The 2023 MLB regular season is almost upon us! It wouldn’t surprise me if some of you are less enthusiastic than others or are just completely indifferent about it, especially since general viewership has decreased over the past three decades with fan attendance sharply decreasing whether it be due to weather, costs, personal income relative to cost-of-living, ballpark accessibility, COVID, or the real time and emotional commitment it takes to sit through a game. Commissioner Rob Manfred has been well aware of this issue & obviously wants to grow professional baseball to continue to make more money. So, the joint Competition Committee, which was created according to the recently negotiated MLB-MLBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement & is comprised of six MLB representatives, four players, & one umpire, approved three rule changes this past October to make the game more attractive to fans by increasing the game’s pace of play and the action on the field. These rules are technically in place now during Spring Training, but these rule changes along with a couple other operational adjustments will be on full display come the regular season.
Read MoreDuring this interim period where the NFL season ends and the MLB season begins, many sports fans are left with a void that basketball, hockey, and miscellaneous televised athletic events themselves cannot fill, and although a lot of the U.S. does not even have its golf courses open for the season, the PGA 2018-2019 season has been well under way. We can focus more on the televised golf tournaments each weekend now, and y’all may have noticed some things seemed different, even if you could not quite identify what it was. Well, you are right on because A LOT of changes went into effect on January 1, 2019 - eight pages worth of summarized changes, to be exact - and those are only what the USGA and the R&A believe to be the major rule changes after a wide-ranging, collaborative review process taking into account golfers’, rules experts’, and administrators’s views from across the globe.
Read MoreWe are just days away from the NCAA Men's Basketball regular season starting up! In that spirit, let's review the rule changes the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee and the Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved that will be incorporated into the 2017-2018 rules book.
All in all, there are 26 changes being integrated that can, in essence, be sorted into one of four types of rule changes: (1) Uniformity, (2) Clarification, (3) Game Flow-Related, or (4) Fairness. Some you may have heard news of back in June when they were agreed upon, but some may be completely new to your eyes and ears. Regardless, these changes and their respective "legislative purpose" (i.e., intent) can be fresh in your mind when you bust out your fan gear & cheer on your team!
Read MoreCome hither, ye fans of the university sports, for we can rejoice over the arrival of college basketball season!
The NCAA approved a series of compelling changes to the NCAA Men's Basketball rule book during the off-season to spice things up a bit. Back in June, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel gave the green light on proposals and officiating focus areas with three identifiable goals in mind: (1) to improve the pace of play, (2) create a better balance of offense and defense, and (3) to "reduce the physicality in the sport." Do not fret over these changes, anxious basketball junkies. In case you need a refresher or just completely missed the memo, below is a summary of the significant rule changes and their legal gravity.
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