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), 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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The mercy rule in sports
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 (although 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 score as much as they want to before the rule takes effect. For instance:
- In football, one team could be ahead by 70 points with three minutes left in the first half, and the game continues as usual.
- In baseball, the winning team could have a 20-run lead in the second inning, and again, the game continues.
Baseball and softball
In the World Baseball Classic (WBC), games are stopped after five innings when a team is ahead by 15 or more runs and after seven innings when a team is ahead by at least 10 runs.
In Little League baseball, rules usually call for the game to end if the winning team is ahead by 10 runs after five innings. In some leagues, this margin may be as little as eight.
Softball rules are similar, but some rules call for the game to end if the winning team is ahead by 12 runs or more after three innings.
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., 50 points) in the second half.
Note: In some states with the "continuous clock" rule, the coaches and game officials may still choose to end a game in the second half before its natural conclusion, especially if a lopsided margin continues to increase (as in a game involving a far superior team playing a very weak opponent) or threatening weather strikes.
Soccer and hockey
In both boys and girls competition, the winning margin usually is somewhere from 5-10 goals in the second half.
Pros and cons
Opinions on mercy rules vary widely. For instance, those who believe that the rule is a good idea commonly cite the following reasons:
- It stops coaches from running up the score.
- It allows the losing team to "feel good" about not being as embarrassed as they potentially would have had there been no mercy rule in effect.
- It cuts down on unnecessary injuries and allows team members to rest up for games against better opponents.
- For old-style fans and (sometimes) coaches, it prevents them from giving a decidedly weaker opponent a deservedly embarrassing shellacking, especially if they believe the weaker team has no business playing them. Note: To be fair, most coaches do not intentionally run up the score of a game against a weak opponent, although many times, the stronger team's junior varsity will easily score several times against the opponent's varsity.
People who are against a mercy rule often cite one of the following:
- It is not a "pure" result.
- It eliminates the chance of a comeback.
- It cuts down playing time for junior varsity and less-experienced team members.
- It is often infeasible due to point differential often serving as a tiebreaker for playoff or tournament (e.g. round-robin tournament) play.