[USMA:36513] Metric Football

[Bill Hooper]

On 2006 Apr 7 , at 11:26 PM, Mike Millet wrote: when do  we get to switch our football (American football not soccer) fields from yards to meters? That's probably the one area I hope stays the same. Some things are sacred. I doubt that football is sacred. Therefore I hope that American football rules will NOT always stay the same (in yards), but will be metricated in some way. It will be a challenge to get those rules changed because the rules of play are so intimately tied to the distances advanced on the field. It's not just a matter of measuring the distances in metres instead of yards. Changing the rules can be done, I know, but it would take a of of cooperation from the football powers-that-be, and they may not be willing to do it. The easiest way to do it is to change the basic rule of football play. Currently that rule is:  "advance the ball 10 YARDS within 4 plays (downs) to get a new set of 4 plays (a new first down)" it could be changed to this new rule:  "advance the ball 10 METRES within 4 plays (downs) to get a new set of 4 plays (a new first down)" That change would mean that players need to advance the ball farther to get a first down, making it harder to get a first down (and eventually scoring). How much farther is it? Answer: 0.856 m or 856 mm. Is that significant? For the playing of the game, that's not a trivial difference. Plays (and game outcomes) often depend on much shorter distances. The position of the ball on the field often is measured to the  nearest half inch, or about 12 mm to determine the result of the play. First downs, or even scoring plays, can be gained or lost depending on distance of a few millimetres. Enlarging the total distance required  by 856 mm is extending it by over 70 times the size of the smallest meaningful measurement in the game. Yes, it is possible just to say:  OK, so be it. The players will simply have to adjust to the new reality, and the coaches will have to teach them the altered (or new) strategies necessary  to make 10 m for a "first down" instead of the  present 9.144 m (10 yards) for a first down. Whether the football powers-that-be would be willing to make the change is another question entirely. Regards, Bill Hooper Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA ==========================    SImplification Begins With SI. ==========================