Paff

So, inspired by the volleyball talk in Carrie in another thread, I thought I'd ask what are some examples in movies where sports rules are ignored and/or violated for dramatic purposes?

In Youngblood, the finale is a penalty shot, which goes into the net. Goal. But they wait for the puck to land, it bounces along the line a bit, then stops over the line. Doesn't matter, it was already a goal.

Conversely, in The Mighty Ducks 2, the movie ends with a penalty shot on the girl goalie. The opposing skater takes the shot in a spray of snow, and there's dramatic pause as she slowly opens her catching glove to reveal the puck. She doesn't need to catch it though. If it doesn't go into the net, it's not a goal.

Lucas. Oh, so many errors in the climactic play. First, there's two forward passes on the same play. But when Lucas runs into the open and they throw it to him, he drops it. Incomplete pass. But the other team picks it up. Pretty sure you can't advance an incomplete pass.

Whip It. Now, here's where I'm gonna geek out a bit. There's a scene early on where Smashley Simpson is knocked off the track. She skates over to the person who hit her and lays her out with a punch. While it doesn't matter since she's ejected from the game anyway for throwing the punch, she skated out of bounds to get back to her (one penalty) and gets back on the track in front of her (another penalty). None of those penalties were called.

The more egregious error was when "Razor" had the other team run the play against the Hurl Scouts. All four blockers stop and take out the Hurl Scouts' blockers. But you cannot stop on the track in banked track roller derby, and you can't hit from a stopped position in any roller derby, so all four skaters would be penalized.

bluetoast

What/where was the Carrie volleyball talk, and did it have to do with both teams insulting Carrie, when the winning team should have still at least sarcastically thanked her

As for Mighty Ducks 2, how about the fact that they have professional commentary and a packed arena for a fucking junior league hockey game. If you can’t even watch a random professional tennis match (non Major) these days without a premium sports package, who the hell is watching that shit on TV in the 90s?

Decker

I was always confused by why the Angles in the Outfield couldn't help the hapless Angels in the playoffs but could during the regular season. Isn't that still screwing over some more deserving MLB team?

Decker

DeNiro's The Fan ends with a climactic baseball game played in a torrential rainstorm. It's like the movie's writer had never seen a baseball game - - the very phrase "rain out" is a baseball term

Hazel Motes

Not a movie and not a specific rule violated, but Danny McBride's pitching in Eastbound & Down is absolute horse shit.

Nick Danger

Driven. All Stallone has to do to win a car race is to floor the accelerator really hard.

It's been a long time since I've seen The Absent Minded Professor, but don't the good guys pull all kinds of illegal moves?

bralph

Well yeah, except that's part of the awesomeness of the show...

Hulkabrgr

Teen Wolf. At the final game Mick gets to intimidate Scott before the final free throws- totally illegal

Ash Ketchum

I saw that in the trailer and muttered, "Of all the stupid things..."
Never did see the movie.

DWilson

That's probably not the writer, -that's a director Tony Scott thing (he must have liked the visual). As I recall, "The Last Boy Scout" ends with the final football game played in a downpour, and in "Crimson Tide" the commander gives his crew a big speech before boarding the sub in the pouring rain. I'm sure there's probably another one I'm not thinking of.

Bluelitespecial

You already have to suspend disbelief with a werewolf playing basketball, but that was a “psych out” in Baseketball.

JeremyM

Don't even get me started on Trouble with the Curve. There's not really any errors with the game play as I recall, but the behind-the-scenes stuff is garbage, like the idea they would consider a #1 pick a total bust from one rough batting practice session.

Oh, and Space Jam, come on!

mwbmis

I didn't like the movie so I haven't seen it in nearly twenty years (so I'm sure there are more), but it bugged me that the Sharks got to wear their black uniforms in both home and away games in Any Given Sunday. Also, there didn't seem to be a play clock because those huddles went on forever.

Mabuse

It always bugged me that the Naked Gun used the Angels, but they were playing in Dodger Stadium.

Paff

And I didn't even notice that. (You're right...that does happen. I used to play defense in hockey, and when a puck deflected into my net off my skate, I got pats on the back from the guy who shot it. Asshole.)

No, I was referring to Sue Snell hitting the ball twice in succession, which should have ended the volley and the game long before Carrie missed the ball.

Obi-Wanma

Also, on the play before that, Lucas lines up as a down lineman and then stands up and waves to Kerri Green on the sideline without being called for a false start.

Then when the coach tries to send someone in to replace him without Lucas coming off, the referees blow the whistle and warn the coach (which I'm pretty sure would never happen until after the flag was already thrown) and claim that the penalty for 12 men on the field is a 15 yard penalty with loss of down. WHAT?

Paff

Wasn't Lucas also an offensive lineman, and not eligible for the pass anyway? Actually, that I can forgive a little, but the picking up and advancing the incomplete pass was just plain stupid.

Obi-Wanma

He was a lineman on the first play and wearing a lineman's number (which doesn't really matter that much in high school), but on the second play one of the other lineman threw him off the line and he was kind of running around in the backfield when they snapped it, which had to be an illegal motion penalty of some kind.

Draven

The Karate Kid - they specifically say no kicks to the face and Daniel wins with a kick to the face.

BrewCrew

They also used Wrigley Field as stock shots, in reality the Dodgers wouldn't let them use the team name but let them use the stadium.

As a baseball fan I always hated the hidden ball trick being used in Rookie of the Year, an obvious balk.

Hulkabrgr

Talent for The Game also used Dodgers Stadium for Angels home games.

The Angels did play in Dodgers Stadium for home games from 62-65 seasons (until Anaheim Stadium opened)

PerryD

Every racing movie seems to have this higher gear that is saved for passing someone, just shift and stomp on the pedal, then vooom!

Goat3001

In Varsity Blues I never liked how they didn't spike the ball to stop the block. They hiked the ball and threw it out of bounds. I don't know high school football rules but that's intentional grounding in the pros. Even if it's not a penalty, the process of hiking the ball and throwing it out of bounds takes a precious second off the clock compared to spiking it.

And not directly related to the sport, in The Sandlot, it was just a damn dog. Bunch of wimps.

fujishig

In Space Jam, there are all kinds of rule violations, with weaponry, etc., but the main thing to me is, of all the NBA players the Monstars stole the basketball prowess of Shawn Bradley, then for their only guard they chose Muggsy Bogues (the rest were Ewing, Barkley, and Larry Johnson)?

Red Hood

This was my first thought when I saw the thread title. Not only was it a torrential rainstorm, the field looked completely dark due to the shitty lighting. No game ever would have been played in these conditions.