Change that make cents
The penny is the perfect metaphor for sports legislation that has overstayed its welcome: once a vital piece of currency, now a nuisance that slows down the transaction. Every major league, from the NBA to the NHL, clings to at least one rule that was written for a different era, a different style of play, and a different athlete. These regulations were often born out of fear or a need to curb specific behaviors that no longer exist, yet they remain in the rulebooks, stifling excitement, punishing skill, and confusing fans. By examining these obsolete rules we can see a clear path toward a modernized, streamlined future where the rulebook gets out of the way of the game.
The NBA: Defensive Three Seconds
Currently, a defensive player cannot stand in the paint (the key) for more than three seconds unless they are actively guarding an opponent (within arm’s length). If they do, it is a technical foul, resulting in one free throw and possession for the offense.
Why It Was Created (The "Penny" Era)
This rule was introduced (in its current form) in 2001. Before that, the NBA had "Illegal Defense" rules that essentially banned zone defense. You had to play man-to-man or hard double-team; you couldn't soft-zone or "float."
When the NBA finally allowed zone defense in 2001, they were terrified that massive centers (like Shaquille O'Neal) would just park themselves under the rim for 48 minutes, clogging the lane and ruining the exciting dunks and drives that fans loved. They added the Defensive Three-Second rule as a compromise: "Okay, you can play zone, but your center can't pitch a tent in the lane."
Why It Is Obsolete Now
The game has changed drastically in the last 20+ years, rendering the rule’s original purpose moot.
The Three-Point Revolution: In 2001, teams protected the paint because nobody shot threes like they do today. In the modern NBA, offenses want to space the floor. If a defense decides to park their center in the lane for 10 seconds, the offense will simply kick the ball out to the wide-open shooter that center is ignoring. The threat of the 3-point shot naturally pulls defenders out of the paint far more effectively than any referee's whistle ever could.
It Punishes Smart Defense: The rule essentially forces defenders to do a "two-step" dance—stepping out of the paint and back in—just to reset a referee's mental clock. It turns defensive positioning into a technicality rather than a tactical battle.
FIBA Doesn't Use It: International basketball (FIBA) has never had a defensive three-second rule. In the Olympics and EuroLeague, centers can camp in the lane all they want. The result? The games are largely viewed as more physical and tactical, and offenses are forced to be smarter with movement rather than relying on isolation plays where the refs clear the lane for them.
The Benefit of Removing It
Getting rid of the Defensive Three-Second rule would be the "removing the penny" moment for the NBA:
Simplified Officiating: It removes a subjective, hard-to-track call from the referees' plate. Fans hate seeing a game stopped for a technical foul because a center lingered in the paint for 3.1 seconds.
Pure Zone Defense: It would allow teams to run genuine zones without artificial restrictions.
Natural Spacing: It would trust the players' skill (shooting) to space the floor, rather than relying on legislation to do it.
Honorable Mention: Offensive Basket Interference
A runner-up for "obsolete" is the rule preventing players from touching the ball while it is bouncing on the rim (Cylinder Rule).
Why: In FIBA, once the ball touches the rim, it is fair game—offense or defense can swat it away or tap it in.
The NBA Rule: The NBA treats the invisible cylinder above the rim as sacred. This often leads to long video reviews to see if a finger grazed the ball while it was in the "cylinder," slowing down the game. Adopting the international rule would remove ambiguity and add excitement.
The NFL: Fumble Out of the End Zone
Currently, if an offensive player fumbles the ball into the opposing end zone and the ball goes out of bounds without being recovered by anyone, the result is a turnover. The defense gets the ball at their own 20-yard line (a touchback).
Why It Was Created (The "Penny" Era)
This rule is a holdover from the earliest days of gridiron football, which evolved directly from rugby. In rugby, you have to physically touch the ball down in the "try zone" to score. The end zone was viewed as a sacred, separate territory owned by the defense. If the ball entered that territory and "died" (went out of bounds) without a score, ancient logic dictated that the defense had successfully repelled the invasion and should take possession.
Why It Is Obsolete Now
In the modern NFL, this rule is widely considered the most inconsistent penalty in the sport.
Logical Inconsistency: If a player fumbles the ball at the 1-yard line and it rolls out of bounds at the 1-inch line, the offense keeps the ball. But if that same ball rolls six inches further and hits the pylon, the offense loses possession entirely. A matter of inches changes the outcome from "2nd and Goal" to "Turnover."
Disproportionate Punishment: The rule grants a turnover to a defense that did not recover the ball. In almost every other scenario in football, you must physically recover the ball to gain possession. Here, the defense is rewarded with the ball simply because the ground caused a fumble to go out of bounds in a specific rectangle of grass.
It Kills Drives: Fans tune in to see red-zone drama. This rule acts as a "bailout" for a defense that was likely about to give up points, ending an exciting drive on a technicality rather than a play.
The Benefit of Removing It
Treating an end zone fumble like any other forward fumble would fix the "glitch" in the rulebook:
Consistency: The rule should be the same as it is on the rest of the field: if you fumble forward out of bounds, the ball returns to the spot of the fumble (or the spot where the ball went out), and the offense retains possession (usually with a loss of down).
Reward Actual Defense: It forces the defense to actually recover the ball to get a turnover. If they can't jump on it, they shouldn't get it.
Maintains Drama: Instead of an anticlimactic change of possession, the offense would face a crucial "goal-to-go" situation, forcing them to execute under pressure.
Honorable Mention: The Two-Minute Warning
A runner-up for "obsolete" is the automatic timeout at the two-minute mark of each half.
Why: This rule originated in the era before stadium clocks were visible or official. The referee had to stop the game to tell the captains how much time was left.
Now: Every stadium has massive digital clocks synced to the millisecond. The rule is now kept almost exclusively to create an extra commercial break and give teams a free timeout, changing the strategic flow of the game artificially.
The MLB: Uncaught Third Strike
If a batter strikes out (swings and misses, or takes a called third strike) but the catcher fails to catch the ball cleanly before it hits the ground, the batter is not automatically out. He can try to run to first base. The defense must then throw him out or tag him, just as if he had hit a ground ball. (There are exceptions involving whether first base is occupied, adding to the confusion).
Why It Was Created (The "Penny" Era)
This rule dates back to the very dawn of baseball (the mid-1800s). Back then:
No Mitts: Catchers caught the ball barehanded or with tiny, unpadded gloves.
Positioning: Because they had no protection, catchers stood way back near the backstop, catching pitches on the bounce.
The Logic: Since the catcher wasn't catching the ball on the fly, the "out" wasn't considered complete until the defensive battery proved they could field the ball and execute a play. It treated a strikeout essentially like a fair ball that hadn't been caught yet.
Why It Is Obsolete Now
In the modern game, this rule makes zero sense.
Modern Equipment: Catchers now wear sophisticated armor and massive mitts, setting up directly behind the plate. They catch 100 mph fastballs with ease.
It Punishes Success: The pitcher has done their job perfectly (fooled the batter three times). The batter has failed perfectly (missed three times). Yet, due to a random wild pitch or a "cross-up" with the catcher, the batter gets a free chance to reach base.
Statistical Nightmare: It creates the bizarre anomaly where a pitcher can record four (or more) strikeouts in a single inning.
The Benefit of Removing It
Treating a strikeout as an instant "out"—regardless of whether the catcher holds onto it—would modernize the logic of the sport:
Clarity: Three strikes, you're out. Period. No looking around to see if the ball kicked away.
Safety: It eliminates the frantic scramble where a catcher dives into a runner's path or throws blindly down the first-base line, preventing weird collisions and injuries.
Fairness: It stops rewarding the batter for failure. If you strike out, you shouldn't get a base just because a slider hit the dirt.
Honorable Mention: The Check Swing
A runner-up for "obsolete" is the Check Swing judgment.
Why: There is actually no definition of a swing in the MLB rulebook. It is entirely up to the umpire's "feeling."
The Fix: With modern Hawk-Eye cameras and tracking technology, MLB could easily define a swing (e.g., "bat crosses the front plane of the plate" or "bat travels more than 45 degrees") and automate the call, removing the furious arguments over whether a batter "went around."
The MLS: Discovery Rights
The "Discovery Process" allows an MLS team to essentially call "dibs" on a player who is not currently in the league. By placing a player on their "Discovery List" (even if they have had zero contact with him), that team gains the exclusive right to sign him. If another MLS team actually recruits that player and wants to sign him, they must pay the team with the "Discovery Rights" a fee (usually $50,000 to $100,000 in General Allocation Money) to trade for those rights.
Why It Was Created (The "Penny" Era)
This rule was born in 1996 when MLS was a fragile startup league losing millions of dollars. The league operates as a "single entity" (all teams are owned by the league, and operators own shares).
The Fear: The league was terrified that two MLS teams would get into a bidding war for the same foreign player, driving up the price that the league itself ultimately had to pay.
The Solution: They created a system to ensure only one team could negotiate with a player at a time, keeping salaries artificially low.
Why It Is Obsolete Now
Today, MLS is a wealthy, stable league where franchise values average nearly $600 million. The "penny-pinching" logic of 1996 no longer applies to a league competing on the global stage.
It’s Embarrassing Globally: It creates scenarios where a team claims "Discovery Rights" on a global superstar everyone already knows (like Lionel Messi or Zlatan Ibrahimović) just to extract a ransom payment from the team the player actually wants to join. It makes the league look amateurish to European agents and players.
It Blocks Transfers: Often, a team will put a player on their list with no intention of signing them, just to block a rival. If the rival refuses to pay the "ransom," the player simply doesn't come to MLS at all. The league loses talent over petty internal bureaucracy.
The "Marco Reus" Problem: Recently, Charlotte FC held the "rights" to German star Marco Reus. Reus wanted to go to the LA Galaxy. The Galaxy had to pay Charlotte $400,000 just for the permission to sign a free agent.
The Benefit of Removing It
Abolishing Discovery Rights would be the "removing the penny" moment for MLS:
Global Legitimacy: It aligns MLS with the rest of the world. If you want a player, you negotiate with them. If they want to come to you, they come to you.
Player Agency: It respects the player's choice. If a star wants to live in Miami or Los Angeles, a team in a different city shouldn't be able to tax that transaction.
Encourages Ambition: It stops rewarding teams for squatting on lists and rewards teams that actually scout, recruit, and convince players to sign.
Honorable Mention: The SuperDraft
A runner-up for "obsolete" is the MLS SuperDraft.
Why: In the 90s, college soccer was the main pipeline for American talent.
Now: All the best young players now come through MLS Academies (homegrown players) or are signed directly from abroad at age 16-18. The draft has become largely irrelevant, with many teams passing on their picks or selecting players who never make the roster.
The NHL: The Trapezoid
Goaltenders are prohibited from playing the puck behind their own goal line unless they are inside the trapezoid-shaped area directly behind the net. If a goalie touches the puck in the corners behind the goal line (outside the trapezoid), they are assessed a minor penalty for Delay of Game.
Why It Was Created (The "Penny" Era)
This rule was introduced after the 2004-05 lockout specifically to target one man: Martin Brodeur.
The Context: In the late 90s and early 2000s, Brodeur (and others like Marty Turco) were so good at handling the puck that they acted like a third defenseman. They would retrieve every dump-in and fire it back out of the zone before the forecheckers could arrive.
The Fear: The NHL believed this stifled offense. Teams couldn't "dump and chase" effectively because the goalie would just clear it. To increase scoring, they "handcuffed" the goalies, forcing them to stay in the net and letting the defensemen go retrieve the pucks (and get hit by forecheckers).
Why It Is Obsolete Now
The game has evolved into a speed-and-skill contest that makes this restriction unnecessary and even dangerous.
Safety Issue: Because goalies can't go into the corners to retrieve the puck, defensemen are forced to skate back at full speed, turn their backs to the play, and retrieve the puck while knowing a forechecker is coming to crush them. This leads to dangerous boarding plays and injuries that could be avoided if the goalie were allowed to just clear the puck.
It Punishes Skill: Modern goalies are incredibly athletic and skilled. Banning them from playing the puck is like telling an NBA center they aren't allowed to dribble. It artificially lowers the skill ceiling of the position.
The "Trap" is Gone: The "clutch-and-grab" defense of the 90s is largely gone due to other rule changes. Allowing goalies to roam would not ruin the game today; it would likely speed it up by creating faster breakouts and transition plays.
The Benefit of Removing It
Erasing the trapezoid lines would modernize the flow of the game:
Player Safety: It would significantly reduce the number of dangerous hits on defensemen in the corners.
Highlight Reel Plays: We would see more exciting plays—goalies making long stretch passes for breakaways, and conversely, goalies getting caught out of position leading to empty-net goals. Both are entertaining.
Simplified Ice: It removes unnecessary lines from the ice and a confusing rule for new fans ("Why did the goalie get a penalty for touching the ball?").
Honorable Mention: The "Puck Over Glass" Rule
A runner-up for "obsolete" is the automatic Delay of Game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass in your own zone.
Why: It is one of the only penalties in sports that penalizes a mistake as harshly as an intentional foul.
The Fix: Treat it like "Icing." If you shoot it over the glass, the whistle blows, there is a faceoff in your zone, and your tired players are not allowed to change. This punishes the mistake (loss of territory and fatigue) without handing out a cheap power play that decides games.
Whether it is letting NBA centers defend the paint, allowing NHL goalies to play the puck, or letting NFL offenses keep the ball after a fumble, the solution is addition by subtraction. Just as we no longer need pennies to make change, we no longer need these rules to make sense of the game. It is time to retire the relics, trust the modern athlete, and let the play on the field, not the fine print, decide the outcome.