What changes would you make if you were the Sports Czar for a day?

[Colo Springs E]

You have unlimited powers, no one can check you. Here are a few for me:

1, (NFL) Eliminate or greatly reduce Thursday night games. I think it's dangerous for players, the quality of play suffers and as much as I love football, I don't need it all the time. Leave me wanting more, not getting tired of too much. Keep Thanksgiving obviously, and maybe one or two more. Make it to where the teams who are playing in the Thursday game, had a bye the week before to ensure rest and recovery.
2, (NFL) Change pass interference to where it's not so punitive to defense. Max of 15 or 20 yards, not unlimited yardage like it is today. Along those lines, allow for some touching and back-n-forth that doesn't significantly interfere with the receiver's ability to catch the ball. And throw the flag on the offense just as you would on the defense.
3, (NFL and College) Ease up on taunting penalties. If a guy REALLY gets in someone's face, carries it way over the line, etc, okay, hit them with a flag and/or toss them depending on the severity. A little bit of smack talk? C'mon, the game is supposed to be fun, let them have fun.
4, (NBA) Make home court advantage more of an advantage. Seven game series, the higher seed gets FIVE home games to the lower seed's two. If home court is a significant advantage, maybe teams will try harder for it in regular season by not sitting guys so much, "load management" etc.
5, (NFL) Don't reward terrible teams with number one pick. Use a lottery or something like the NBA does, but do something to discourage teams from tanking. How about among all non-playoff teams, the first pick goes to the team among them with the BEST record, not the worst?

I've got others too!

What say ye, Sports Czars??

 

[basher]

MLB: No more designated hitters in either league. Specialization is for insects.

 

[swervinbob]

MLB- Go back to allowing pitchers to police the game by flattening hitters who stare at their homeruns and flip their bats. Flip a bat with Pedro, Gibson, Ryan, etc on the mound and see what happens.

 

[Tele-beeb]

I’d make a new rule that in most cases… both teams could lose.
That would encourage more vigorous play and competition, thereby making games more exciting!

 

[Kev-wilson]

A different sport of course but I'd remove V.A.R and goal line technology from Association football for evermore...

 

[buster poser]

NFL: Dismantle the league and restart it with new principals. No helmets, no pads.

MLB: Halve and +1 the regular season to 82 games, expand the playoffs.

 

[Buckaroo65]

Golf: give everyone a shotgun. When your opponent tees off, you try to shoot his ball. If you hit it, he has to take another swing.

 

[telleutelleme]

Baseball - the rest are trivial.

No Zombie players in extra innings.
No commercial breaks longer than 30 seconds. They can get the messages across and it will shorten the game better than player time-outs which is part of the game.
Lower the mound.
Keep umpires and lets get some dirt kicking on shoes. Let the play stand as called; including horrible strikes and balls.
Maybe make the First baseman's glove something other than a cyclops hand, although it helps Guriel a lot. Maybe I can live with it.
Wanna lessen fossil fuel production, quit making bobble heads.
Quit checking the pitchers hat and hands, Phil Niekro is somewhere laughing.
Bring back the Astros Bucket of Beer, stuff was bad but it was cheap and a lot of it.

 

[tele12]

Move the NFL start to mid-October, putting the SuperBowl in late March.

 

[Vibroluxer]

Make it mandatory to break your bat over your helmet or leg each time you strike out, ala Bo Jackson. It can be a long game and that little bit of entertainment is something I could look forward to as the Pirates lose again.

 

[Colo Springs E]

MLB- Go back to allowing pitchers to police the game by flattening hitters who stare at their homeruns and flip their bats. Flip a bat with Pedro, Gibson, Ryan, etc on the mound and see what happens.

LOL man we're on opposite sides on this. Hit me with a pitch? How bout I crank on your melon with my Lville Slugger? Screw these prima donna snowflake pitchers. Hit by pitch should advance batter to 2nd base.

 

[swervinbob]

Make it mandatory to break your bat over your helmet or leg each time you strike out, ala Bo Jackson. It can be a long game and that little bit of entertainment is something I could look forward to as the Pirates lose again.

As much as guys strike out these days, there would be no forests left.

 

[danielreid27]

Weaponize the UFC... True Gladiators !

 

[swervinbob]

LOL man we're on opposite sides on this. Hit me with a pitch? How bout I crank on your melon with my Lville Slugger? Screw these prima donna snowflake pitchers. Hit by pitch should advance batter to 2nd base.

Lol. Hit your homerun, run the bases, then go celebrate with your teammates. Don’t stand and watch it, and don’t flip your bat. Maybe I’m just getting older and more old school, but respect the game.

 

[MikeBee]

NFL- Send the Pro Bowlers back to Hawaii. Eliminate the game. Rent pads and jersey to rabid fans. Give them opportunity to receive hand off or pass and get lit up by defender.

 

[swervinbob]

NFL- Send the Pro Bowlers back to Hawaii. Eliminate the game. Rent pads and jersey to rabid fans. Give them opportunity to receive hand off or pass and get lit up by defender.

Starting this year they are having a week of skills competitions and a flag football game. No more Pro Bowl “Game”

 

[schmee]

NFL: Get rid of a ton of the nonsensical penalties.
-Who cares if the Offense moves prior to hiking the ball? WHO CARES? Let them run around in circles if they want (other than the center) Heck they could dance a figure 8 in tutu's as far as I'm concerned.
-Illegal man down field? WHO CARES? Why do they have this penalty at all?
-Pass interference. Get the players hands off each other! As far as what I see nearly EVERY play is currently pass interference. Way too many game changing plays happen right now with bad PI calls. Make it easy ; "you touched him before the pass" Guilty as charged.
-Penalties: more than 2 in a game and that player is out of the game. Constant holding the way it is now.
-"Leading with the helmet/personal foul". Right now, as a runner/ball carrier you can lower your head and bean the defender if you want. Yet a defender cant hit a runner even marginally anywhere near the head or neck. What's the difference if this is for player protection?
- They've went way too far with the "blind side block" rule. Yesterday a O line guy pasted a defender that was running right at him, face to face, and got called for a "blind side block". I dont get it?
-Ditto for "block in the back". Block in the back used to be just that. now you can be running toward a guy from the side/front, hit him on the shoulder and you're guilty! It's effin football!
-They need a guy in the booth observing all penalty calls. (just like they do in college games for targeting) he pushes a button if review needed.
Don't get me started....

Later:
I do like the college rules, one foot down is a catch. Two feet down is more dangerous.
I also think to make a touchdown you need to touch the endzone, (ball or body holding the ball) not wave a ball over it.

Makes no sense: wave a ball over a pilon and it's a TD.... even if you drop the ball when you hit the ground.
Catch a ball inbounds but drop it when you fall is not a catch... HUH? Dangerous rule forcing players to put their body at risk to hold the ball.

 

[schmee]

Baseball: Get rid of the home plate ump calling balls and strikes. Use technology. No brainer.
I specifically dont watch baseball due to the ludicris home plate umps and their huge egos. One guy will call strikes 8" outside the plate, the next guy wont.
None of them call strikes across the torso now although the rule is the armpits right? If it ain't belt line or lower, it's not a strike now days.
Baseball: replay is necessary. A whole season can change with a bad call.

 

[Vibroluxer]

NFL: Get rid of a ton of the nonsensical penalties.
-Who cares if the Offense moves prior to hiking the ball? WHO CARES? Let them run around in circles if they want (other than the center) Heck they could dance a figure 8 in tutu's as far as I'm concerned.
-Illegal man down field? WHO CARES? Why do they have this penalty at all?
-Pass interference. Get the players hands off each other! As far as what I see nearly EVERY play is currently pass interference.
-Penalties: more than 2 in a game and that player is out of the game.
-"Leading with the helmet/personal foul". Right now, as a runner/ball carrier you can lower your head and bean the defender if you want. Yet a defender cant hit a runner even marginally anywhere near the head or neck. What's the difference if this is for player protection?
- They've went way too far with the "blind side block" rule. Yesterday a O line guy pasted a defender that was running right at him, face to face, and got called for a "blind side block". I dont get it?
-Ditto for "block in the back". Block in the back used to be just that. now you can be running toward a guy from the side/front, hit him on the shoulder and you're guilty! It's effin football!
Don't get me started....

Get started, I agree with everything you said.

 

[Texicaster]

Baseball would be played with a basketball.

Football would be played with a baseball

Basketball would be played with a football.

Hockey would be ....oh who cares about hockey!