If you speak to most sports fans, you can be certain that most of them will have a lot
of respect for the concept of tradition. This can present itself in many ways: team
nicknames, colors, style of play, retired jerseys, and many other assorted milestones
of a team’s history. Of course, there are also traditions of how games are played.
And when changes are introduced, not all fans welcome them.
You can take, for example, the recent changes in MLB, such as the introduction of
the pitch clock and infield shift ban. Baseball authorities wanted these rule changes
to speed up the pace of the game (pitch clock) and potentially increase batting
averages and scoring (infield shift ban). They weren’t too controversial in the grand
scheme of things, but some fans believe that they shouldn’t mess with the formula
that’s made the game popular throughout its history.
How long is a baseball game?
Yet, it’s worth noting that nearly all sports are in a constant state of evolution, and
very few of them are first incarnations. Again, consider the most traditional of sports,
baseball. If you were asked to describe the length of a game traditionally, you would
probably confirm how many innings in a baseball game there are. That’s almost
engrained in fans’ minds as tradition. Yet, the first rules of the game had no innings:
the game was decided by the first team scoring 21 runs – known as “aces.” There
were other rules formulated for the New York Knickerbockers (baseball’s earliest
formalized rules system) in 1845, including no foul balls or strikes.
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Baseball, of course, is certainly not alone in this respect. One of the most famous
rules of the early days of basketball was the fact that no dribbling was allowed. Even
rules like the 3-point line are relatively modern. In soccer, it took a while for standard
rules like offside to be introduced. Red and yellow cards were first used in the 1970
World Cup – over 100 years after the standard rules of soccer were formalized.
Most rule changes are evolutionary, not revolutionary
Obviously, in most cases it becomes a case of evolution, not revolution. Mostly, it will
feel like tinkering: Soccer bosses aren’t going to suddenly introduce a rule to let the
players pick the ball up with their hands and throw it in the net. Yet, fans can still
grumble when the perception is that the traditions of the game they love are
changing.
Broadly speaking, most changes are made for two reasons – player safety and
perceived improvement of entertainment. The former is difficult to argue with. In
football, for instance, we are learning more and more about concussions and other
long-term health outcomes due to collisions. Rule changes that protect players are
usually welcomed by fans. As for entertainment (the pitch clock is an example of
that), well, that can get a little more contentious.
You might argue there is a third reason for rule changes – fairness. This can get a
little bit messy. In top-level soccer, there have been numerous rule changes over
recent years, including new definitions for offside and handball. The rules are often
unclear to such an extent that officials can struggle to explain them after in-game
incidents. One obvious takeaway is that fans want clarity, and they protest when
sports officials don’t deliver that.
None of this means that fans should accept rule changes, and it’s clear that they
don’t always work. Back in 1994, the NBA had a three-season experiment with a
shortened 3-point line. It simply didn’t work in the way the NBA hoped, leading to
awkward shot selections from players. Yet, most changes, at least when given a little
time, become part and parcel of the game. They become, in fact, new traditions.
