36 Fun Facts About Sports Rules

In soccer, a player is in an offside position if nearer the opponents' goal line than the ball and whom?

The second-last opponent marks the position, but being in an offside position is not an offence in itself unless the player then becomes involved in active play.

Yellow and red cards made their World Cup debut at the 1970 tournament hosted by which country?

Mexico 1970 debuted cards after confusion at the 1966 World Cup, when newspapers reported bookings the referee had not clearly signalled.

In soccer, when is a goal scored?

Wholly over the line is the test, so a ball still touching the line has not gone in and play goes on.

What does a soccer referee draw in the air to signal a VAR review?

A TV screen is the signal, and players who excessively make it themselves to demand a review can be shown a yellow card.

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

Leg before wicket in cricket was its first TV use, and the same ball-tracking system went on to judge line calls in tennis.

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

The ABA played with the line from its first season, 1967-68, a decade before the NBA adopted it in 1979; the short-lived ABL had tried it in 1961.

Which basketball violation is called when a player takes too many steps without dribbling?

Traveling costs possession: once a player takes more than two steps without dribbling, the ball goes to the other team.

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

On its way to the basket, a ball touched illegally still counts: the shooting team is awarded the points.

Which quarterback made the NFL's only successful drop kick since 1941?

Doug Flutie, a 43-year-old Patriots backup, made the kick against Miami, though the Dolphins still won the game.

How does a football returner signal a fair catch?

Waving one arm extended above his head protects the returner: once he signals, the kicking team may not tackle or interfere with him.

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

Third base must hold a force play, because the rule stops fielders dropping an easy pop-up on purpose to turn a double or triple play.

In baseball, what is the name for an illegal, deceptive motion on the mound?

A balk awards every runner on base the next base, because the rule exists to stop runners being deceived.

Whom did the designated hitter replace in National League lineups from 2022?

Pitchers stopped batting in National League games, ending a split with the American League, which had used the designated hitter since 1973.

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

The midpoint of the torso marks the top, so each batter gets a zone sized to his own body rather than one fixed height for everyone.

Which baseball team bats in the bottom half of each inning?

The home team bats last, so once it takes the lead in the bottom of the final inning, the game ends on the spot.

Unless ground rules say otherwise, the poles at a ballpark's outfield corners lie in which territory?

Fair territory includes the poles, so a fly ball that strikes a foul pole above the fence is a home run.

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

Icing is called when the puck crosses the opposing goal line untouched after being shot from behind the centre red line; the NHL has used hybrid icing since 2013.

In cricket, who decides which bowler bowls each over?

The fielding captain picks who bowls, but no bowler may bowl two overs in a row, so a captain needs at least two bowlers.

In cricket, what is called when the bowler's front foot lands beyond the popping crease?

A no-ball concedes an extra run to the batting side, and that delivery does not count as one of the over's legal balls.

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

Deuce means 40-all, so from there a player must win two clear points to take the game.

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

A fighter who cannot rise by the referee's count of ten is knocked out; a standing eight count, where it applies, lets the referee check a hurt boxer without ending the bout.

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

11 points has been the target since 2001, when table tennis games were cut from 21 points.

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

The soles of his feet are all a wrestler may touch the clay with, and wrestlers toss salt into the ring to purify it.

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

14 clubs is the cap, and in stroke play carrying more costs two penalty strokes for each hole played that way, up to four.

In a 147 snooker break, which colour follows every red?

Black is the most valuable colour, worth seven, so taking it after every red is the only way to reach 147.

In rugby union, which set piece restarts play after the ball goes into touch?

A lineout restarts play after the ball goes into touch: forwards from both sides form parallel lines and the hooker throws the ball straight down the gap between them.

Roughly how many miles long is a marathon?

26.2 miles comes from the 1908 London Olympics, whose course ran from Windsor Castle to a finish in front of the royal box.

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

The mercy rule is also called the slaughter rule, common in North American youth baseball and softball, where a large run lead after a set number of innings ends the game.

Which high-jump technique clears the bar head first with the back to the bar?

The Fosbury flop took off once deep foam landing mats replaced pits of sand or wood chips, which were no place to land head first.

In standard darts, where must the final dart land to win a leg?

A double or bullseye must finish a leg, and a throw that takes a player below zero scores nothing.

The owner of which team persuaded the NBA to adopt the 24-second shot clock in 1954?

The Syracuse Nationals' 24 seconds came from dividing a 48-minute game's 2,880 seconds by about 120 shots, 60 per team.

After a safety in the NFL, which team receives the free kick that follows?

The scoring team gets two points and then receives the other side's free kick, so a safety wins back possession too.

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

Ken Aston, who had refereed the notorious 1962 'Battle of Santiago', thought of the cards while waiting at traffic lights after the 1966 England-Argentina quarter-final confusion.

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

James Van Alen, founder of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, devised the tiebreak within his VASSS scoring system; his original 'sudden death' version was used at the US Open in the early seventies.

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

Three touches is the limit, no player may hit twice in a row, and teams typically use the first two to set up an attack.

In volleyball, a ball that lands on a boundary line counts as what?

Ball in: the boundary lines belong to the court, so a ball landing on one wins the rally for the team that hit it.