Tag: Rules

World Cup 2022: What are the offside rules?

This should help make the offside penalty a little clearer.

Offsides is one of the trickier penalties to identify in soccer because of how quickly it can happen and how difficult it can be to track positioning relative to when a ball is touched.

But once you know what you’re looking for, it’s a lot easier to spot.

Luckily, fans watching the World Cup won’t have to worry about learning differences to the rule, as it remains unchanged from the latest International Football Association Board (IFAB) “Laws of the Game,” the standardized set of rules soccer leagues and competitions abide by.

For those unaware of how the rule works, it’s first important to know that being in an offside position in itself is not a penalty.

As defined in the 2022-23 Laws of the Game, an offside position is simply when any part of a player’s “head, body or feet is in the opponent’s half” of the field and “nearer to the opponent’s goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent” (hands and arms up to the armpit aren’t considered for the purpose of offside).

Note: Being level with the second-to-last opponent or the last two opponents isn’t offside.

So when does being offside become a penalty?

It’s when a player deemed offside interferes in a play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a teammate. Or when the offside player interferes with an opponent by either:

  • preventing an opponent from playing a ball by clearly obstructing their line of vision
  • challenging an opponent for the ball
  • clearly attempting to play a nearby ball when the action impacts an opponent
  • making an obvious action that clearly impacts the ability of an opponent to play the ball

It’s also a penalty if an offside player gains an advantage by playing a ball or interfering with an opponent after the ball rebounds or deflects off the goalpost, crossbar, an official or opponent, including if that opponent deliberately saves a ball from going towards the goal.

However, once an opponent makes a deliberate play on the ball that isn’t a save, an offside player is no longer deemed to have an advantage.

Lastly, an offside penalty can’t occur on a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick.

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Trevor Penning designated to return from Saints injured reserve list

Rookie left tackle Trevor Penning designated to return from Saints injured reserve list, opening his window to practice with the team:

Here’s some good news: the New Orleans Saints designated rookie left tackle Trevor Penning to return from injured reserve on Thursday, opening a 21-day window in which he may practice with teammates and work his way back into the lineup. Penning must pass a physical and prove he can fully participate in practice before he’ll be cleared to join the 53-man roster, but so far he’s on the right track.

“Four weeks on a scooter, then I was four weeks in a walking boot. So eight weeks total,” Penning told reporters at NewOrleans.Football on Thursday. He reflected on the procedure to insert a metal plate in his foot and months of rehab that followed, adding, “Wasn’t able to really wear a left shoe, I guess, but other than that it’s been good.”

James Hurst hasn’t been bad at left tackle for New Orleans, but there’s room for an upgrade there. Whether Penning starts over the veteran when healthy remains to be seen. He didn’t look ready in training camp practices and two preseason games before going down with this turf toe injury, and now the admittedly-raw prospect has missed out on half his rookie season while recovering. So there’s a very real chance that he’ll be coming off the bench as the sixth man once he’s able to play.

The Saints could see enough in practice to make a move, but at this point it feels unlikely. Penning has to earn his opportunity just like anyone else. The last time we saw him, he didn’t look like someone ready to start on Sundays.

But hey, we’ll see where it goes. Penning has to be officially activated first, and this designation to return is just the first step in that process. He’s got three weeks to progress into a heavier workload and make his case for reps currently going to Hurst. Stay tuned.

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USGA, R&A announce changes to Rules of Golf for 2023

Set to take effect Jan. 1, 2023, the USGA and the R&A want to make the rules more inclusive and sustainable.

Every four years, the USGA and the R&A, the two organizations that maintain the Rules of Golf, make updates and modifications to the code that establishes how the game is officially played. Sometimes the rule changes are significant and at other times, they are clarifications. On Monday, with the announcement of rule changes that will take effect starting Jan. 1, 2023, the USGA and the R&A’s biggest focus is on sustainability and inclusion.

After the 2019 updates to the Rules of Golf were announced, the USGA and the R&A printed two million copies of the rule book. No more. The USGA and the R&A have announced that they will not be making printed copies of the Rules of Golf, forgoing the use of a half billion pieces of paper and saving the organizations significant costs. It also eliminates the costs associated with shipping and distributing the books. Going forward, they hope golfers will utilize the free Official Rules of Golf mobile app on their smartphones.

“We feel really good about the digital means that we have created to access the rules,” said Craig Winter, the USGA’s senior director of rules and amateur status. “Going forward, we’re not going to be relying on the rules book being in every bag. Everybody has a smartphone, and they can download the free app. We’re continuing to move forward and modernize, as we did in 2019, and it connects us to the golfer better. The mobile app is real-time, digital and we can keep them updated.”

2022 U.S. Adaptive Open
Cindy Lawrence hits her tee shot on the 12th during the first round of the 2022 U.S. Adaptive Open at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. (Photo: Jeff Haynes/USGA)

A year after the first U.S. Adaptive Open was held at Pinehurst, the USGA and R&A are moving the Modified Rules for Players With Disabilities into the Rules of Golf. Developed by the USGA and the R&A with input from adaptive organizations developed in 1996, the Modified Rules for Players With Disabilities were a set of standardized accommodations that provided courses and tournament committees with guidelines when they hosted events for players with special needs, but as Model Local Rules, they had to be adopted to go into effect. Starting Jan. 1, the modifications will automatically be in place for everyone who needs them.

“Right now, that set of rules sits in the back of the official guide,” Winter said. “We know there are millions of golfers, millions of individuals out there that could be benefitting from this and by moving them into Rule 25 it raises the level of awareness, just like the U.S. Adaptive Open will continue to do. There are rules for individuals that do need to be modified, and the modifications are very practical. The committees don’t need to do anything to make this happen. This really makes the game more welcoming.”

Four other rule changes were also announced on Monday:

Rookie left tackle Trevor Penning formally sidelined on Saints injured reserve list

Rookie left tackle Trevor Penning was formally sidelined on the Saints injured reserve list Thursday:

The New Orleans Saints formally designated left tackle Trevor Penning and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach to injured reserve on Thursday, though these moves were both expected prior to the team’s announcement. Each player must rest at least the first four games before being eligible to return, meaning the soonest they could suit up would be Week 5’s home game with the Seattle Seahawks.

New NFL rules allow up to eight players to return from IR after sitting out at least four weeks, so if both of them return that leaves six spaces available before New Orleans hits the league’s limit. It’s a good sign for the health of wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith that he’s avoiding this early-season stint on IR after exiting the preseason finale with an upper-body injury said to be impacting his shoulder or collarbone.

While Roach is expected to return to action as soon as he’s able, the wait may be longer for Penning. His turf toe injury requires surgery to repair a torn ligament and, depending on how his body responds to treatment, he could very well miss his entire rookie season. Let’s hope for the best, though, for one of the team’s first-round picks. The sooner he’s healthy and practicing the better for all involved.

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NBA to start penalizing transition take fouls next season

The NBA transition “take foul” during games is inching closer to being penalized, starting with the 2022-23 season, league sources told Yahoo Sports. The NBA’s Competition Committee is moving forward with a proposal to grant the team on offense with one free throw and possession of the ball if the team on defense employs the take foul, sources said.

Another modification the committee will …

Another modification the committee will submit to the BOG for approval will be enforcing proper bench decorum by issuing stiffer penalties, sources said. One of a few principal matters on decorum are players standing up at the bench for extended portions of the game, obstructing the view of fans sitting behind the bench, sources said. Fans have lobbed complaints at the league, expressing how they’re purchasing expensive seats with a blocked vantage point, sources said.

The NBA is eyeing a rule change to the …

The NBA is eyeing a rule change to the “transition take foul” that would award the offensive team with one free throw and retaining possession of the ball, sources told The Athletic on Tuesday. The Board of Governors will vote on the change, which is similar to the current rules in the G League, in July. The type of foul occurs when a player on defense attempts to stop a fast break by intentionally making contact with the offensive player in order to stop their momentum down court to the basket.