rules Page 1 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
NBA to test 'one free throw' rule in summer leagues
The NBA will test the "one free throw" rule during the upcoming summer leagues, the league announced Thursday.,Any foul that would typically result in one, two or three free throws under standard NBA rules will instead result in a single free-throw attempt worth one, two or three points.,Standard NB...
Browns ask NFL to allow draft-pick trades up to 5 years out
The Cleveland Browns, who have won one playoff game in 27 years since re-entering the NFL, are lobbying for more wiggle room when making trades with an eye toward the future.,A proposal submitted by the Browns asks the league to permit the trading of draft picks up to five years in the future. The c...
UFL adding 4-point field goals, bans punts inside 50
Four-point field goals and a ban of the "tush push" are among the rules changes implemented by the United Football League for the 2026 season.,A field goal of 60 yards or longer will be worth four points when the spring league kicks off on March 27.,The "tush push" play popularized by the NFL's Phil...
CFL announces field, rules changes that align closer with NFL
The Canadian Football League on Monday unveiled a two-year plan to introduce dramatic changes to the rules and dimensions of the sport.,The more drastic changes are reserved for 2027, and they'll result in the Canadian game looking more like American football. Goalposts will be moved to the back of ...
Big 12 punishes officiating crew for rules violation
The Big 12 Conference reprimanded an officiating crew Tuesday for a gaffe in Missouri's weekend win over Kansas.,The rules violation occurred following a first-quarter touchdown by Missouri, when the Tigers were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. After Kansas blocked the extra-point try followin...
Masters resets rules for qualifying criteria that better align with the Open
Augusta National Golf Club announced Tuesday that winners of six national opens will earn invitations to the Masters starting in 2026.,The Scottish Open, Spanish Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open, Australian Open and South African Open will see their winners awarded with a Masters invitation.,The ann...
NCAA rule change would permit direct payment to athletes
In a major move that would allow schools to start directly paying their athletes, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors proposed deleting 153 rules from its handbook as part of nine potential legislative changes at a Monday meeting.,The proposals are pending approval of the $2.8 billion House settl...
Every shot counts: LIV announces big scoring change
LIV Golf announced a major scoring change Wednesday on the eve of its season-opening tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,For the first time in the circuit's history, every player's score in every round will count toward his team's total score.,Last season, the best three scores were taken in the fir...
F1 drivers to face fines, bans for swearing, political statements
Stricter policies for 2025 mean Formula One drivers could face hefty fines, suspensions and even championship points deductions for such indiscretions as swearing or making political statements.,The FIA, the sport's governing body, published new guidelines for stewards in Appendix B of the 2025 Inte...
MLS announces multiple changes to roster rules
Major League Soccer announced three "substantial" changes to its roster rules on Thursday.,The modifications go into effect during the current secondary transfer window.,"The new roster rules open the door for clubs to sign additional world-class players and more emerging stars, while also providing...
Lions violate offseason contact rule, forfeit one OTA practice
The Detroit Lions will lose one OTA practice after the NFL and the players' union found they violated rules governing physical contact in the offseason.,The Lions announced Friday night that their practice scheduled for next Monday had been forfeited.,"On Friday evening the organization was made awa...
Looking back at the best and worst of 2020’s pandemic-inspired rule changes in each sport
Sports have looked a little different this year, and that’s not entirely a bad thing. Across the board, sports have had to adapt to this pandemic-induced state of “normal” that we find ourselves in. Some leagues left their sport alone, while others took the opportunity to throw some spice into the r...
It’s Not a Real Season, So Don’t Lose Your Mud About Rule Changes
MLB and its players finally came to an agreement this afternoon, ending one of the more tedious and frustrating processes in modern sports history....
Washington Dealt Unsportsmanlike Conduct Penalty For Attempted Camouflage
No. 25 Washington tried something a little bit too cool at home against No. 12 Oregon Saturday afternoon. On a kickoff return after Oregon scored, Washington stashed purple-clad wide receiver Chico McClatcher in the end zone, where he laid down on the field in an attempt to blend in with the purple ...
Why NFL Officiating Is Such A Shitshow Right Now
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the NFL is having officiating problems. This year’s crop of rules controversies has a little bit of everything, from inscrutable procedures and points of emphasis that seem to change on a whim to inexperience within the ranks to the role of technology and the...
As Expected, The NFL's Pass Interference Replay Rule Has Been A Huge Mess
What you see above looks like a textbook pass interference penalty. Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones pretty clearly hooked the arm of Giants wideout Golden Tate before the ball arrived. No flag was thrown. Yet even after Giants head coach Pat Shurmur challenged the non-call—as the rules permit coa...
The NBA's Traveling Rule Tweak Doesn't Fix Its Real Traveling Problem
The NBA Board of Governors tweaked the rule book last week in order to, among other things, “help eliminate the gap between the [traveling] rule as written and how it has been applied in NBA games,” according to a summary distributed by the league. The tweak defines the concept of the gather, which ...
Referee Clock Boner Very Nearly Screws Saints In Monday Night Thriller
Monday night’s Texans-Saints game ended with two incredible late drives and a dramatic walk-off 58-yard field goal to put the home team over the top, 30–28. However you feel about the Saints and their fans, one positive takeaway from their victory is it managed to wipe out a pretty significant refer...
Annoying, Obscure Rule Punishes Cool Play, Puts Winning Run Across For Athletics
An obscure and confusing rule sent the game-winning run across for the Athletics in their 9–8 win over the Kansas City Royals Thursday afternoon. I hate this rule. It punishes the defense for making a cool play when a thing that baseball can’t possibly want to discourage right now is cool plays....
Making Pass Interference Reviewable Isn't Going To Make It Any Clearer
The play above was flagged. If you didn’t watch—and, dear reader, I sincerely hope you had something better to do last night than watch a Bengals-Skins preseason game into the fourth quarter—can you guess what the call was? Can you guess which player was flagged? More to the point, can you guess wha...