Just when you think you know everything about your favorite sport, you get blindsided by an unusual or obscure ruling that you had never heard of. After you argue with fellow sports addicts on social media, you swallow your pride and admit, “Perhaps I’m not as smart as I thought.”
It’s really no big deal. It happens to all of us sports fans. In fact, we’ve got three obscure sports rules that we’re positive you didn’t even know existed. Continue reading to discover whether we actually know our sports or if we’re just bluffing!
Baseball: The Fair Ball That Lands Foul
If your a huge baseball fan, you’re probably aware that a batted ball that hits either first or third base and darts foul is still considered a fair ball, despite the fact that most of the bag is in foul territory. It’s an odd rule but one we can easily wrap our brains around.
However, did you know that if a ball hit up the middle strikes the pitching rubber and bounces foul, it’s a dead ball? As long as the ball remains untouched, the ball will be ruled foul. It seems as if these two rules should be flip-flopped.
Football: Fair Catch Field Goal Attempt
When a receiving player calls for a fair catch of a punt or kickoff, he is entitled to catch the ball with no interference from the kicking team. He is also not permitted to make a football move after securing the ball. After a fair catch is called, the referee places the ball on the field and the offense jogs onto the field to start the ensuing drive.
But that’s not the team’s only option. Rather than taking a snap, the team can decide to kick a field goal from the spot of the catch. There is no required snap of the ball and the defense must remain 10 yards from the spot of the kick.
Hockey: Pulled Goalie in Overtime
Hockey has gone through several changes over the years in order to maintain relevance among the four major American sports. Rather than solely relying on wins and losses, the NHL awards points—two for a win and one for extending the game to overtime. No points are awarded for a loss.
However, there is a way a team can receive zero points even if they make it into overtime. If a team pulls its goalie in order to gain a man advantage during overtime and ends up losing the game, they will not be awarded the one point for an overtime loss. If a team removes their goalie but wins the game, they still earn the two points.