Sports
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The Issue: Climbing tall mountains is inherently unsafe. Dangers include falling, high winds, frostbite, venomous snakes, attack by eagles, and the high altitude “DEATH ZONE,” which really makes the whole peak-conquering thing seem like a bad idea. Additionally, this high degree of danger makes it impractical for children, the elderly, and the handicapped to fully…
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Background: In golf, a player must find their golf ball within a certain time limit. According to U.S. Golf Association “Rule 18.2,” this is 3 minutes: after that, a one-stroke penalty is levied. Proposal: A golf ball that lands in a “normal” spot on a course (i.e. not way out in the tall grass) is…
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Bring more excitement and closer games to basketball with player height–normalized basketball goals!
Background: Basketball goals normally have a defined height that is the same for both teams. Generally speaking, a taller player (unsurprisingly) is at an advantage in getting a ball into the hoop. The Issue: As a result of this, basketball teams usually consist of exceptionally tall members of the population. However, it may be valuable…
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Background: Most sporting events (and non-sporting events) are affected by the pull of gravity. However, the pull of gravity can actually vary a tiny bit due to both 1) location on Earth and 2) the positions of various nearby planets, moons, and stars*. [*] Usually just one star. The Issue: Currently, no sport adjusts world…
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The Issue: Climbing the world’s tallest mountain peaks can be hazardous for several reasons: a person could be blown off the mountain by gale-force winds, get frozen, or die due to insufficient oxygen in the low-atmospheric-pressure “death zone”—and this is before even considering the danger from disease, avalanches, other humans, and high-altitude cryptids such as…
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Background: A successful game of golf is heavily dependent on the technical execution of the golf swing. The issue: It is possible to imagine many games that are similar to “golf,” except that they do not use a golf club to drive the ball (perhaps “frisbee™ golf” is the most well-known existing example, although it…
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Background: Certain mountains require that climbers obtain a permit before embarking. Sometimes these can be expensive, but rarely is any mountaineering competency required. Everest permits, which are issued by the government of Nepal, cost approximately $10,000 (Wikipedia link). The issue: If too many people are crowded onto a narrow high-altitude route, disaster can result from…
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Background: Baseball is one of the few [1] sports where the playing field is not standardized: The outfield can vary substantially in size and shape from ballpark to ballpark. The presence / absence of fences can change the possibility of an out-of-the-park home run. This adds up to the strange situation where a home run…
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Background: Sometimes, when playing tennis, one of the participants may wish to play a jaunty tune to raise the spirits of their partner (in a doubles match), or perhaps they may wish to play a mocking tune to demoralize their opponent. However, currently this is not possible, as holding a tennis racquet precludes the playing…
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Background: Relatively few games have equipment choice as an element. For example, in tennis, there is no such thing as a “lob racquet” versus a “serving racquet.” Presumably this is because of the difficulty in quickly switching out equipment in a time-sensitive sports. But in a game like golf, where there is plenty of time…
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