Top 7 rules that should be changed in sports

1. Designated foul kicker in soccer.

Imagine how awesome it would be to see David Beckham in his late 40s, gray haired, lining up for a crucial game for England for the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers, reminiscent of his fantastic goal versus Greece that put England in the 2002 Word Cup. (YouTube)

Having a player skilled in free kicks could add a new dimension to the game, similar to what the libero has done to volleyball. The player would be subbed in for free kicks, then sub out when the play is over.

This could also be expanded for penalties, although I think the converse should be true -- FIFA should create a rule that the penalty must be kicked by the person who suffered the foul, unless they are injured or substituted. Of course, injury probably could be faked but what player wouldn't want to kick a penalty they earned?

I guess in the case of the penalty, Beckham would not be subbed in. See his infamous shootout kick versus Portugal in the Euro 2004. (YouTube)

2. Four-point shot in basketball

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All those half-court shots would be worth 4 points, awarding a player for a miracle shot at halftimes that they heave every time just for fun. The most impact would be at the end of the game when down by 4, in which case a miracle shot like that would definitely be quite a thriller of an ending.

Imagine if this rule existed thirty years ago when Jerry West was still playing!? He hit a half-court buzzer beater to tie an NBA Finals game against the Knicks in 1970 and send it to overtime. (YouTube)

3. Wall in soccer should have a limited number of players

The number of players in a wall should be the number of players that were between the player and the goal when he was fouled. So if on a breakaway counterattack, the second-to-last defender takes down the striker, the wall should have a maximum of two players.

This is only fair since the team created a great scoring opportunity on a breakaway but then has to kick a free kick with 8 men on the wall. See Pelé's take on this rule.

4. In football, allow any player in the offense to be an eligible receiver.

What could be better for highlight reels than seeing a 300-pound offensive tackle running 10 yards while carrying the ball and about four linebackers and corner with him into the endzone.  How about screens close to the endzone where the quarterback dumps the ball to the left tackle?

Just seeing these guys with the ball alone is worth the rule change, which seems pointless anyways since everyone knows you can only get so much yardage from a screen to one of these guys before the whole defense is piled on him due to his slowness.

For an example in football's past, see William "The Refrigerator" Perry's exploits in Super Bowl XX.

5. In soccer, allow corners to be taken from where the ball went out.

What's the point of shooting a close shot at the goal and having the goalie deflect it, only to get the ball back way at the corner? If you allow a throw-in as an option for a corner, having the ball 15 yards from the goal creates new possibilities.

This is only fair to the team that kicked the ball. Scoring would go up and so would heart attacks at the end of close games, where many corners are taken by a team applying last-minute pressure, where even the goalie abandons their goal to help out.

6. In baseball, allow only 5 pitches to each player and that includes non-strike pitches.

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After six pitches, if there isn't a strikeout, the player walks. This would greatly speed up the game of baseball, instead of interminable minutes with the same pitcher-vs-batter staredowns. The basic idea for this rule is to force pitchers to throw more strike pitches. Foul balls wouldn't count as one of the five pitches.

7. In hockey, remove the offsides rule.

If players want to cherry-pick, the other team will just put a good defenseman on him and leave it at that, ruining the player's chance of creating a scoring opportunity. This rule should be applied to soccer too since offsides stops the game too much and doesn't spread it out.

What are your suggestions for rule changes ? Any critiques of the ones above?