September 1, 2004
More coaching opportunities & silly rules
By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist
A few weeks ago we told you about some rules changes that will impact high school sports this fall. Many
of them are good but one, in particular, was a giant step forward.
During a timeout a football coach may now bring the 11 players on the field to the sideline and talk not
only to them, but to any other players, as well. If the coach goes onto the field to talk to the team in a
huddle, he is still limited to just the 11 players in the game.
This gives a coach the chance to coach all of his players, rather than just those on the field. He can teach
the substitutes what needs to be done so that they will be prepared when they get into the game.
Strangely, there are rules in sports that limit coaching.
In high school golf, a coach cannot talk to his/her players once the match has begun. What is the point of
that? What harm would be done if a coach could ride around in a golf cart and offer a suggestion to a
player between shots? Why wouldn’t high school authorities want a young golfer to get as much
instruction as possible? The golfer, after all, still has to make the shots.
In a sport like cross country, it is obvious that a coach is pretty much out of the picture until the runners
approach the finish. In high school tennis, the players can confer with their coaches during changeovers.
This is a logical idea and brings up the next point.
Why not let a professional tennis player get input from his/her coach during the changeover? The coach
could sit right on the bench and talk with the player. If there is concern about the coach disrupting play
over a close call, allow the chair umpire to eject the coach. Instead, we are left with coaches flashing
signals from the stands and the players facing possible disciplinary action if they are caught receiving
those signals.
In football, lets stop the clock after every play during the final 10 seconds of the game. It would only add
two or three plays but it would eliminate seeing players shaking hands and leaving the field while the final
15 or so seconds tick off. That always seems wrong.
And lets not allow the first team to get the ball in an NFL overtime to score and win. Lets require that both
teams get the ball in overtime.
As long as we’re on the subject of rules changes, here are two that pertain to professional golf.
Why can’t the PGA players wear shorts? OK, there are players on that tour that none of us are too
anxious to see with naked legs. But lets give these guys the option of being comfortable. They allow
shorts on the LPGA Tour. The men deserve the same consideration.
Finally, the most ridiculous rule in sports is the one that requires a golfer to keep his own score, at the risk
of disqualification. It is 2004. There are five cameras following these golfers and at least that many officials
feeding every stroke into a master computer.
We all understand tradition and, if that is the reasoning behind keeping the rule, we can all identify with it.
But, if they make a mistake, fine them. Don’t disqualify them. Do you think a professional golfer will try to
cheat? Even if he was so inclined, he’d be crazy to try with all the watching eyes. To see a professional
golfer disqualified for accidentally signing an inaccurate scorecard harms the sport.
Any rules that you’d like to change?
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