In honor of the nation's 44th commander-in-chief, NBCSports.com writers, contributors and editors present 44 ideas to change sports for the better.
Do we agree on each of the ideas? Of course not. There's plenty of room for debate, therefore we encourage you to comment on our suggestions and submit your own below.";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Baseball","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","DH in both leagues","Red Sox DH David Ortiz","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_David-Ortiz.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Winslow Townson", "AP", "110", "76", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Many hard-line historians of the game say the designated hitter should have never been introduced. My take is, “Why not? Most pitchers are horrible hitters and simply slow down the game by taking their hacks at the plate.”
Institute the DH in both leagues, and if a team wants to bat their pitcher so be it.
- Mark McTyre
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Dump the DH","CC Sabathia is a good hitter for a pitcher.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_CC-Sabathia-hitting.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Darren Hauck", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "228", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
First off, let's put the two leagues on the same page. Adding the DH to the NL would be the easy way out ... instead, make the pitchers hit in both leagues. If they're bad hitters, they can learn to bunt. Baseball, after all, is supposed to be a \"thinkin' man's game\" and there's no clearer picture of that than when a skipper's got to strategerize a little.
Pinch hitter? Double switch? Early exit for the ace? A DH flushes all that away and dumbs down the game.
- Brian Gilmore";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","No more cheap saves","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Managers need to be saved from themselves. The rule has artificially altered the way they operate their bullpens, with every effort made to ensure that their \"closers\" get credit for protecting three-run leads.
It shouldn't count as a save unless the team leads by one upon a pitcher's entrance, or the winning run is in scoring position.
- Ethan Skolnick
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Put 'Shoeless' Joe in the Hall","","http://nbcsportsmedia4.msnbc.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Chiappetta,%20Mike/Slideshows/Notorious/Shoeless_3126271[2].htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Getty Images", "110", "91", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Mr. President, you're a White Sox fan, so you don't need any briefing here on what should be done. Use the bully pulpit to see to it that 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson gets his long-overdue plaque in Cooperstown.
Jackson, who has the third-highest career batting average in MLB, was banned from baseball due to his alleged involvement in the Black Sox scandal. That would be the surprising 1919 World Series loss to the Reds when Jackson had 12 hits, led all players on both teams with a .375 average, committed no errors and threw out a runner at the plate. The other seven players implicated in the scandal all said Jackson was not in on the fix and he was acquitted by a judge of any wrong doing.
- Mike Condon";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","College basketball","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","De-emphasize the charging foul","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
The game teaches and rewards a perverse form of defense. A strong offensive move can be negated by a sinister late slide under the goal that has nothing to do with sound defense. It is simply staking claim to a position on the floor.
Solution: employ the dotted circle under the basket now seen in the NBA. Reward offense for good play and make defense be on the man or the ball, not simply a spot on the floor.
- Ted Robinson";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Don’t make NCAA tourney bigger","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Coaches are clamoring for it and the powers-that-be sound amiable to expanding the NCAA tournament. But bigger isn’t always better. Just ask college football, which now has 34 bowl games, some of which are matchups of .500 teams.
The postseason is supposed to be about schools that excelled and earned a chance to play for the title. Keeping college basketball’s biggest prize available to only the top 20 percent of teams is a good thing.
- Mike Miller
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","College football","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","An 8-team playoff","Utah had a case for being No. 1 in the final poll of the 2008 season.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_Utah.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Chris Graythen", "Getty Images", "287", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
If he had the power, President Obama would probably make this one of his first executive orders. Division II can have a playoff, so the NCAA should be able to make one happen for the Football Bowl Subdivision, whatever that is.
Use the existing bowls for the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship.
- George Malone";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Bring back Division I-A","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Get rid of “Football Bowl Subdivision”. Besides the term being confusing and somewhat misleading (given that not every school goes to a bowl game – though seemingly they all do), it sounds like a something you’d hear on HGTV, where all the coaches live with their granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.
- Eric Hansen
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","No preseason polls","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Don’t release the first polls until four weeks into the season. As this season proved few can predict which teams will be good before the season starts. (Utah wasn't even in the preseason Top 25!)
Let teams play a few games and decide after that.
- George Malone";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Golf","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Three-hole playoff in majors","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Oddly, the often-maligned PGA Championship comes closest to getting it right when it comes to breaking a tie for the top spot after 72 grueling holes. Sudden death (Masters) could give one player an unfair advantage if he or she has played the hole exceptionally well in regulation, four holes (British Open) is, well, odd and 18 holes on a Monday (U.S. Open) is almost always anti-climatic (Tiger Woods isn't going to be playing on one leg every year).
The solution? A three-hole aggregate playoff. But unlike the PGA Championship, even the holes out to include a par-3, par-4 and par-5. That makes it fair and square for short- and long-hitters alike.
- Mike Condon";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Up the ante in Skins Game","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
I used to love The Skins Game. Every year around Thanksgiving, some of golf's megastars would get together for a four-man exhibition and somebody would go home with a ton of cash. The first one, in 1983, featured Nicklaus, Watson, Palmer and Player. These days, though, we're down to Fred Funk, Stephen Ames, K.J. Choi and a Spaniard to be named in pants too tight.
Solution? By lottery, collect a pool of 100 golfers together with handicaps between 12 and 18. Average guys. No big wheels or high rollers. Validate incomes and handicaps. On Friday, you draw your four contestants. On Saturday, they play the front for 50K per hole. On Sunday, they play the back for 75K per hole. The network (preferably NBC) will have medics on hand to administer first aid as the inevitable panic attacks take hold over 4-foot putts for $150,000.
- Tom Curran
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Horse racing","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Get serious about drugs","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
It’s time for racing states to adopt uniform and strict medication rules that put health and well-being of the equine athletes ahead of owners’ pocketbooks.
That means zero tolerance for steroids and other performance-enhancing substances and tough penalties for those who violate them, including lifetime bans for egregious offenses.
- Mike Brunker
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","NASCAR","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Move Daytona 500 date","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Move the race to the end of the year. No other sport holds its “Super Bowl” as the first event of the season.
The Daytona 500 should be at the end of the NASCAR season, which would also give the Chase a big lift.
- George Malone";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","NBA","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","If you're traded, you're traded","Antonio McDyess","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_Antonio-McDyse.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Tony Dejak", "AP", "267", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Too many times, players are dealt from one team to another, and then subsequently released just to save some money. Then, 30 days later, said player winds up back on their original team.
This seems like a shady process that happens way too often. Antonio McDyess' return to the Pistons is a perfect example. If you're traded, no return to your former team should be allowed until at least the following season.
- Ed Williams
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Raise the minimum-age rule","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Are some basketball players capable of playing in the NBA at age 18 or 19? Absolutely. But it doesn’t mean they should. These athletes may look like men, but let’s be honest: They’re kids. And kids can make rash decisions and fall into traps.
A few years in college or overseas would improve the NBA’s overall product with more seasoned, world-wise athletes.
- Mike Miller
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Revamp All-Star activities","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
All-Star weekend is supposed to be about the players fans want to see. Today, that would be the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade – not WNBA stars Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and company. Ditch the side shows.
Also, when it comes to the Slam Dunk contest, give the fans the players they want to see or scrap it all together. Mighty mite Nate Robinson was cute in 2006, but come on, bring LeBron, Kobe and Vince to the party.
- Mark McTyre
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","NFL","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Fix pass interference","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
First, make it reviewable. We can review a 3-yard reception on the sideline to determine whether a guy is in or out, but not a 44-yard heave into the end zone in which contact may or may not have come a split-second early? Come on. Second, hire younger more sharp-eyed officials specifically for conducting replay reviews.
Finally, the maximum penalty is 25 yards, except in the instance of \"aggravated pass interference\". API comes on any play in which the defender did not make a play on the ball at all and specifically tried to impede the receiver. Like a clear-path foul in basketball. That would be a spot foul.
- Tom Curran
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Make OT a full quarter","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Many times an overtime victor is decided by the flip of a coin in the NFL; the team lucky enough to get the ball first, drives into field-goal range for an easy sudden-death winner.
Instead, the teams should have to play a complete quarter of football, and despite who scores first, if the teams are still tied after 15 minutes, they should have to play another quarter until one team has the lead at period’s end. There’s nothing wrong with extra football, right?
- Mark McTyre
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","No more injury reports","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
They're fraudulent anyway, especially in the hands of Bill Belichick or one of his disciples.
So unless the NFL chooses to admit that it's simply appeasing gamblers and catering to fantasy-football players, it should scrap the reports. Players would welcome that, to keep their ailments from becoming targets.
- Ethan Skolnick
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Simulation tackles","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Any time NFL pregame show personnel go out on the set with a football, take positions and try to simulate plays while wearing their Armani suits and silk ties, members of the production crew should be allowed to rush in from off camera and make the tackle.
- Dan O'Neill
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","6 points to win in OT","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Keep all the other OT rules the same, but force teams either to score a touchdown or kick two field goals to win. That way, the team that gets the ball first can’t have a good kickoff return, pick up a couple of first downs and then kick a game-winning 50-yard field goal.
But if that team can drive all the way for a touchdown, it deserves to win. Of course, this rule might be confusing to Donovan McNabb.
- Cary Estes
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","NHL","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Fix the standings","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
There should be two points awarded for a win in regulation or overtime, one point awarded for a shootout win and no points given for any type of loss.
Why reward a team for losing? A loss is a loss.
Under this system there would be fewer shootouts because teams would know that if it came down to a shootout as to whether they got any points, they
would surely want to go all out to try and get two points in overtime.
- Bill Clement
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Icing while shorthanded","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
For reasons perhaps Clarence Campbell should have left behind in his will, the NHL turns its rulebook inside out to soften the blow of penalties when it comes to icing calls. When teams have a player sent to the penalty box, they are allowed to fire the puck the full length of the ice without the linesmen blowing the whistle. When play is at full strength, such 'icings' result in a stop of play and a faceoff.
Leave the rulebook alone. Force the penalized team to face the music when killing the penalty, and simply don't allow icing. In the NBA, this would be tantamount to a player being awarded a foul shot, but the basket lifted, say, from 10 feet to 12 feet.
- Kevin Dupont";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Move teams back to Canada","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
The NHL is losing its Southern base, if it ever had it. It's clear looking at attendance, TV ratings and rock-bottom ticket prices that hockey is not going to have little cultural importance south of Chicago. Sure, cities such as Chicago and Boston had sagging attendance for a while, but that was disaffection with the team.
Gary Bettman and the NHL are better off giving up the ghost and putting teams back north of the border.
- Bob Cook
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Shrink goalies' equipment","Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo is just one with oversized equipment.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_Roberto-Luongo.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Darryl Dyck", "AP", "237", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
I want to see another 80-goal scorer in a season in my lifetime. Last year was the first year in a decade that we had a 60-goal scorer. I want the NHL to continue to grow in popularity and I believe our culture craves glamour and glamour in sports comes in the form of big numbers.
Big numbers in the NHL means big-time goal scorers. The goalies have to pay the price to make that happen.
- Bill Clement
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Olympics","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Get rid of events with judges","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
It’s bad enough some sports have to use referees. But when judges – who are these people, anyway? – have to interpret rules and award points depending on their own perspective and views, the results are flawed and ultimately unfair.
- Mike Miller
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","No age limit","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
If you're an 11- or 12-year-old girl, or even younger, and you're good enough, you should be able to compete in the Olympics. Age requirements make little sense, particularly when arbitrary.
A 14-year-old diver can compete in the Summer Olympics. Why can't a 14-year-old gymnast?
- Alan Abrahamson";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Revive perfect 6.0 and 10 scores","The scoreboard shows Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean of Great Britain winning score and gold medal winning points during the 1984 Olympics.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_Olympic-scoreboard.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Steve Powell", "Getty Images", "101", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
The 6.0 was a brand in figure skating. Everyone knew what it meant. Figure out another way to keep the judges honest. Like, by recruiting honest judges.
And while you're at it, bring back the perfect 10 in gymnastics. Anyone can tell you what Mary Lou got. Who, right now, can tell you Nastia Liukin or Shawn Johnson's scores?
- Alan Abrahamson
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Soccer","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Get up!","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_soccer-flop.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Alexander Joe", "AFP/Getty Images", "273", "421", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
This goes for other sports, but should be applied to soccer first. If a player is down on the field for more than 30 seconds, he must remain out of the game for an established amount of time.
If he's down for more than 30 seconds and leaves the field under his own power, the time is longer. If he's down for more than 30 seconds, writhes around and leaves the field under his own power, he's issued a \"pink card\" and must play with a large pink band-aid with a frowny face attached to his uniform for the remainder of the game.
- Tom Curran
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Tennis","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Drop the Davis Cup","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Maybe 108 years ago this seemingly endless tournament had some merit, pitting nation against nation. But now, with the world’s best players playing all over the globe in dozens of tournaments and being in the spotlight in four Grand Slam tournaments each year – not to mention the Olympics every four years - what’s the point in national competition?
Moreover, the best players often train in other countries, so is there really much nationalism left?
- Alex Valdes";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","There's more!","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Ban interviews by sideline reporters","Erin Andrews","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_Erin-Andrews.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Ronald Martinez", "Getty Images", "297", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
What do viewers learn when Coach Jimmy John tells ESPN’s Erin Andrews, “We just need to play harder.”
What a waste of time. CBS had this right by eliminating sideline reporters altogether.
- George Malone";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Big Eleven","","http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Art/SPORTS/LOGOS/NCAA_FB/CONF/Logo_Big10.standard.gif","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Let's see. There's Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Yup, that's 11 schools.
Change the name, add or delete a school ... do something! It ain't the Big Ten.
- Mike Condon
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Delay voting for MVP awards","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Why are MVP awards voted on before the postseason in all sports? The very essence of an MVP is the athlete who performs best under pressure (i.e. when titles are on the line) and so the voting should be done after all is said and done.
That is especially true with the NBA, NHL and college football, when virtually every above-average team gets into the postseason, and thus nearly all the best players would be in the postseason.
- Alex Valdes";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Ditch ugly throwback uniforms","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_Eagles-jersey.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Jim Mcisaac", "Getty Images", "268", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Actually, I love throwback uniforms. When the Steelers rock their old school yellow and black with no logo, or the Bulls break out the vintage jerseys with “Chicago” written in cursive on the chest, I love it. It reminds us of the athletes who came before and paved the way for today’s professional athlete to thrive in an environment of sponsorships and adoring fans.
What I can’t stand are the unnecessary throwbacks that never should have been dusted off for re-use. Take the yellow and blue 75th anniversary Eagles uniforms worn by Philly back in Week 3 of the 2007 NFL season. Who green-lighted this awful idea?
- Patrick Straub";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","End use of “Nation” for fan bases","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
There was Raider nation. Then came Yankee Nation and Red Sox Nation. Now, Montana State has Bobcat Nation, Western Kentucky has Hilltopper Nation, and Kansas City has Royals Nation.
Heck, Clay Aiken even has Clay Nation. Time to convene the United Nations. Enough!
- Bob Harkins
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Get rid of the PAT","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Why is the most exciting play in football, a touchdown, followed by the worst? There's nothing more boring and automatic than the extra point. Its roots go back to the early days of the sport, when the game was more like rugby and scoring a touchdown was only worth 1 point and not the primary objective but a way to get a free kick or 'try' at the goal, which counted for 4 points. Back then, that kick was no sure thing and there was some drama involved.
If the PAT can't be banned, which would cut several minutes from each game and make those television timeouts more tolerable, at least force teams to run plays - as is the case with the 2-point play - to earn an additional point or points.
- Mike Condon";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Ground pregame military flyovers","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_airplanes-over-stadium.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Paul White", "AP", "106", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
With the possible exception of the Army-Navy game, this needs to stop. It’s a waste of gas, it’s bad for the environment and what’s supposed to be the message anyway? National pride? The singing of the national anthem is good enough for that.
There’s always plenty of bad news about wars all over the world, let sports be a refuge from that.
- Alex Valdes
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Honor thy scholarship","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
If an athlete is on scholarship, he or she owes something to the university and shouldn’t be able to jump to the pros until after his or her junior season.
If someone isn’t interested in college, don’t continue the sham of going for one or two years and not studying. Put the student back in student athlete.
- George Malone";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","No advertising on eye black","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_Tim-Tebow.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Lynne Sladky", "AP", "107", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
We’re tired of having to read either product advertising or personal messages on the eye black players wear. The messages are always in big, white letters, which kind of defeat the purpose of eye black, which is to darken the skin and reduce reflected glare.
In the BCS title game, we had to look at Tim Tebow’s biblical message. What’s wrong with that? Nothing except that people would go nuts if a player put the message “Allah is Great” or “Atheism Rocks” or “Gay Rights” on his facial advertising patches. So let’s just end it. If you want to advertise, buy a billboard.
- Mike Celizic
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","No public financing of stadiums","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Seattle is without an NBA team – or at least the facsimile of one that used to play there – because the good citizens of the city weren’t willing to pay a rich guy for a new arena while the citizens of Oklahoma City were.
We want a national law prohibiting public funds to be spent on private play palaces. If owners can’t get paid by the taxpayers for new buildings, they’ll stay put and maybe even dip into their vast reserves to pay for the buildings that help them get even richer.
- Mike Celizic
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Noise at golf and tennis events","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Peyton Manning can complete a pass 30 yards downfield while a 300-pound, fire-breathing monster is about to rip his head off. Kobe Bryant can make a pair of free throws while 20,000 Celtics fans scream and jump and tell him what a bum he is.
So why can’t Roger Federer nail his serve unless he’s playing in a library? “Quiet, please” you say? “You be quiet!”
- Bob Harkins";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Penalize screaming coaches","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_Bobby-Knight-yelling.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Reed Hoffmann", "AP", "272", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
The men on the sidelines want their kids to exercise self control. Then they act as if somebody spiked their 12 pregame cups of coffee with amphetamines. They jump up and down, gesticulate wildly, scream abuse at the officials, all the while being careful to avoid the magic words that will get them penalized. Nowhere is it worse than in basketball, with football right behind.
If a coach wants to ask about a call, let him do it. If he wants to throw red-faced tantrums, T him up or toss the flag and walk off 15 yards. If he does it again, tell him to leave.
- Mike Celizic
";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Reward the regular season","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
After battling hard throughout an entire season, what prize does the top seed in the MLB, NBA or NHL playoffs receive against the final qualifier? Just one home game.
Want to see intensity through the regular season? Want to consistently see the best teams compete deep into the playoffs? It's simple. Switch the best-of-7 series format to 2-1-2-1-1. The top seed gets five games, if necessary, at home to advance. If the underdog pulls off the upset, then it's not a fluke.
- Mike Condon";
spt_44ThingsToChange[i++] = new Array("","Spare us more bowling images","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/Photos%20for%20MSNBC/0118_Obama-bowling.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Alex Brandon", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "110", "140", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_44ThingsToChange[i-1].body = "
Mr. President, as you were often reminded during the campaign, there are over 67 million bowlers in the United States.
With all due respect, you are not one of them.
Rip up the lane in the White House.
- Mike Condon"; // END editorial data