Perhaps I should have named this series of posts, "Unspoken Conventions". We take many things for granted, and sometimes it's interesting to just pause for a bit and think about why things are the way they are. Last time I discussed Holidays and Restroom etiquette. Today, the topic is sports.
This topic is of particular interest to me because it is one in which there are clear rulebooks and "laws" governing player and referee behavior. Theoretically, you could expect to see basketball played in America and basketball played in Taiwan to look roughly the same, as the rulebooks are essentially the same. (minor things like the shape of the paint and distance of the 3-point line aside) However, the game is played very differently, and it can't simply be explained by average player physique. There are clear expectations and understandings about what is fair play, and what's not acceptable. Playing pick-up 3-on-3 basketball in the States can be incredibly physical and heated, and you can expect to leave a game somewhat bruised here and there. In my experience, people don't really bother calling fouls unless it's a hard foul, or if it's just too obvious. 3-on-3 in Taiwan *can* be like that as well, depending on who you're playing with, but in general, you see a lot more passing, accurate perimeter shooting, and a significantly lower threshold needed to call a shooting foul.
Norms can be incredibly different between sports as well. I'm not speaking of things like reactions to physical contact - for example, hockey players are notoriously rough and generally have a high tolerance for cheap shots taken against them, as retaliatory penalties can be called more often than not, and a recipient of a cheap shot often just picks his ass up off the ground and keeps skating, even if the hit or slash might have technically been a penalty. On the other hand, professional soccer is notorious for its diving players. I'd argue that this is largely due to the fact that technically, there isn't supposed to be *any* non-incidental physical contact between players, so it's easy to take advantage of even accidental contact in an attempt to draw a penalty.
Rather, I'm speaking of things that you're just "used to seeing" in a sport that might not really make sense once you stop and think about it.
For example, in American NFL football, taking a knee and running down the clock is typical behavior for the leading team in the final minutes of the game. That, in of itself, is not particularly odd. NBA Basketball teams have a strong incentive to do this as well if they're up with a few minutes left. However, there is a significant difference in terms of the expected response from the defending team.
In basketball, so long as the lead is not completely insurmountable (ex: 20 point lead with a minute left to play), the losing team almost always fouls to stop the clock. This rarely works, but they do it anyway, because the norm is that you play until it's over.
Here, Tracy McGrady of the Rockets puts up 13 points in 35 seconds, completing a ridiculous comeback and winning the game. It's rare, of course, but the possibility exists.
The team with the lead also *expects* the losing team to foul, and as such adapts by making sure its best free-throw shooters are fouled to limit the effectiveness of the strategy. Teams don't complain about this; it's just the way the game is played nowadays. On the other hand, strategies like "hack-a-Shaq" in which teams intentionally foul a bad free throw shooter are highly discouraged, but still technically legal.
In contrast, in the NFL you can see situations like that outlined here:
Keep in mind that Tampa Bay was 7 points - one potential scoring play - behind New York, but New York had the football. If Tampa successfully stole the football and completed a touchdown and conversion, it could tie or even win the game. Unlikely, but possible. I wouldn't be using this example if the spread was say, 9 points (two scoring plays needed, which would be impossible with the remaining time). When the play started, the Tampa players rushed forward, and the New York players and broadcasters were a bit pissed off at that. Why?
Tampa had broken an unspoken sportsmanship norm in NFL football - they attempted to stop the opposing quarterback from ending the play and running out the clock. Normally, when it's clear that the quarterback plans on doing so, the defending team is "supposed" to admit defeat and let the quarterback end the play. Tampa continued to play seriously, and in fact nearly managed to steal the ball. All this was entirely legal under the rules of the game. Teams don't rush a quarterback "taking a knee", but they actually aren't *required* to just stand around and let him do it.
Since 1978, taking a knee has become the accepted and expected move in such circumstances. But for it to work, the defending team has to play along and let the offensive team run out the clock. What's "sportsmanlike" play, and what's "cheap"? In most circumstances, we praise the idea of playing and fighting until the end, against all odds, and that it's never over until it's actually over. We denigrate those whom we view as giving up too early, but at the same time there's an unstated line that you're not supposed to cross. For example, when attacked, soldiers are supposed to hold territory unless given clear orders to retreat. We mythologize those fight to the bitter end - just think of how America holds onto "The Alamo" story, paying its respect to those who fought until death against overwhelming odds. Yet at the same time, Japanese troops in WWII were viewed as fanatics (by Americans, at least) because very few of them surrendered, choosing instead to commit suicidal attacks.
If someone doesn't follow football regularly, I could imagine them being quite surprised that "taking a knee" is standard. They could rightfully expect a team down one play to do their best to take the ball back, until the final whistle is blown. After all, in soccer, fans regularly boo goalkeepers who (legally) hold onto the ball for "too long", slowing down the play intentionally. It's because you're "supposed" to allow the other team a reasonable chance, and using the rulebook to your advantage is viewed as classless.
All this is to say that even with formal rules, there is still a lot of room for social negotiation regarding the conventions of play, and it's fascinating to think about how these come about. We have these in StarCraft as well - many "rules" have trickled down from the professional scene to the point where those playing casually know that you're supposed to say "gl hf" (good luck, have fun) at the beginning of the game, and say "gg" (good game) when you lose. You're also supposed to admit defeat and leave the game once you realize the game is over, rather than force your opponent to eliminate you by destroying all your buildings. SKT's Fantasy is, of course, the posterchild for violating the unspoken social norm for "gg timing".
So, dear readers, what social norms/conventions have you observed in sports and games that aren't actually outlined in the rules? Stuff that "you're just supposed to do" (or *not* supposed to do)? Off the top of my head...
Running up the score - generally viewed as unacceptable in most sports, but highly encouraged in war - one of the stated American goals in WWII was to do so much damage to Germany's military and civilian populace that they wouldn't dare to start another war ever again. Technically, there's no rule against this in any sport that I know of.
Spawn camping - part of any respawning FPS game, but highly discouraged.
EDIT: Some good additions from my loyal readers!
corpuscle: also, to be more relevant, there's a lot of charging and travel that goes uncalled in the NBA on dunks, which I strongly suspect refs are intentionally told to ignore so that there's more ESPN-worthy highlights
iTzSnypah: Golf - You don't step over/in another persons putting line, you go around. Actually there is ALOT of ones pertaining to golf. Monopoly - You skip the auction rule. Thus creating stupidly long games.
Scarecrow: Another one I remember seeing in soccer is that a team might kick the ball out of bounds if there's a bad injury to either side. Then the opposing side throws them the ball back to them. MMA - Touch gloves at beginning/ hug/shake hands afterwards.
Just as a little side-note, Greg Schiano (Tampa's head coach) was actually known in college football for having his line knife for the QB when the game's "over" when he was head coach at Rutgers, so it's hard for me to feel sorry for the Giants just because they didn't do their homework. If you watch the o-line in that clip, none of them really make any attempt to actually drive forward or set themselves, they clearly were expecting the defense to just give up, which is sort of silly.
Anyway, I guess it depends on the sport, but in football, most of the "unspoken rules" come from concerns for player safety, as far as I can tell. I remember watching a game a couple years back where the team that was up by a wide margin went for a really risky deep route and the receiver got hit so hard that he ended up on IR; it was completely unnecessary and it ended up hurting the winning team. As long as you have a comfortable lead, in a game like football, it's in your own interests to let off the pedal and just run the ball and take a knee. I don't really think sportsmanship has anything to do with it; the Patriots used to put Vinny Testaverde in at the end of blowout games for the sole purpose of letting him pad his career records, and nobody really cared.
Also, there's a lot of rules that players blatantly ignore with little to no consequence, because it's part of the "culture" and refs don't call it. When there's a fumble and a large pile fighting for the ball, for example, players will jump in after the play's over, which is blatantly illegal (it's a personal foul since it's contact after the whistle), but you will NEVER see it get called. Technically, once someone is down with possession of the football, the play's over and you're supposed to get up, but the way it's accepted to work in the NFL is that there's a big pile where everyone is doing the most horribly painful things possible to each other and whoever has gotten the ball after the refs rip everybody off wins.
edit: also, to be more relevant, there's a lot of charging and travel that goes uncalled in the NBA on dunks, which I strongly suspect refs are intentionally told to ignore so that there's more ESPN-worthy highlights
Golf - You don't step over/in another persons putting line, you go around. Actually there is ALOT of ones pertaining to golf. Monopoly - You skip the auction rule. Thus creating stupidly long games. MMA - Touch gloves at beginning/ hug/shake hands afterwards.
edit: also, to be more relevant, there's a lot of charging and travel that goes uncalled in the NBA on dunks, which I strongly suspect refs are intentionally told to ignore so that there's more ESPN-worthy highlights
YES, Its beyond annoying when they take 3/4 steps without dribbling then dunk. I'm always like WTF call that.
Another one I remember seeing in soccer is that a team might kick the ball out of bounds if there's a bad injury to either side. Then the opposing side throws them the ball back to them.
Whoa....this is a great read :> I can't think of anything really to add to this, but dang all of that's so true. All of those unspoken rules and whatnot, established not only for sports but also for many larger things as well. Hm
I can think of one for tennis which is not aiming to hit the other guy with the ball, becasue if it hits him its ur point instantly, even if he returns it. Like u hit it to his face, it hits his head bouces off and goes over ur net. Still ur point casue he touched the ball with something that wasnt a racket. People dont just go aiming to hit peoples legs arms stomach etc.
It's known 3 plyon walling maps on ladder is unacceptable.
It serves no purpose. The ladder points that you gain will only force you to play players that are significantly better than you while you're still light-years behind them. Still technically legal(because blizzard doesn't like how neutral supply depots look).
Thanks for the feedback guys, I added some to the OP.
Something I should note though, is that I'm not really talking about things that are technically legal under the rulebook, but essentially illegal due to safety concerns. For example, in the tennis example above by Shock710, there's a pretty clear reason for why you shouldn't aim the ball at someone's face (though you can't really write it explicitly in the rulebook, since the potential for abuse is too high), whereas in the NFL example in the OP, there's theoretically nothing different being done on the play that doesn't ordinarily happen during a game. An unnecessary play is a bit different from a play with intent to injure. If you can rush the quarterback at any other time in the game, why can't you do it in that particular situation, if the potential still exists to score?
corpuscle makes a good point in that some of the reasons for which we do things is for entertainment. Refs are inclined to let a lot of stuff slide in the NBA, particularly when it comes to superstars, because people would rather see Lebron pull off some ridiculous dunk rather than get called for a questionable travel, and I can't really blame them.
There's a very clear example of the social norms you're talking about in cricket. In cricket, just like in baseball, the batter (who is not facing the next pitch) is allowed to steal a run. Unlike in baseball, this batter stands right next to the pitcher so, unlike in baseball, the run-out can be almost instantaneous. There is no time wasted as the pitcher throws the ball to the first base. If the pitcher sees the batter outside of his safe-zone before he throws the ball, it's almost 100% out. Added to that, in cricket you only get 10 outs (not the 30 or so you get in baseball) so each out is way more important. Even with all that, the batter moves out of his crease on almost every single pitch and the pitcher would basically never attempt to run-out the batter since that is considered unsportsmanlike. In fact, the only time the pitcher does anything is if the batter starts stealing egregious amounts of space and then the pitcher would hold on to the ball and pretend to run the batter-out without actually completing the run out, so as to give the batter a warning. I think in the fifteen years I've watched cricket, I've seen batters run out when stealing a run maybe twice, and without fail in both instances the pitcher got boo-ed by the crowd and criticised by everyone else.
Here's an example from a video (the only one I could find which is from somewhere in the 1980s). Notice how the crowd boos the pitcher even though he gave the batter three warnings previously.
Curling - both teams shake hands before and after the game and say something along the lines of "good curling" or "good luck". After, the game the winning team buys the losing team a round of drinks, if the teams stay after the game long enough the losing team buys the winning team the second round of drinks, This is a social norm I'm happy to be a part of hahaha. Also with no official officials calling things on the ice. Players are expected to call themselves if they break the rules, not the other team. I guess thats why its called a gentleman's sport.
If you think about badminton there are many unspoken rules:
- raise your hand when you're not ready to let your opponent know you're not.
- apology if you hit the net with the bird but it still passes - the opponent is mislead because the speed at which the bird was launch is not the speed of travel on the opponent's side.
- apology if you hit the bird badly with your raquette (don't know how to say it in proper english soz) which often ends up in a free point for you because of speed again : you see a big hit but the bird comes slowy and sometimes in a weird direction.
- in mix double women always serve before their teammate, and thus are always positioned in consequences.
- don't brag. But this one is different, it is well establish in professional play but depending on where you play as an amateur it is not (it exists in Europe, but with my current experience in Canada it doesn't.)
- for all level, when a game is over you go at the net and say "thx" or "gg" but i guess it is the same for tennis in this matter.
Good read, there are definitely a lot of these unspoken rules in professional sports that we notice as a viewer, and I bet there are a ton more in the games that players know and follow without the general public taking notice.
There's one in football (soccer if you will) that pops in my mind. Say the referee(s) didn't see a nasty foul. If a player is badly injured and stays down on the field for a reasonable amount of time, usually the team with the possession just kicks the ball out of bounds to stop the play. After the injury is sorted out, the team with the throw-in is expected to return the possession by kicking a deep ball into the opposite end with no intention to score (no strikers will chase it).
in snooker if you dont call out your own fouls, oh my god the shitstorm ;p
or in football, if someone is injured to stop play the team is expected to kick the ball off the pitch rather than use the 1 man advantage. then the opposition is expect to give the ball back once play is resumed. teams are considered pretty much the lowest of the low if they fail to do this.
Tennis - the way you serve is pretty much set in stone, but there have been players who abused it, serving from below and other shenanigans. There's a limited amount of times you can try to serve and bounce the ball in between before you have to, some players, i.e. Djokovic, really take their time hoping to unnerve their opponents. Hurting your opponent is a big no-no.
In baseball, pitchers tend to let the batters get set before they throw a pitch.
I know, most times the batter has a foot outside the box, but not always, and even when they're finally in, the batter always looks ready before the pitch is thrown.
On October 04 2012 02:47 ChrisXIV wrote: Tennis - the way you serve is pretty much set in stone, but there have been players who abused it, serving from below and other shenanigans. There's a limited amount of times you can try to serve and bounce the ball in between before you have to, some players, i.e. Djokovic, really take their time hoping to unnerve their opponents. Hurting your opponent is a big no-no.
In tournaments there are set limits on time allowed between points and they are short enough that I don't think most people would see them as annoying if you took the full time. In my experience at least, those strange serving techniques aren't really very effective in the long run though if you practice them enough you can steal a few points off your opponent. I think most pros would see time spent on practicing trick serves as wasted as opposed to upsetting other people. As far as hurting your opponent goes, I've only seen this as a problem in mixed doubles where it's wrong to overhead the girl on the other team. Besides these most players will raise their hand apologetically if they hit a shot that bounces off the top of the net for an impossible to return winner. I'm sure there's one or two that we haven't mentioned too.
Here's an obvious one, in hockey if both players take their gloves off the refs usually let them fight 'till either one is winning or it goes to the ground. There are certain exceptions, but still it's pretty absurd as fighting is illegal but they let it go most of the time then just give a penalty.
There are lots of norms in baseball regarding how players are supposed to interact with the umpires, who can make the game a lot harder for a player if feeling disrespected. For example when a hitter reacts strongly and negatively as the result of a call the ump made, the ump will either be harsher or more lenient for that hitter's next at bat depending on whether or not he felt he was obviously right or possibly wrong.
Another interesting norm I've noticed in baseball is that any time a catcher gets hit by an errant pitch, the ump will take a walk out to the pitchers mound, exchange a few words with the pitcher, and then return to his place behind the plate; this is I think to give the catcher a few seconds to collect himself after getting hit so hard. Usually the harder the catcher gets hit, the slower the ump walks to and from the mound.
Also, very few players slide cleats out these days. Similarly, I notice fewer and fewer base-runners attempting to steam roll the catcher during a play at the plate.
IIRC, the reason why running a play on a kneel down is generally considered "unsportsmanlike" is because the risk of causing an injury on that specific play is generally considered inordinately higher than the (average) benefit gained from surprising the opposing team. Of course, you could argue that the reason why the injury risk is so high is because its the general norm for the defense not to run a play in said situation.
In addition, it seems to me that making a play in football is also inherently more dangerous to the athletes than in most other sports on average (its not surprising to see 4-5 players injured over the course of a game), so its not that the injury risk is rather trivial.
EPT
