Sports Rules Trivia
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36 free Sports Rules trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Sep 2026.
This sports rules trivia quiz is for the person at the bar who actually knows why the flag went up. It covers the laws and regulations that decide games across soccer, basketball, American football, baseball, ice hockey, cricket, tennis, rugby, boxing, golf, curling, snooker and more: what offside really means, why the NBA plays with a 24-second clock, when an infield fly is called, what makes a balk, how icing works, why a batter can be out leg before wicket, and what happens after a safety. It also digs into where the rules came from and when they changed: the yellow card invented after a World Cup shouting match, the penalty shoot-out the game managed without until 1970, the golden goal that lived and died in a decade, the ABA gimmick that became the three-point line, the tuck rule the NFL voted out 29 to 1, and the tennis scoring word that means nothing. About a third of the questions are easy for any regular fan, a third need a rulebook reader, and the rest reward the officials and obsessives. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia's articles on the individual rules and sports before publishing, and each question carries the sentence that establishes it. If you think one is wrong, use the report button and we will look again.
30 of 36 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In soccer, a player is in an offside position if nearer the opponents' goal line than the ball and whom?
The second-last opponent
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.
Q 02Yellow and red cards made their World Cup debut at the 1970 tournament hosted by which country?
Mexico
Mexico 1970 debuted cards after confusion at the 1966 World Cup, when newspapers reported bookings the referee had not clearly signalled.
Q 03In soccer, when is a goal scored?
Wholly over the line
Wholly over the line is the test, so a ball still touching the line has not gone in and play goes on.
Q 04What does a soccer referee draw in the air to signal a VAR review?
A TV screen
A TV screen is the signal, and players who excessively make it themselves to demand a review can be shown a yellow card.
Q 05Hawk-Eye ball tracking was first used on television in 2001 to analyse what kind of decision?
Leg before wicket in cricket
Leg before wicket in cricket was its first TV use, and the same ball-tracking system went on to judge line calls in tennis.
Q 06Which league popularised the three-point line, introducing it in its first season in 1967-68?
The ABA
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.
Q 07Which basketball violation is called when a player takes too many steps without dribbling?
Traveling
Traveling costs possession: once a player takes more than two steps without dribbling, the ball goes to the other team.
Q 08Goaltending is a violation involving interference with the ball when it is where?
On its way to the basket
On its way to the basket, a ball touched illegally still counts: the shooting team is awarded the points.
Q 09Which quarterback made the NFL's only successful drop kick since 1941?
Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie, a 43-year-old Patriots backup, made the kick against Miami, though the Dolphins still won the game.
Q 10How does a football returner signal a fair catch?
Waving one arm extended above his head
Waving one arm extended above his head protects the returner: once he signals, the kicking team may not tackle or interfere with him.
Q 11The infield fly rule requires fewer than two outs and a force play at which base?
Third
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.
Q 12In baseball, what is the name for an illegal, deceptive motion on the mound?
A balk
A balk awards every runner on base the next base, because the rule exists to stop runners being deceived.
Q 13Whom did the designated hitter replace in National League lineups from 2022?
Pitchers
Pitchers stopped batting in National League games, ending a split with the American League, which had used the designated hitter since 1973.
Q 21In boxing, a downed fighter who cannot continue within a count of what number is knocked out?
Ten
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.
Q 22A game of table tennis is won by the first player to reach how many points, with a two-point lead?
11
11 points has been the target since 2001, when table tennis games were cut from 21 points.
Q 23A sumo wrestler loses by leaving the ring or touching the ground with anything other than what?
The soles of his feet
The soles of his feet are all a wrestler may touch the clay with, and wrestlers toss salt into the ring to purify it.
Q 14The baseball strike zone extends from the batter's knees up to what point?
The midpoint of the torso
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.
Q 15Which baseball team bats in the bottom half of each inning?
Home team
The home team bats last, so once it takes the lead in the bottom of the final inning, the game ends on the spot.
Q 16Unless ground rules say otherwise, the poles at a ballpark's outfield corners lie in which territory?
Fair
Fair territory includes the poles, so a fly ball that strikes a foul pole above the fence is a home run.
Q 17In ice hockey, icing occurs when the puck is shot from the team's own half past which marker without scoring?
The opposing goal line
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.
Q 18In cricket, who decides which bowler bowls each over?
The fielding captain
The fielding captain picks who bowls, but no bowler may bowl two overs in a row, so a captain needs at least two bowlers.
Q 19In cricket, what is called when the bowler's front foot lands beyond the popping crease?
A no-ball
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.
Q 20In tennis, what is the score called when both players have won three points in a game?
Deuce
Deuce means 40-all, so from there a player must win two clear points to take the game.
Q 24What is the maximum number of clubs a golfer may carry during a stipulated round?
14
14 clubs is the cap, and in stroke play carrying more costs two penalty strokes for each hole played that way, up to four.
Q 25In a 147 snooker break, which colour follows every red?
Black
Black is the most valuable colour, worth seven, so taking it after every red is the only way to reach 147.
Q 26In rugby union, which set piece restarts play after the ball goes into touch?
A lineout
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.
Q 27Roughly how many miles long is a marathon?
26.2 miles
26.2 miles comes from the 1908 London Olympics, whose course ran from Windsor Castle to a finish in front of the royal box.
Q 28A mercy provision, ending a game early when one side leads by a huge margin, is also known by which name?
The slaughter rule
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.
Q 29Which high-jump technique clears the bar head first with the back to the bar?
The Fosbury flop
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.
Q 30In standard darts, where must the final dart land to win a leg?
A double or bullseye
A double or bullseye must finish a leg, and a throw that takes a player below zero scores nothing.