Bad Rules In Sports

Second only to soccer, basketball is my favorite sport. It has an excitement about it that I just can't get enough of; especially during playoff season. Yet, each and every time I watch a game, I wind up yelling at the TV with such annoyance at some of the rules, that I walk right up to the edge of shutting it off. (I never do though.) There are at least three bad rules, maybe more, that should be done away with or changed in the sport of basketball.

Timeouts - One of my biggest problems with basketball is when and how timeouts are allowed to be called. Timeouts are a tool used in sports to discuss strategy, or even come up with new ones late in the game. They are also used to settle the team down after a period of poor play or high intensity play, and finally they are used to give the team a breather, when they may be tired. But, being able to use the timeout as an escape route pisses me off to no end. Here are a few examples:

When any basketball player has the ball, he will obviously be defended, and if he picks up his dribble or gets out of control, often times he will be double teamed. This is what is known as "trapping". The two defensive players will force the man with the ball into a corner of the court, effectively forcing the player into a small box, in which he usually cannot escape from. Basketball rules have allowed this trapped player to call a timeout in order to get out of his new found predicament.

This is absolutely ridiculous! There is no reason that the player with the ball should be able to call a timeout to prevent himself from losing the ball. If you are backed into a corner, and can't do anything about it...tough luck! That means the other team is better than you. They have defended you to the point that they deserve to get the ball back. To be able to stop the entire game, because he isn't as good as the opposing team is asinine! It is a BAD rule.

Similarly, when the ball is loose and heading out of bounds a basketball player is allowed to jump for it, and as soon as he gets it, can call a timeout in midair before falling out of bounds. Again, if the player is not good enough to save the ball by throwing it to a teammate, he should not be saved by a stoppage of game. This too, is a BAD rule.

My last beef with timeouts has to do with the placement of the ball. After a basket is made, a team may call a timeout. Upon returning to the play of game, the ball is placed at half court rather than at the end of the court where the play last ended. This saves at least three seconds of time on that oh-so-precious clock. A timeout is a stoppage of clock, not an advancement of position. The place of an inbound should never be affected by a timeout. Also a BAD rule.

Timeouts should be reserved for times when complete possession is had by the player with the ball. For instance, when the play is dead, a timeout is appropriate. In between free throws...appropriate. I will even go as far to say that as long as the player has full possession of the ball and a 3-5ft buffer zone around him, he can call a timeout. He should never be able to use a timeout as an escape from good defense!

Defensive 3-Seconds - I'm not quite sure when this rule was put into effect, but it is ridiculous to think that on defense, a player has restrictions on where he can be on the court. I don't really like it, but I can understand the offensive 3-second rule; but to give a free shot to the other team just because a player stands in the paint defending another player is just stupid. Chances are that the rule was created to promote higher scoring games, and increase viewership, but that should not be a cause for a new rule. Defenders should have free reign of their half of the court with no restrictions at all. This is a BAD rule.

Restricted Area - Another relatively new rule to the game of basketball deals with taking a charge in the restricted area under the hoop. It is now illegal to take a charge if a player is within the restricted area. There may be a valid reason for this rule, but I cannot find it. It seems similar to the defensive 3-second rule by putting yet another restriction on the defender. If the player gets in front of the offender, and is able to otherwise legally take the charge, he should get the call! Giving the foul in favor of the offensive player, and often times a basket, should not happen. The restricted area is a BAD rule.

Reviews - I know that sports should be as fair as possible, and the technology has allowed increased scrutiny to various aspects of the game, but I just don't like it. The objectivity of the referees is fading fast. A referee is there to oversee all aspects of the game. They decide whether a shot is worth three points or two, whether a shot was released before the buzzer, and how hard or flagrant a foul may be. Now, after any one of these incidents is even close the referees will turn to the computers and make sure they got the call right. Its good to be right, but its also good to keep the game flowing, and the objectivity of the referees is just something the players and coaches should have to live with. If they want to take the objectivity out of the game, then each and every foul, shot, and violation should be reviewed. Allowing reviews with the use of technology in basketball is a BAD rule.