Someone once said that "without rules there is chaos." Not to be outdone, many others have suggested that rules are meant to be broken. So, to sum it up, people crave order that they can break whenever they see fit. No one ever said we were easy to understand. Besides, it's true that we like to impose rules and order when we realize things are out of control. Sometimes this makes sense. There's a rule that you shouldn't kill or steal, and most of us agree that this is necessary because otherwise, how could society function? And then, sometimes, we find reasons to create rules for the most unpredictable reasons.
10. Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournaments Had to Introduce a Hygiene Rule
If you're unfamiliar with Yu-Gi-Oh!, it's a Japanese manga series that turned into a popular anime and a very popular card game. Launched in 1999, the card game remains popular and is played in tournaments around the world. In 2009, the game was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling collectible card game of all time: at that time, more than 22.5 billion cards had been sold.
Because the game remains incredibly popular, these tournaments attract large numbers of players and even spectators, usually in fairly small venues. This is one of the reasons why Konami, the game's developer, had to develop a new rule for tournament play in 2019. They came up with hygiene rule . It states, in particular: "All persons attending the tournament [must] be clean and wear clean clothes. If you or your clothes are excessively dirty or smell bad, you may be fined.".
While this rule sounds silly, apparently hygiene has been an issue for so long that many players were quite pleased with the discovery. You can imagine how unpleasant it is to sit across from someone for 40 minutes of play , when you smell it all the time.
9. The stock exchange introduced rules to prevent the market from being driven into a corner
To those of us outside the stock market, it mostly seems like a bunch of nonsense, vaguely reminiscent of rich people gambling and something to do with orange juice. But understanding the intricacies of the stock market has allowed many people to amass incredible fortunes. And, of course, it has also led to many people losing them.
For the stock market to function more or less smoothly, there are rules about what can and cannot be done. However, the rules aren't as set in stone as they might seem, and in 1979 and 1980, they changed dramatically thanks to William and Nelson Hunt.
The Hunt brothers were rich because their father, H.L. Hunt, was rich. In 1960, he was one of the richest men on earth. His sons had an idea to get even richer. Americans were banned from owning gold, so they started buying silver. Eventually, they had about 100 million ounces . They then hoarded it, creating a global shortage. The price rose by $1.50 when they started buying it, reaching almost $50. Then the Federal Reserve suspended trading, and the price dropped like a stone. When brokers began selling the Hunts' silver to pay off loans, the price fell 78%. But the brothers still had contracts to buy silver at $50.
The couple lost nearly $2 billion and went bankrupt. They were accused of attempting to monopolize the market and fined. The exchange compilednew rules . One stated that since then, no one could hold more than three million ounces. Anyone with more than three million had only a few months to sell to three million. Sales could only be made to approved buyers.
8. Monkeys changed the rules of Indian golf.
If you play golf at all, you're probably familiar with the "play it as it comes" rule. Basically, if something somehow impedes your ball's progress, it doesn't matter. Wherever the ball stops rolling, you play from there. So if it bounces off a tree, oh well. If it gets stuck in the thick grass, good luck cutting it down. And in some parts of India, they've had to adapt this rule because of an unexpected side effect of playing golf in a country where it wasn't previously played.
In some parts of India, golf courses share the same grounds with monkeys, and the monkeys sometimes show interest in the game. It's not uncommon for monkeys to snatch a ball and run away with it. This frustrates golfers, but it's now part of the game. To take this into account rules were created , which basically involve "playing where the monkey leaves.".
This goes back to the British colonial presence in India, when they tried to make Calcutta too English for its own good. The monkeys, new to golf, loved to pick up the balls and play with them. The British resisted, trying to use fences and other means to keep them at bay, but apparently to no avail. Evencatch them It was useless. Eventually, they gave up and simply accepted the monkeys as just another danger, like a sand trap.
7. The Olympic "Eddie the Eagle Rule"«
Making the Olympic Games successful requires a lot of work, and it must happen on many levels. You have hundreds of athletes to organize around the world, plus the host city must prepare for each visit. There are sponsors, infrastructure, media, security, and much more. And, thanks to Eddie the Eagle, there also needs to be some proof that you deserve to be there.
The Eddie the Eagle Rule states that if an athlete is to qualify for the Olympic Games, he or she must either be among the 30% best, or among the top 50 participants in his chosen sport, whichever was lower. This is because before Eddie the Eagle, there was no governing body, and presumably anyone could end up in the Olympics if they were lucky.
Eddie the Eagle, also known as Michael Edwards, was an English ski jumper in the 1980s. In 1988, he was the first English ski jumper to qualify for the Olympics in 60 years, so people were thrilled. He qualified in part because there simply wasn't any competition for him in Great Britain. He had failed at alpine skiing, but there was no one on the ski jumping team, so he took it up.
Despite almost no funding, which meant he spent time voluntarily staying in a Finnish psychiatric hospital because he needed room and board, and because his nearsightedness constantly required very special glasses, he qualified for the Olympics by scoring 70 in the one-meter jump at the 1987 World Championships.
In Calgary he used rented skis because he couldn't afford your own equipment. He was the underdog who beat all underdogs, and people loved him. He was the worst performer at that year's Olympics, finishing last in the 70 and 80 meters.
Despite his defeat, he was certainly an inspiration, and his perseverance touched people. However, immediately afterward, a rule was introduced prohibiting less-skilled amateurs from competing on the world stage, preventing other underdogs from doing so.
6. The Reindeer Rule helps ensure that religious beliefs are not too religious.
The separation of church and state is a contentious issue for some, and it often reaches a fever pitch at Christmas. Not everyone believes that the nativity scene should be publicly displayed on public property, as it promotes a Christian perspective. But, thanks to The Rule of the Deer Supreme Court , it doesn't matter.
To get around the problem religious manifestations In a secular space, all you need to do is add a little secular charm. In this case, add Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or a Christmas menorah, and it's no longer Christian, but festive. The reindeer signifies that no religion is supported or promoted, so perhaps everyone can be happy.
In baseball, a hitter can hit left or right. Sometimes they can shake the pitcher doing so. But there are also switch pitchers, who can pitch left or right and potentially shake the batter. So what happens when a switch hitter meets a switch pitcher? That's where the Pat Venditte Rule comes in.
In 2015, Venditte became the first replacement since 1894, and everyone wondered what might happen. Official MLB rule The pitcher must indicate which hand he intends to use to pitch by placing his glove on the other hand. They cannot switch until the pitcher becomes a runner or the inning ends.
Venditte inspired the 2008 minors rule. He was warming up both hands and then collided with a striker named Ralph Henriquez. The two continued switch back and forth within 7 minutes. The rule change meant this would never happen again.
4. Danger changed the rules to prevent cautious players from appearing
Have you ever wondered why only the winner gets paid in Jeopardy , even if the other players have a positive balance at the end? Thanks to one man who wanted to get married in 1967. At that time, anyone who "won" money on Jeopardy , took them home. This guy just wanted to win enough to buy wedding ring . So he played and answered questions until he got bored. Then he just stopped talking. Halfway through the game, he gave up on playing so as not to risk his winnings. Smart for him, boring for the TV audience.
The game was relaunched in 1984 , and the new version did not make any changes to the rules to keep more cautious players from silencing them.
3. Airlines have banned emotional support animals.
Remember a few years ago when the internet was full of stories about service animals , which were, for lack of a better word, ridiculous? People were transporting animals like pigs, alligators, snakes, and, of course, numerous dogs and cats on planes under the guise of service or support animals. In 2020, this the end has come . Well, officially that's how it was. People still try it.
In an effort to put a stop to flying zoos, airlines have changed their rules to say only trained animals count. service dogs , which can fit on the passenger floor. Any other animal can travel, but it will be a pet, and you will have to pay for and arrange transportation just like any other pet.
2. The NBA changed the rules so Wilt Chamberlain couldn't dunk beyond the free throw line.
Wilt Chamberlain was a true legend on the basketball court. He dominated like few players in history. 4,000 points in a single season. 100 points in a single game. Averaging over 50 points per game in a single season. Literally dozens of other records. He was so good that the NBA changed the rules just to try to keep him under control. One of those rules concerned how Chamberlain could dunk the ball. free throw line .
The free throw line is 15 feet from the net. For most people, jumping that far is impossible. Chamberlain could do it. As a result the rules were changed to make it illegal , the rule is clearly specifically for Chamberlain, since who else has ever done this?
1. The International Ski Association changed the scoring system to sabotage the best skier.
Rules should be used to make things reasonable, safe, and fair. Sometimes they are used to punish. Ingemar Stenmark was a Swedish skier who was truly good at what he did. So good, in fact, that the International Ski Association decided to sabotage him by changing the rules to make him look worse than he actually was.
Stenmark won 86 World Cup races over 15 years, as well as two Olympic gold medals, among other accolades. His competitions included slalom and giant slalom. In 1978-79, he was so far ahead of the competition that he recorded the World Championships victory. two months until the end of the competition. No one could win enough to beat him. So, the rules have been changed .
Going forward, the overall World Cup standings will include the downhill, which Stenmark has never competed in. But without it, he will automatically lose a third of his points. As a result, Stenmark, uninterested in learning a completely new event, will never win a World Championship again.