Term in many ball sports
Look up
dead ball
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Dead ball
is a term in many
ball sports
in which the ball is deemed temporarily not playable, and no movement may be made with it. Depending on the sport, this event may be quite routine, or more uncommon.
In
gridiron football
, a dead ball is a condition that occurs between
plays
. Due to rule differences between leagues, the specific conditions which trigger a dead ball vary slightly, however
in general
a dead ball typically occurs after any of the following events:
- The player with the ball runs
out of bounds
.
- The player with the ball is declared
down
, either by being
tackled
,
kneeling
, or sliding.
- Forward progress of the player with the ball is stopped by the defense.
- A
forward pass
touches the ground or travels out of bounds without being caught (also known as an
incomplete pass
).
- The ball is
fumbled
and goes out of bounds.
- A kick travels out of bounds or hits the goal post or crossbar in flight.
- A
punt
or
kickoff
enters the endzone without being touched (known as a
touchback
).
- A punt or kickoff is
fair caught
by the receiving team.
- A punt is downed by the kicking team before being touched by the receiving team.
- The
helmet
comes off of the player with the ball for any reason.
- Any scoring play (
touchdown
,
field goal
, or
safety
) occurs. In
Canadian football
this also includes the
single
.
- An
official
otherwise whistles the ball dead, even if inadvertently.
[1]
[2]
Depending on the league, there may be additional situations which trigger a dead ball. For example, in the
CFL
, the ball becomes dead if it makes contact with an official, while under
NCAA
rules, it does not.
[3]
[2]
During the time in which the ball is dead, the offensive team may not attempt to advance it. The ball remains dead until it is
snapped
to begin the next play. The clock may or may not be stopped during this time, depending on the specific conditions triggering the dead ball.
Various rule changes over time have altered when a ball may become dead. For example, in the
NFL
, the ball used to become dead if it came into the possession of the defense for any reason during a
try
after a touchdown. This rule was changed before the
2015 season
, allowing the ball to remain live so that the defense could attempt to return it for a defensive
two-point conversion
.
Baseball
[
edit
]
In
baseball
, when the
ball
is dead, no runners may advance beyond the respective bases they are entitled to, and no runners may be put out. The ball becomes dead when:
[4]
- A batter is touched by a pitch or a batted ball (
hit by pitch
)
- The plate
umpire
hinders a
catcher
's throw attempt and the throw does not directly retire a runner
- A ball is illegally batted, such as when a batter hits the ball while outside of the batter's box
- A
foul ball
is not caught
- A
fair ball
touches a
runner
or an umpire on
fair territory
before it touches an
infielder
(including the pitcher)
- A fair ball touches a runner or an umpire before it has passed an infielder other than the pitcher
- A live ball lodges in the umpire's or catcher's equipment or in a fence or in another object on the field
- Any legal pitch touches a runner trying to score
- A live ball passes out of the playing field (unless it hits or crosses over a base on the ground)
- A runner or spectator commits
interference
- The defense leaves the field after the half inning or game ends
- The venue's
ground rules
call for a dead ball ruling for a ball striking an above-ground obstruction (usually involving the roof of a domed or retractable-roofed stadium), such as the
Tampa Bay Rays
'
Tropicana Field, regarding the catwalks and overhanging speakers
above the field.
[5]
[6]
[7]
In the past, overhead dead ball ground rules also existed for the
Kingdome
in Seattle and Minneapolis's
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
- An umpire calls
time.
Umpires typically call "time" after being asked to do so by a participant. An umpire in chief (plate umpire) will also call "time" when:
- Weather, darkness or similar conditions make play impossible or dangerous
- Light failure makes it difficult or impossible for the umpires to follow the play
- An accident incapacitates a player or an umpire
- The umpire wishes to examine the ball, to consult with either
manager
, or for any similar cause.
- An umpire orders a player or any other person removed from the playing field.
- A
balk
or
obstruction
is committed and immediate ensuing play ends
- The catcher interferes with the batter before the
time of pitch
- An umpire declares "
no pitch
" after debris or a flying object (such as a bird) collides with the pitched ball.
In general, the ball does not automatically become dead after playing action ends. So, for example, although the recording of a third out generally winds down a half inning, the ball is not automatically dead. If it is to the advantage of the defense to attempt to record a
fourth out
for any reason, the ball is live and such a play is permitted.
After a dead ball, the ball becomes
alive
again when the pitcher stands on the
pitcher's plate
ready to pitch, the batter, catcher and umpire are ready, and the umpire calls or signals "Play."
Players and coaches may ask an umpire for "time," but they themselves may not call "time" and cause the
ball
to become dead. Nevertheless, "time" is usually granted by the umpire when asked, and thus, colloquially, it is often said that players or coaches indeed can "call time." Unlike sports which have clocks to time the play, the phrase "time out" is not used in baseball. Likewise, there is no limit to the number of times a team can "call time."
In baseball, the term "dead ball" is also used in the context of the
dead-ball era
, a phase during the early history of the game in the early 1900s. In this context, the ball was not actually "dead" but for various reasons tended to be difficult to hit for distance, resulting in low scores and few home runs by modern standards.
Cricket
[
edit
]
In
cricket
, a dead ball is a particular state of play in which the players may not perform any of the active aspects of the game,
[8]
meaning
batters
may not score
runs
and
fielders
may not attempt to get batters
out
.
"The words 'dead ball' were first used in the laws in 1798", in relation to a new law imposing a penalty of five runs if the fielder stopped the ball with his hat. "Before 1798 the words 'dead ball' were not used but the meaning was implicit in some of the other laws of the day."
[9]
The ball, referring to the
cricket ball
, becomes
live
when the
bowler
begins their run up in preparation to
bowl
at the batter. In the live state, play occurs with the batters able to score runs and get out.
The ball becomes dead when any of the following situations occur:
- The
umpire
is satisfied that, with adequate reason, the batter is not ready for the
delivery
of the ball.
- The ball is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or of the bowler and that this determination is at the sole discretion of the umpire.
- A boundary is scored
- A batter is dismissed. The ball will be deemed to be dead from the instant of the incident causing the dismissal.
- A ball, whether played or not, becomes trapped between the bat and person of a batter or between items of his/her clothing or equipment or the clothing of an umpire.
- The ball lodges in a protective helmet worn by a fielder.
[10]
- The umpire intervenes in the occurrence of injury or unfair play.
- Additionally, Law 20.1.2 states that "The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play".
[10]
Umpires may also call dead ball at their discretion, in the case of a series for events for which there is no provision in either the
Laws of Cricket
or agreements made prior to the match. This happened on 9 October 2005, when Australian batter
Michael Hussey
hit the retracted roof at the
Telstra Dome
. What would have been
six
in an open stadium was ruled a dead ball, and no runs were awarded.
Note that the ball becomes dead as soon as a batter is out, so it is not possible to dismiss the other batter immediately. Thus the
baseball
concept of a
double play
cannot occur in cricket.
If necessary to make it clear to the players and scorers that the umpire considers the ball to be dead, the umpire signals
dead ball
by crossing and uncrossing his arms in front of his body.
In
association football
(soccer), the term "dead ball" refers to a situation when the ball is not in play, e.g. when play has not been restarted after the ball has gone out of bounds or a foul has been committed. It also applies before each kick-off, either at the start of each half or after a goal has been scored. In a dead ball situation, players can position the ball with their hands prior to restarting play. Furthermore, even though the ball is not in play, the referee may still issue cautions or ejections (yellow or red cards) for any incident that occurs off the ball. Fouls, on the other hand, can occur only while the ball is in play.
Basketball
[
edit
]
In
basketball
, most or any time play is stopped the ball is considered dead, such as when a foul has been committed and called by a referee, a foul shot has been attempted and another one is yet to be attempted, or the ball has gone out of bounds. Player substitutions may then be made.
Section IV of the NBA rule book contains the official definition of a dead ball.
[11]
[12]
[13]
Pickleball
[
edit
]
A dead ball is declared in the game of
pickleball
when any of the following occur; one of the players commits a fault, the ball hits a
permanent object
, or a
hinder
is declared. When a player commits a fault, the other side wins the
point
. If the ball strikes a permanent object, such as the net post, a referee, or fence, the ball is declared dead, but the point is awarded based on whether or not the ball bounced on the opposing side before hitting the permanent object. If the ball does not bounce on the opposing side's court before hitting the permanent object, the opposing side wins the point. If the ball bounces on the opposing side's court prior to hitting the permanent object, the side that last hit the ball wins the point. If a hindrance results in a dead ball, such as when a person, errant ball or other object enters the court, the serve is restarted with no penalty to either side.
[14]
Rugby league
[
edit
]
Each end of a rugby league field has a dead ball line; when the ball (or player in possession) crosses or touches this line, the ball is said to have gone dead. This results in a goal line drop out if the defending team had caused the ball to go dead; otherwise, a 20-metre restart ensues.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Goodell, Roger (2023).
"2023 OFFICIAL PLAYING RULES OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE"
.
nfl.com
. Retrieved
December 4,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Shaw, Steve (May 2023).
"2023 NCAA FOOTBALL RULES AND INTERPRETATIONS"
(PDF)
.
taso.org
. pp. 64?65
. Retrieved
December 4,
2023
.
- ^
"Rule 1 - Conduct Of The Game - Section 4 - Dead Ball - 2023 Official CFL Rulebook on CFLdb"
.
cfldb.ca
. Retrieved
2023-12-04
.
- ^
Baseball Field Guide: An In-Depth Illustrated Guide to the Complete Rules of Baseball by Dan Formosa, Da Capo Press; Rev Upd edition (April 7, 2008),
ISBN
0-306-81653-9
.
- ^
"Tropicana Field Ground Rules"
.
MLB.com
. Tampa Bay Rays
. Retrieved
11 May
2018
.
- ^
Branch, John (5 October 2010).
"Tropicana Field's Problems Will Be Reduced With New Ground Rules"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
11 May
2018
.
- ^
Blackburn, Pete (9 May 2018).
"WATCH: Rays' Adeiny Hechavarria suffers bizarre injury thanks to ball off Tropicana Field catwalk"
.
CBS Sports
.com
. Retrieved
11 May
2018
.
- ^
"Law 20 ? Dead ball"
. MCC
. Retrieved
29 September
2017
.
- ^
Osler, Don (2010).
Wisden's The Laws Of Cricket
. Random House.
ISBN
9781446406717
.
- ^
a
b
"Dead ball Law | MCC"
.
- ^
"NBA Rulebook"
.
NBA.com
. Retrieved
5 August
2011
.
- ^
"Dead Ball"
. Archived from
the original
on December 21, 2016
. Retrieved
December 21,
2016
.
- ^
"Mimi.hu"
. Retrieved
5 August
2011
.
- ^
Townsend, Stacie (3 April 2021).
"Pickleball Rules ? Faults & Dead Balls on the Pickleball Court"
.
The Pickler
. Archived from
the original
on 22 June 2021
. Retrieved
27 July
2022
.