Frustrated sports fans get a chance to sound off on what they would change | Rob Oller
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Truth be told, fans are treated like the bumper sticker of sports: You protest, take up for your cause and provide outrageous punditry, but mostly you are just along for the ride.
You pay the freight, but where real change is wanted and needed, your voice has little impact among the movers and shakers. Among the suits and power brokers. Among the rules makers and lords of sports. Owners control 51% of sports, TV networks 39% and athletes 10%.
Until now, that is. For the next several hundred words, you – the fan – gain 100% control. Like Elon Musk, I turned to Twitter with a question: “You can change one thing about sports. It can be anything, but only one thing.” Unlike Musk, I asked that you keep it clean and halfway intelligent.
The responses came fast and sometimes furious, but also genuine, funny and, for the most part, sincere. Clearly, you have bright ideas. Clearly, you care. Clearly, (some of) you should be owning teams and running leagues.
A sampling:
“The money” @carp68.
Uh, does that mean there should be more of it?
“Oh, Rob” @carp68.
“You have to be touched to be down in college football, just like the NFL.” @osumab
It’s a little thing, but why not? The argument that college rules should be more strict than the NFL does not hold water, or why would college receivers need to keep only one foot inbounds?
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“No warm-up pitches in baseball. You warm up in the bullpen. Why do you need 10 more on the field? No other sport does this.” @nrajag
I’m guessing pitchers would argue they need to see the actual framing of a catcher’s mitt on the actual diamond during the actual game. But Tom Brady would laugh at that. Dude tosses to the ball boy on the sidelines.
“Get rid of instant replay and appeals of calls.” @JerryBuckeye
A Twitter follower after my own heart.
“Play the Super Bowl on Saturday.” @Zinger_Jeremiah
And related…
“College football national championship game played on Saturday.” @ChipMinnich
And …
“Super Bowl, NCAA championship game, final four championship games ALL on Saturday.” @RonLewand
“Salary cap and minimum spend cap in baseball. Similar to hockey.” @DeathCabfrWoody
“Having to pay to watch out of market games” @KBray960
And similarly…
“Blackouts.” @bluskabucknut
“This is admittedly trivial: Naming rights to stadiums and arenas. Long list of horrible names, Value City Arena among them.” @NPCatNBC
I’ll call your Value City and raise you Crypto.com Arena.
“Nick Saban give up his day job and live out his dream of becoming a Mercedes dealership tycoon.” @rtoth15
No doubt he would break car sales records.
“Parents being idiotic at AAU basketball, Little League baseball games and other youth sporting events. #BeKindToTheRefsAndUmps” @jkellybrown
Amen!
“8-team playoff in college football.” @billboardguy72
Why stop there?
“Angel Hernandez.” @KOMalley1204
Someone is not a fan of the oft-criticized baseball umpire.
“If your golf ball is in a divot, you can move your golf ball out of the divot without penalty.” @MRuffing12
You mean, no longer only when your playing partner isn’t looking?
“Bring back true amateurism in college sports.” @jerrycanterbury
There is NIL chance of that happening.
“(Place a) Chip in football to address the line of scrimmage and touchdowns.” @scottduda
Does that mean Roger Goodell is the Terminator?
“Stop free agency so players stay with their teams. MLB is becoming non-existent because you can’t follow who is on what team.” @JohnRoby22
“Uniformity of rules (and enforcement) across all FBS P5 FB conferences.” @OHWildBill
But that would require cooperation. Hahahaha.
“Sportsmanship” @jasocarso
Hope that ship has not already sunk.
“Preening.” @DaveShedloski
Let me strike a pose while responding to this.
“If a defensive player in football causes an injury timeout he must sit out the entire next offensive series.” @TimNej
That’s known as getting a timeout for causing a timeout.
“In hockey: Get rid of the coinciding and offsetting minor penalty that goes with an embellishment call. Either it is embellishment or it isn’t.” @jshecket
Them’s fighting words. Or maybe not?
“High-profile violent crimes. I feel like professional sports would be so much more fulfilling to watch when there isn’t a new must-see-TV star committing alleged domestic violence every week.” @ChrisYingling2
The next one coming up in 3…2…1…
“More affordable” @jillrock12
It costs $20 to park that idea here.
“(Bob) Costas can’t call Yankees games.” @mattjborges
Or any games?
“Every sport played on grass should up the stakes by having sheep & goats randomly roaming around on the field during the game.” @mbatcheck
I would pay to watch that.
"Heckling in tennis and golf during serves, swings, etc should be allowed." @ohiostatescott
I wouldn't pay to watch that.
“Coaches' salaries. Top it at top professor pay.” @BrewdoodCMH
As you can see, fans have some fantastic ideas. And some silly ones. But that is different from the current rules-makers how?
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sports fans sound off about what they would change about sports
