There is no denying that the officials in sports have a large impact on the final outcome of an event. Their decisions not only impact a specific play, but can change the momentum and even decide who wins and who loses. When a bad call is made or an obvious penalty is missed, it can also feel unfair to fans and lead them to believe the game is "rigged." I believe that most of these situations are caused by occasionally enforced rules, which is #7 on my list of the 10 worst things about sports. Let's dive right in.
Rules are Rules!
Rule: "One of a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles governing conduct within a particular area of activity."
While some people argue that rules are made to be broken; when rules are broken without consequences, the game changes. Coaches and players start to adapt to take advantage of inconsistencies and their expectations shift. They may believe that a certain play or foul will or won't be called the same way the next time a rule is broken. This causes major issues.
In baseball, balls and strikes are subjective, just like a charge in basketball, pass interference in American football and the difference between a yellow and red card for a foul in soccer. Different umpires have different ranges for a ball and a strike, which is fine and part of the game, but what's not okay is when the range that they've established during the game changes.
A rule is a rule, but that doesn't always mean the rules are enforced. Here are several instances where rules are unfortunately forgotten or not applied.
Rare Circumstances
If you're not familiar with the Detroit Lions, they're the American football team that continually disappoints their fanbase by lifting expectations only to fail to deliver, and the refs and forgotten rules certainly don't help.
In the final moments of an important game between the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks, the Lions star receiver Calvin Johnson was diving into the endzone with seconds left in the game to give the Lions the win. Calvin was stripped of the ball, and then the ball was intentionally batted out of the end zone by Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright.
What should have been called an illegally batted ball, giving the Lions possession, was missed, costing the Lions the game. The NFL later apologized for the missed call, but the damage was done and the Lions were given the loss.
Tagging at Second Base
In baseball, a runner is deemed to be out when an opposing player tags them with the ball or when an opposing player steps on a base before the player can reach it in a force out situation. However, there is an exception due to dangerous plays at second base. The second baseman is allowed to attempt to tag the base without making contact. Players then take advantage of this rule and don't come close to touching the bag, giving them an unfair advantage. While this is now part of MLB rules, I believe that the bag should be touched in order to record the out.
Traveling
The inspiration for this entry in my series of the 10 Worst Things in Sports series was traveling in the NBA, one of the most frequently broken rules in all of sports. Although a player is allowed only two steps after picking up their dribble, at times we've seen players get away with three, four, five, six, seven, and even eight steps. Just watch above to see what I mean. You'll be able to see Scorum's own Timofey Mozgov in this clip!
Exceptions for Players or in Tense Situations
The term "let the players decide the game" has become a staple in championship contests and impactful games. Instead of calling a routine foul, a referee will withhold the penalty due to the significance this penalty will have on the game. If it's a foul, it's a foul -- CALL IT!
The same can be applied to star players who are given the benefit of the doubt. Some would argue that they have earned this right, but Michael Jordan's push off should have been called regardless of who was pushing Bryon Russell. We would've missed one of the greatest plays in NBA history, but a foul is a foul, and they should be applied consistently.
Summary
I am nothing if not an advocate for clear-cut rules that can be and are consistently enforced, but that's just me. What do you think? Were rules made to be broken or should there be exceptions and are mistakes just as much a part of the games as the fouls themselves?
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