Mercy rule
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A mercy rule, also well known by the slightly less polite term slaughter rule (or, less commonly, knockout rule and skunk rule), brings a sports event to an early end when one team has a very large and presumably insurmountable lead over the other team. The mercy rule is most common in games such as baseball or softball, where there is no game clock and play could theoretically continue forever, although it is also used in sports such as hockey, football, and soccer. It is very rare in competitive sports beyond the high school level.
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[edit] Usage details
The rules vary widely, depending on the level of competition, but nearly all youth leagues and high school sports associations, and many college sports associations have mercy rules for sports including baseball, softball, football (though not college) and soccer. It is common in video game simulations of sports because it helps move the game along.
However, it should be noted that mercy rules usually do not take effect until a prescribed point in the game (e.g., the second half of a football game). That means one team, particularly if they are decidedly better than a weaker opponent, can still "run up the score" before the rule takes effect. For instance, in (American) football, one team could be ahead by 70 points with three minutes left in the first half; in baseball, the better team could have a 20-run lead in the second inning, but the game would continue.
[edit] Baseball and softball
In international baseball competitions sanctioned by the IBAF, including Olympic competition, games are currently ended when one team is ahead by 10 runs, once at least seven completed innings are played by the trailing team. In women's competition, the same applies after five innings.[1]
In its inaugural tournament in 2006, the World Baseball Classic (WBC) followed the IBAF mercy rule, with an additional rule stopping a game after five innings when a team is ahead by at least 15 runs.[2] The mercy rules applied to the round-robin matches only, and not to the Semi-Finals or Final.
In Little League baseball, rules usually call for the game to end if the winning team is ahead by 17 runs after five innings. In some leagues, this margin may be as little as eight.
Softball rules are different for fast/modified fast pitch and slow pitch. In ISF-sanctioned competitions, the run ahead rule is, for fast or modified fast pitch, 21 runs after three innings, 15 after four, or 7 after 5[3]. In slow pitch, the margin is 20 runs after four innings or 15 after five.
In NCAA and NAIA college baseball, the game will end if a team is ahead by at least 10 runs after seven innings in a scheduled 9-inning game, or five innings in a scheduled 7-inning game.
Due to the untimed nature of innings, some leagues impose caps on the number of runs that can be scored in one inning, usually in the 4-8 range. This ensures that games will complete in a reasonable length of time, but it can also mean that a lead of a certain size becomes insurmountable due to the cap.
[edit] American football
At the middle or high school level, the mercy rule may involve a "continuous clock" – that is, the clock continues to operate on most plays when the clock would normally stop, such as an incomplete pass – once a team has a certain lead (e.g., 35 points) during the second half. Under the rules, the clock stops as usual during such events as a touchdown or injury time out, and reverts to normal timing procedures once the lead falls below the prescribed amount.
In some states, the rules call for a game to end when one team is ahead by a certain score (e.g., 45 or 50 points) in the second half.
Another variant in some states with the "continuous clock" rule allows coaches and game officials to choose to end a game at their own discretion any time during the second half, especially if a lopsided margin continues to increase or threatening weather strikes.
[edit] Rugby
A typical mercy rule used in amateur rugby matches means that the game is stopped if one team leads by a set number of points (usually 50, though each league has its own rules). The rule might be applied immediately, or at the end of the first half.
Cited examples:
- From sportingpulse.com: "The North Sydney Junior League has extended the mercy rule to include our competitive grades U/9 to U/12's. The game will stop once a differential of 50 points is reached in these grades commencing on Saturday 7th May 2005." [1]
- From gmaa.ca: "Mercy Rule - if there is a 30 pt. difference in a game, the mercy rule will be enforced and the score for that game shall read 30-0." [2]
[edit] Soccer and hockey
In some amateur competitions, the winning margin usually is somewhere from 5-10 goals. This can be applied immediately, in the second half or with a specified number of minutes of play remaining.[citation needed]
[edit] Amateur wrestling
See Technical Fall.
[edit] Ultimate (Frisbee)
In WDFD League Ultimate, the mercy rule is 17 points with a 2 point lead. If the score difference is less than 2 points then a cap to 19 points is applied.
[edit] Amateur boxing
If a boxer trails by more than 20 points, the referee stops the fight and the boxer that is leading automatically wins; bouts which end this way may be noted as "RSC" (referee stopped contest) with notations for an outclassed opponent (RSCO), outscored opponent (RSCOS), injury (RSCI) or head injury (RSCH).
[edit] Madden NFL
It is a unwritten rule that when a player is ahead by 21 or more points in any point of the game the game is considered over. This is referred to as "House Rules"
[edit] References
- ^ International Baseball Federation (2008). IBAF Official Competitions Technical/Organisational Norms - Valid only for 2008. Rule C7.8, "Run difference Rule". Accessed on 2008-03-13.
- ^ World Baseball Classic, Inc. 2006 World Baseball Classic: FAQ. Accessed on 2008-03-13.
- ^ International Softball Federation Playing Rules Committee. Official Rules of Softball (Revised 2005). Rule 5, Sec. 5, "Run Ahead Rule". Accessed on 2008-03-13.
