Semi-OT: What sports would you fix?
I was reading an article on Yahoo Sports about MLB attendance problems and how it might not just be the horrible weather. Writer offers some solutions. I'm not a big baseball fan, but I enjoy sports. I know many people feel that college athletes should be paid, but if you could enact 3 changes/rules to any sport, what would they be?
Not necessarily sport-specific, but I would love for ESPN to adopt something similar to the "crystal ball" rankings when it comes to their on air talent. I'll admit, I don't watch or read ESPN much anymore, but I'd love to see an SEC shill make a prediction, then see underneath his name and obscure accomplishments, a stat that he is only correct on 24% of his predictions.
Also, of interest to Detroit sports fans. I was born in Detroit, and raised in DC so my sports loyalties outside of the Wings and Wolverines are very casual. Great article on why sports should have more fair weather fans as a way to force competency by owners for those interested.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/05/in-praise-of-fair-weather-fandom/556841/
April 17th, 2018 at 10:08 PM ^
1) Restart the game clock when the ball is spotted after an incomplete pass (just as they have been doing with the ball going out of bounds) until the last few minutes of each half.
[Increased passing, especially incomplete passes, is a big reason for games going longer than the used to, and games fluctuating so much in length (run versus pass)]
2) Eliminate the score/commercial/kickoff/commercial interruptions.
3) Eliminate the 3 minute commercial breaks,
4) [Instead], on each stoppage for instant replay, try to limit the total stoppage to 90 seconds. The replay booth/center has 60-75 seconds has to overturn the call or let it stand.
TV, immediately go to 60 seconds of commericals BEFORE showing replays. Come back, give TV 10 seconds or so to show viewers whatever relavant footage there may be and explain it, and get on with the game.
Showing us replays from various angles over and over before the officials make a decision is really a meaningless waste of time.
5) Similartly, 60 second commercial on an official time-out for injury.
6) Reward the defense for a goal line stand by giving the ball to their offense with better field position (to 20 or 25 yard line; or make any failure on 4th down in the red zone a 15 yard penalty & loss of down from the spot (LOS or spot of the kick).
April 17th, 2018 at 10:17 PM ^
Baseball:
3 balls for a walk
Allow non-pitchers who have been out at least three innings re-enter the game.
College:
Northern teams play a summer schedule, with its own tournament before Labor Day.
MLB
Shorter, Split season: divison winners of both halves receive byes
April 17th, 2018 at 10:49 PM ^
I want more offense in the NHL. I only have two ideas for making that happen as im not smart enough to come up with a third im not Scotty Bowman
Make the goalie equipment smaller and the nets bigger .
April 17th, 2018 at 10:54 PM ^
I'd love for them to figure out a way to make the puck more visible (that the players didn't whine about),
April 18th, 2018 at 11:56 AM ^
you weren't a fan of the Foxtrax glow puck?
http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/01/foxtrax_glowing…
I didn't mind it so much if I was watching at a bar, at home/? not much of a fan.
April 17th, 2018 at 11:06 PM ^
Coach's timeouts don't bother me. The chance to gather and strategize a last shot, etc. is an important part of the game,
It's the fouling/free throw parade that really slows things down.
Maybe change the rule to:
in the final minutes-
BONUS: team fouled can take the choice of shooting OR taking the ball out.
+BONUS: team fouled takes the shots AND takes the ball out
Switch to a 15 second shot clock in the last few minutes of the game.