What sport has the most confusing rules?

1. 66

   Stickyponyposted 11 years ago

   What sport has the most confusing rules?
   
   I would say american football, I never seen something so confusing! what do you think?

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2. 59

   IDONOposted 11 years ago

   You would think, but have you ever seen a P.G.A. golf rule book? Yes, golf. It is nuts. And there are rules for things that you and me couldn'y possibly think of.  It's a very old game so I guess that would explain some of that. Just for fun, look it up. A lot of the rules will actually crack you up.

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3. 89

   adjkp25posted 11 years ago

   I would go with American football.  I don't have a problem following it but I do admit some rules are a bit weird.  A good example is that an offense can only have a certain amount of players on the line of scrimmage, the others have to be a step back; does that extra foot or two really make that much of a difference?
   
   My wife is no fan of the game but I have a hard time explaining some rules to her because they are confusing.

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4. 62

   Bozoplayposted 11 years ago

   Hands down it is golf. The rule writers need to look at basic common sense and understand that not everyone is a scratch golfer. There needs to be a rule book written for the majority of golfers which are weekend duffers. Two pages would be long enough and most of it would say just move your ball to help speed of play and make the game safer. No point in hitting in the trees and breaking clubs. No one can really understand a Scotsmen when he speaks English, so it is no wonder the rules of golf are so messed up.

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5. 69

   gsidleyposted 11 years ago

   As an Englishman, I find American Football impossible to fathom. I may have had a different view if I had grown up with it as a popular national sport. In the same vein, I would suspect that the rules of cricket are confusing to the uninitiated; understanding the LBW (Leg Before Wicket) laws on their own is a major challenge. And then there is the Duckworth-Lewis method of calculating who has won a rain-affected game, where only Pythagoras possesses the mathematical skills to come up with the right answer!

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   1. 69

      Gina145posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not convinced that the Duckworth-Lewis method itself knows the right answer.  Sometimes the targets it comes up with seem to make no sense at all.

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6. 70

   juneaukidposted 11 years ago

   Cricket! I tried to watch a cricket match in Dublin Ireland but could not make heads nor tails of it.

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7. 70

   multiculturalsoulposted 11 years ago

   American baseball can be confusing at times but nothing like American football. I compiled my gripes and confusions into a Hub recently to better instruct the American football-challenged:
   
   http://multiculturalsoul.hubpages.com/h … wers-Guide
   
   I have been watching American football since 1967, and though I understand most things, some rules and penalties seem ironic, counterproductive, and illogical. That's the NFL (No Fun League) for you.

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8. 72

   simondixieposted 11 years ago

   American football....I agree with Stickpony....I've never seen anything so confusing either.

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9. 70

   Donnacha Cposted 11 years ago

   cricket: without doubt is one of the most complicated sport out there

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10. 57

    NotPCposted 11 years ago

    Australian Rules Football is way more confusing than American Football... or perhaps Australian Footie. Both are crazy confusing!

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11. 60

    point2makeposted 11 years ago

    I think basketball would be my choice...I can never seem to understand the travelling rule. On the highlights you often see players running many steps before dunking and the travelling rule doesn't seem to apply. Goaltending and giving fouls are other areas that I find confusing about basketball.

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    1. 89

       adjkp25posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Don't feel bad, the refs don't understand traveling either.

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12. 77

    teaches12345posted 11 years ago

    I agree.  Football is so interesting, but the rules are confusing.  I enjoy watching it but still am not sure of what "first in ten" means, etc.  And then they change some ruling every season -- why?

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13. 57

    josephbarrettposted 11 years ago

    I also thinks in the same way about football. I am agree with you because in my opinoin, american football is the most confusing game.

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14. 58

    Critical Thinker1posted 11 years ago

    I think the answer to this question depends on the person answering. As a lifelong hockey fan I am still unclear about many of the rules and the continuous rule changes but I understand the sport, its objectives, strategies, basic structure. Rule changes don't affect the fundamentals of the sport so they don't make hockey any more or less confusing for me. If you understand the essence of the game rules make sense, but if you are learning the sport mainly by looking at rules you'll have a harder time. Constant rules changes also create confusion.
    Cricket is the most confusing sport for me (I know nothing about the game itself).

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15. 79

    nanderson500posted 10 years ago

    Probably (American) football, even though it's my favorite sport. It has a dizzying array of rules, some of which are more than a bit quirky. There are so many rules that even the referees seem to have trouble keeping them straight.

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16. 52

    Eric dickensposted 8 years ago

    It is the worst sport I ever seen. It is the boringest sport I ever seen

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17. 59

    ryan-cdposted 7 years ago

    I agree with others here, for me its American Football.

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18. 50

    Yogitech207posted 4 years ago

    Cricket is for sure the most complicated and confusing game for me. DLS rule should be abolished and match ruined due to rain should be called off or rescheduled.

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