what is the score called when both players have won three points in a game?

From there a player must win two points in a row; the French call it égalité.

In boxing, a downed fighter who cannot continue within a count of what number is knocked out?

The referee's count is what separates a knockdown from a knockout victory for the opponent.

A game of table tennis is won by the first player to reach how many points, with a two-point lead?

At 10-10 play continues until one player leads by two.

A game of badminton is played to how many points?

Matches are best of three games, and a point is scored on every rally.

In curling, what is the term for having the last stone of an end?

A game usually runs eight or ten ends, and the free guard zone protects early stones from being knocked out.

A sumo wrestler loses by leaving the ring or touching the ground with anything other than what?

The ring is called the dohyō, and the wrestlers rikishi; most bouts end by throwing, shoving or pushing.

What is the maximum number of clubs a golfer may carry during a stipulated round?

Carrying more incurs penalty strokes under the Rules of Golf.

A maximum break in snooker is worth how many points?

It requires all 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points, then the six colours for a further 27.

In rugby league, an attacking team gets a set of how many tackles before it must surrender possession?

A team awarded a penalty can choose a two-point kick or a fresh set to chase a four-point try.

The volleyball libero, a defensive specialist, was introduced internationally in which year?

The position reached NCAA competition in 2002; liberos may not spike or block.

The marathon distance of 42.195 kilometres was not standardised until which year?

The odd figure traces to the 1908 London Olympic course, though it took 13 more years to become official.

A mercy provision, ending a game early when one side leads by a huge margin, is also known by which name?

It is most common in North American youth sports, where running up the score is considered unsporting.

Which now-universal high-jump technique goes over head first, back to the bar?

Dick Fosbury unveiled it at the 1968 Olympics, and it replaced techniques refined since ancient times.

In standard darts games, players count down from which starting score?

The finish must typically land on a double, which is why the game is won on the outer ring.

FIBA introduced a 30-second shot clock in 1956 and switched to 24 seconds in which year?

The change aligned international basketball with the NBA's long-standing limit.

Which team's officials came up with the NBA shot clock, testing it in a 1954 scrimmage?

Owner Danny Biasone and GM Leo Ferris reportedly scribbled formulas on napkins at Biasone's bowling alley; the franchise is now the 76ers.

After a safety in American football, from which yard line does the conceding team kick off?

In Canadian football the scoring team may instead take the ball at its own 35 or kick off from there.

Which English referee invented yellow and red cards, inspired by traffic lights?

He came up with the idea after confusion over cautions in the ill-tempered England-Argentina quarter-final at the 1966 World Cup.

Who invented the tennis tiebreak, unveiling it as an experiment at Newport Casino in 1965?

His original 'sudden-death' version was best of nine points; the seven-point, win-by-two format became standard at the majors in the early 1970s.

In volleyball, how many times may a team touch the ball before it must cross the net?

No single player may touch it twice in a row, and the 'three hits' rule dates from the 1920s in the Philippines.

How high is the top of the net in men's volleyball?

The women's net is set at 2.24 m; William Morgan's original 1895 rules called for a net only 6 ft 6 in high.

In handball, only the defending goalkeeper may stand inside a zone extending how far from the goal?

Attackers can score by throwing from outside the zone or while diving into it; matches run two halves of 30 minutes.

How many players does each water polo team have in the water at one time?

Six field players and a goalkeeper play four quarters; men's water polo was one of the first team sports at the 1900 Olympics.