Groups of Things - Sports

How do you score on a fair catch kick? I've never seen that - how many points do you get?

no clue. I was hoping someone would answer that too.

Would love to see this, it's been years since there has been a successful one. 1976 to be exact. 3 points as it's like a field goal, but no holder and no defensive rush. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_catch_kick

I believe David Akers tried it a few years ago and failed spectacularly. I am surprised it was on here...and even more surprised that I guessed it.

If you fair catch a kickoff or a punt, you have the option of trying a field goal from that point on the field with no opposition. It's more commonly (in my area anyway) called a free kick (thank, QM for allowing that as an answer, BTW). It's worth 3 points if you make it. To my recollection, one hasn't been made since the 1960s or maybe early 1970s.

There's a great video on Youtube of it working in a High School game a year or two ago. A teacher from the school who had been a football coach and ref when he was younger ran down out of the stands to suggest it to the coach, who then went to the referees and warned them he was going to do it to be sure they knew the rule. They did, it worked, and the team won. But I don't know that all the NFL coaches even understand it or would have the guts to try it if the exact right situation presented itself. You have to be receiving a kick with almost no time left, be close enough for your kicker to make it (probably 65 yards in the NFL), be losing by 3 or less, receive a kick that doesn't go out of bounds, and be convinced that the odds of making it are better than the odds of trying a hail mary (or a long field goal if it's a close punt) PLUS the odds of getting a pass interference or other defensive call on your last play that might give you another play.

They use it at the end of the half as well when there are only a few seconds remaining and the other team has just scored and does a squib kick.

Do drop kicks/ drop goals not count in the NFL? I know they're rare, but I thought they existed...

A drop kick is just an alternate method of kicking field goals or extra points (the same way that you can pass, rush or return for a TD). It's not it's own way to score.

So is a fair catch kick. They are all field goals. A field goal can be scored by a place kick or a drop kick. A fair catch kick gives you the option to take a place kick or a drop kick to make the field goal. I believe the reason a Fair Catch Kick falls into a different category is because it is not done within the set of 4 downs as a drop kick or a place kick for a field goal is done. It is technically a field goal though, so there is an argument both ways. Edit 5 years later - Now that I think about it, it is different also because there is no opposition to the kick "free kick" (defense 10 yards back from line of scrimmage) as there would be on other field goal attempts. So it is squarely its own way of scoring, but still a field goal. You can also get a running start on the kick, adding some distance, but probably losing some accuracy.

In college football, certainly a form of American football, a return of a failed conversion counts for two points.

That's the same thing as saying a fumble return is a touchdown, its considered the same way of scoring.

Not really, because it is only 2 points. A distinct type of play that should be included.

Okay, but a fair-catch kick is really just another form of a field goal. Counting it separately is like saying a pick-6 or other defensive scoring is different from a touchdown.

It actually is considered by the rulebook to be a completely separate kind of kick - very similar to (but also distinct from) a free kick. It can be either a drop kick (like a punt) or a place kick with a holder, and the defense has to line up 10 yards back of the ball spot (thus eliminating the possibility of a block and allowing for more of a line-drive trajectory on the kick). There have been several attempts of greater than 70 yards - I would guess that if one of them had been successful, it still would not be counted as the longest field goal in NFL history (currently at 64 yards).

I think, for record book purposes, it would count as a field goal. But I imagine there would be a distinction with an explanation for sure.

If you are counting West Germany as a winner of the World Cup, you also need to update this for Germany, which is a different country.

Miami Heat's big 3 has now disbanded, might want to find a replacement question

@Quizmaster: Huge Arsenal fan here, but you should never replace City with United. That's pretty much like breaking a law to the United fans.

It's more of a historical term. There were several years in a row where Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United, and Liverpool finished 1st-4th in the League is how the term got started, I think

From 1994-95 thru 2008-09, a span of 15 seasons, here are the Top 4 finishes by club:
Manchester United (15)
Arsenal (13)
Liverpool (12)
Chelsea (8)
Others: Newcastle (4), Leeds (3), Aston Villa (1), Blackburn (1), Everton (1), Nottingham Forest (1).

During this same time period, Tottenham never finished higher than 5th (twice), and Manchester City never finished higher than 8th (once) while also being relegated twice.

So from the early stages of the Premier League, it was pretty clear that there were 4 clubs....and then everybody else. And so the moniker stuck.

BTW, re: Manchester City "buying" titles, if you're going to levy that against City, you need to include Chelsea too. Abramovich's billions is what brought titles to the Blues.

FWIW - 1955. The only time Chelsea won the League without the benefit of Roman Abramovich's billions.

I knew what the Big 4 referred to, so the clue is clear enough, but I agree that it is outdated....ever since AGUEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

I just had no idea about 8 categories...

Typo with Dwayne

I feel like you shouldn't just take "Manchester" for Manchester United. I can foresee many United and City fans getting offended over being lumped together, even though City's not on the quiz.

Very difficult quiz for a British person, although funnily enough I got the most obscure answer, Fair catch kick, by accident when I typed "free kick" because I know jack all about American sport

Yep I did the same too! Then saw all the Americans commenting that they didn't think of that. Made me feel a bit too smug perhaps.

We call them the "Leafs" not Maple Leafs.

The team is called the Maple Leafs. They didn't accept "Habs" either, even though that's what I call the Canadiens

Can you accept "centre" under Basketball? Both spellings are correct, "centre" is more common outside the US.

Can't two point convert be accepted for two point conversion? Don't watch American Football but that's a common term up here in Canada.

Sigh... I wish Tottenham Hotspur was considered a big club.

The Fair Catch Kick is still a Field Goal. It is not considered a distinct type of score, just a different way to score a Field Goal.

Australia Open for Australian Open should work, otherwise fun quiz.

Why does "front crawl" always become "freestyle"? Just because most people will do front crawl in a freestyle race doesn't mean they're the same stroke... does it?

Correct. Front Crawl is a stroke. Freestyle is an event. Whilst you should probably still accept freestyle for front crawl, the latter should be the primary answer.

What about a pick-six?

that is a touchdown

Australian, so I really don't know much, other than watching my son play gridiron here, but isn't an extra point also a conversion...just a one point conversion. I thought that after a touch down, you could run it in, or kick a goal, both being conversions, one worth one point and the other worth two. Do I have that wrong (entirely possible) but if not, why are they not both considered conversions, which is what I typed.

No that was just a moronic play by the kick returner. It was ruled a touchdown

There is a highly theoretical one-point safety in college football, wherein a team attempting a two-point conversion might fumble the ball, which would be recovered by the other team and run all the way into their end zone, then tackled by the other team. The defending team would thus be awarded one point. (This has never happened, but it is included in the official rulebook.)

you cant score from a fair catch!!!!!!!!!!

Fair Catch Kick, not a regular fair catch.

what in the blue moon... A fair catch kick

i typed in two-point convert and another 7 versions of that but didn't say 'two-point conversion'. nothing else was accepted.

I think you need to update the Big Four to include Tottenham, Man City and maybe even Everton

QM you might want to rethink the title of this quiz. Six of the eleven categories are about sports with virtually no presence outside North America. A warning in the title that it's very US/Canadian centric would be nice. Or heck, a tad more varierty in the sports you pick would be even nicer, but I'll be realistic and just ask for a US centric addition to the title.

What about a one-point safety? Its occurs when an extra point is blocked, and the team that blocked it picks it up but gets tackled in the end zone. It's different than a regular two-point safety, so I think it should be on here.

A "fair catch kick" is just a way of scoring a field goal...and "conversion" can be either one point or two points.

germany should place second in world cup category

Wait...Manchester United is a "big" but Man City and the Spurs aren‘t? I think "Big 6" would be more appropriate

There's also a one point safety. Has happened twice in college football. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_(gridiron_football_score)#Conversion_safeties_(one-point_safeties)

Since, according to Wikipedia, the fair catch kick is technically considered a field goal, I think it would be awesome if you also added the elusive "one point safety" as a separate scoring method for American football.