The 10 Worst Rules In Sports

When you first learn a sport, you have to be taught the rules. Over time, these rules become ingrained in your mind and conforming to them becomes second nature, but there are, in fact, many rules throughout sports which should be questioned, and even changed. Rule changes very rarely happen in sports because they are so historic and traditional, but there are some dumb rules which make the sport frustrating and less enjoyable both for players and the fans. Some of these strange rules give an unfair advantage, some slow the game down and others are just plain weird.

10. 30 Minutes of Extra Time – Soccer

In soccer matches where a winner must be determined, they will play two 15 minute periods of extra time, and if no winner is determined by this point, it will go to penalties. Players train and are used to playing for 90 minutes, so to play an extra third seems excessive, but also dangerous. The quality of football is particularly low in the second half of extra time, as the players are exhausted and often suffer from cramp or an injury, meaning the play becomes very sloppy and any goal in this period is, 90% of the time, from a mistake rather than skill. In addition, the extra half an hour is unfair for the fans, as many have long journeys ahead of them and these types of games are usually held in the evening. The rule should be changed to one 15 minute extra time session instead.