Major (or minor) changes that you would make to different sports

[albionmoonlight]

Thread title is self-explanatory.

At some point, things will come back to normal.

Pretend that you were made the Czar of a sport (or sports). Pretend further that the disruption caused by COVID-19 put you in a sort of Constitutional Convention role where you got to reevaluate the thing from the ground up make whatever changes you wanted, no matter how big or small, and they would be enacted when things restart.

What changes would you make?

[tarcone]

Raise the pitching mound back to 1968 height

Go to a 3-2 count

Have minimum dimensions for new construction of stadiums to eliminate the band box stadiums

One foot in the batters box after each pitch. No stepping out with both feet

Invest in the sport itself. Expand youth leagues. Provide free tickets to children under 12.

End blackouts in markets with teams

Baseball is my choice of sports, if you didnt figure that out

[weegeebored]

1. No more replays except for scoring plays. In theory, having replay should make the results more accurate overall. They don't. Over time, the wrong calls will balance out anyway, so why slow games down.
2. Hold officials accountable. Seriously accountable, including fines, suspensions, and termination for poor performance.
3. No coaches' challenges. Not needed if officials are competent.
4. Full-time officials only. Pay them well, and make them want to keep their job. (See #2)
5. An ultra-secure electronic strike zone. Even if umpires are competent, the strike zones need more consistency.
6. Move the 3-point line back at least a foot. Some shooters make 3-point shots more often than I can make a layup.

There's probably more, but these were what popped into my head first.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by weegeebored

[list=1][*]No more replays except for scoring plays. In theory, having replay should make the results more accurate overall. They don't. Over time, the wrong calls will balance out anyway, so why slow games down.

I agree with most of yours. I am cool with this particular one only if it is accompanied by this one. Any player, coach, administrator or owner who comments negatively about an official's call in any way, shape or form will be immediately suspended for 50% of their season and fined 50% of the annual salary. Any fan who heckles a official will be give a five year ban from attending any live sports for a first offense and will get a lifetime ban for a second offense.

[Vegas Vic]

Get rid of the designated hitter in the American League.

[SirFozzie]

Basketball: Widen the court, and extend the three point line to be a uniform distance all the way across the arc.

No replay challenges on "who touched ball last". Just takes too long to determine.

All timeouts with less then 5:00 to play are automatically :30 timeouts.

Football:
Use the XFL rules for two things: 1) Ball spotter judge, 2) replay announcer descrives their decision audibly. Pass Interference cannot be challenged

Soccer: VAR checks to be limited to 90 seconds. Standard for reversal is "CLEAR AND OBVIOUS ERROR", not "his left pinkie toe was offside"

Hockey: Make icing the puck a two minute penalty. (maybe).

Baseball: Electronic strike zones only (uniform) home plate umpire only judges check swings and plays at the plate. Remove the limit on pitching changes and batters faced, but strictly enforce the one foot in the batters box rule.

[Breeze]

I like all the baseball ones. I'd love to see the stolen base become more of a factor...maybe limit pick off moves - that might facilitate running games.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Soccer: VAR checks to be limited to 90 seconds. Standard for reversal is "CLEAR AND OBVIOUS ERROR", not "his left pinkie toe was offside"

Technically, his pinkie toe is offside is a clear and obvious error. You aren't just a little offside, just like you aren't a little pregnant - so any offside on review makes it clear and obvious that it is offside. The issue with the EPL review is that where the pause of play is on the video may not be the proper time when the ball is played - so perhaps having a solid line may not be the most accurate way to go, but if you do have the line then clear and obvious is clear and obvious.

[RainMaker]

Baseball

1) No mound visits.
2) Once a batter is in the box for an at-bat, he's in. Pitcher can throw as soon as he wants.
3) Robot home plate umps
4) No instant replay in regular season
5) Lower mound
6) Move fences back

Goal would be more balls in play but not all just home runs. Three true outcome baseball is boring.

[RainMaker]

Basketball

1) No instant replay
2) Move to international goaltending rules
3) Shooting foul gives you 1 free throw worth 2 points (or 3). And 1 automatically gives you the point. Goal is to speed up the most boring aspect of the game.
4) Shorten regular season to 66 games
5) Shorten first round to 5 game series
6) Expand court so 3-point line is uniform. Also move back 3-point line

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Have minimum dimensions for new construction of stadiums to eliminate the band box stadiums

That actually exists - though maybe you want a change in what's on the books - 325 to the foul poles & 400 to center.

A few teams in the past couple decades have negotiated some tradeoffs however, detailed in this 2012 article

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

=
3) Shooting foul gives you 1 free throw worth 2 points (or 3). And 1 automatically gives you the point. Goal is to speed up the most boring aspect of the game.

I love this.

Heck, I'd say that you could even make it that a shooting foul is one point and the ball back. Get rid of free throws altogether.

[Galaril]

Baseball I like all the ones Rainmaker mentioned and have pitch clock for pitchers.

[ColtCrazy]

I would love to see the CFL rules of the rouge and the no fair catch punt in the NFL. I think the rouges are very strategic. I also would like to see some of the defensive passing rules loosened to try to push the game back more to a balanced run/pass game.
In basketball, I would agree that the 3pt line needs to be uniform. I would also use the international lane dimensions and goaltending rule.

[AlexB]

Football - no VAR, retrospective bans for diving/feigning injury
Football - relaxation of penalties for the defense when hitting the QB

[larrymcg421]

Make draft positions start from the middle and go outwards. This takes care of tanking. For example, in a league of 32 teams, the 16 and 17 seeds get the best draft odds, then 15 and 18, then 14 and 19, and so on until the best and worst teams get the worst odds.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Baseball

1) No mound visits.
2) Once a batter is in the box for an at-bat, he's in. Pitcher can throw as soon as he wants.
3) Robot home plate umps
4) No instant replay in regular season
5) Lower mound
6) Move fences back

Goal would be more balls in play but not all just home runs. Three true outcome baseball is boring.

The reason why people loved home runs back in the day was because they didn't happen often. When everyone or half the line up is a home run threat, they lose their appeal and novelty.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Make draft positions start from the middle and go outwards. This takes care of tanking. For example, in a league of 32 teams, the 16 and 17 seeds get the best draft odds, then 15 and 18, then 14 and 19, and so on until the best and worst teams get the worst odds.

I agree with this in basketball, I am not sure it is a big factor in football. The teams are pretty balanced in many ways. Outside of the suck for Luck, which backfired in the long run, how many times have NFL teams truly tanked. Too often the top pick is a bit of a crap shoot, unlike hockey or basketball where the top player is pretty clearly the top player. Even there, you get some stinkers.

[ISiddiqui]

Soccer:
- Limit VAR checks to 90 seconds. If at 90 seconds no decision can be made, call on the field stands. Get rid of the offsides computer generated line as those are not as accurate as claimed.
- Allow for head injury subs, to be approved by independent medical personnel, to check for concussion
- An "orange card" which is for fouls on the border of a yellow/red, which count as a yellow for the current game, but act as a red for the following match (you miss the next game automatically, but can stay on for the current match unless you get another yellow/orange card)
- retroactive cards for clear dives (there are plenty of 'dives' where the player is nicked on the foot/leg so aren't really dives) - and they should be orange cards

[CU Tiger]

College sports
All players are free to go pro right out of high school.
If you go to college its 4 years. Period.
Only 1 Transfer only after 2 years.

[ISiddiqui]

What if they fail out?

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

What if they fail out?

4 years after high school they are eligible to play pro ball.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

College sports
All players are free to go pro right out of high school.
If you go to college its 4 years. Period.
Only 1 Transfer only after 2 years.

Why are any restrictions needed? What's wrong with 'one and done' or multiple transfers?

[ISiddiqui]

Would you be amenable to 3 years, to not penalize those who get their degrees a year early?

[britrock88]

Limiting myself to 3 ideas per big-5 sport, beyond the overarching idea that replay stinks...

Baseball: goals are for a faster game with more balls in play.
1) unjuice the ball
2) legalize sign-stealing
3) only one pitching change during a half-inning except in case of injury

Basketball: goals are for more continuous play, more freedom of movement, and tighter end-games.
1) lower the personal foul limit by 1 (4 NCAA/5 NBA)
2) expand the restricted area
3) in the last 5 minutes, all fouls leading to FTs instead award 1 point and the ball
[In a dream world, would also expand the court, expand the 3-point line, and raise the rims in the NBA.]

Football: goals are for more continuous play and fewer special teams plays.
1) limited substitutions between scrimmage plays
2) replace XPs (with mandatory 2-point conversions) and kickoffs (with the 4th-and-15 concept)
3) no timeouts; coaches' challenges governed by point/yardage penalties

Hockey: pretty close to perfect.

Soccer: goals are to reduce timewasting outside the run of play and reduce exaggeration.
1) end the running clock and time matches at 30 minutes per half of active play
2) common fouls in the penalty box result in a free-kick at the top of the arc
3) add two more referees in the field of play (to increase accuracy) and emphasize penalizing with cards for diving

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Why are any restrictions needed? What's wrong with 'one and done' or multiple transfers?

It's my rule, ok.
lol
My intent is to improve college sports. I don't care largely about pro sports, I like college. So I'm an all in or all out guy.
Besides when you start multiple transfer you make a mockery of the student part.
I want college players who want a degree. If you dont care about the student part I want an option for you to go straight pro if you'd like.

I'd be agreeable to a 3 year exception if the player has graduated.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

That actually exists - though maybe you want a change in what's on the books - 325 to the foul poles & 400 to center.

A few teams in the past couple decades have negotiated some tradeoffs however, detailed in this 2012 article

On the same topic, there was an interesting thread on Reddit of people posting baseball fields with weird dimensions and quirks. Mixed in with photos of baseball fields being used for other purposes. Hundreds of photos here.

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