Why do we have rules?

I was asked an interesting question last week.  "Why do we have rules in sports?"  It was even suggested as a topic for this space.  You can't say I don't listen to my readers!  Anyway...

I think the first reason is to make the game safe.  I know for a fact that most of the rules that have been implemented in football for the past several years have all been about making the game safer. 

I guess if you think about it, a lot of the rules for a long time have been to make the game safer.  Clipping.  Grabbing the facemask.  Late hit.  Cut blocking. 

Concussions are obviously the big issue right now.  We simply must make the game safer at all levels.  A lot of the major rule changes in the NFL are to address the concussion issue.  Moving the kickoff line forward (lots of injuries occur on kickoffs),big fines for shots to the head, those sorts of things.

Other NFL rule changes are also intended to make the game safer--making all chop blocks illegal and creating the horse collar rule.

Rules are also necessary to level the playing field, to make things fair.  Look at college athletics.  If there were not rules governing recruiting, the schools with the most money would always win.  They could put more resources into the process.

There would be no Western Michigan or Appalachian State in the bowl games like there are this year.

Athletes at most levels have limits on the amount of time that they can be required to practice.  Think about that one.  Without those rules, practices might go on and on.  Except for those few that play professional sports, most athletes are also in school. 

Now I'm not naive enough to believe for a minute that football players from Clemson or Alabama spent too much of their focus on their academics last week, but limits on the amount of time that a team can practice gives some balance to the student's life and allows some focus on the academic side.

Without rules our games would have no structure.  They would be chaos.

While I was an undergrad, we used to meet regularly to play a version of volleyball that we called "jungle volleyball."  Oh, the basic structure of the game was about the same but the rules that make volleyball fair and beautiful were largely ignored.   And yes, it was chaos at times.

Rules are necessary to make sure the game is the same in different locations.  Imagine a soccer team that passes really well and makes the best use of the entire field.  Now make that team play on a football field, which is certainly smaller than a regulation soccer field.  Is that quite fair?

Or a basketball team that is really tall and/or jumps really well.  Would it be fair for their opponent to raise the goals to 11 feet?

The bottom line is that rules are necessary to our sports.  Sure, there will always be those that stretch the rules, break the rules, or ignore the rules.  There should be consequences for those. 

Just like in life.