History Main / GretzkyHasTheBall

** SNL itself was guilty of this in a 2013 sketch featuring host Melissa [=McCarthy=] as Sheila Kelly, the aggressively abusive womens' basketball coach at fictional NCAA Division III school Middle Delaware State (parodying former Rutgers mens' coach Mike Rice). In an interview clip, the school's athletic director tries to defend her behavior by pointing out that the players are receiving a free education via athletic scholarships. Division III institutions are prohibited from giving out athletic scholarships.

* {{Bottom}}: Culture [[PlayedForLaughs plays it ƒor laughs]] and [[UpToEleven takes it up to eleven]] with chess. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_g_ZbGquSM It wasn’t going to go well with Richie insisting on playing a game he attmitted he didn’t know how to play…]]

* In PiersAnthony's ''[[Literature/ApprenticeAdept Blue Adept]]'', protagonist Stile is a marathon against the much larger Hulk [[note]]Which would've normally been an advantage for Stile, except due to his exploits in Phaze, he was in no condition to run any major distance.[[/note]] Stile set off, using a technique by which he kept his head down, concentrating on the race path and trying not to psych himself out with the looming distances. Any experienced runner will tell you this is a horrible idea: keeping your head down like that will cause you to lean forward, throwing your body out of optimal running posture, causing you to use more energy per stride, and pretty much negating any psychological advantage not looking up would bring. Granted, [[FridgeBrilliance it's possible Stile knew that,]] but figured by the time things took their toll, the game would be won or lost. But most likely a case of sloppy research.

** In the ''HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' movie, Harry starts out as the white-square bishop but clearly delivers checkmate while traveling on a black square diagonal. While his starting square is not directly shown, the king-side white bishop always starts on a white square.

* The movie ''It Happens Every Spring'' is about a college professor who discovers a wood-repellent compound and uses this discovery to become a successful major league pitcher. The movie never addresses the fact that applying any kind of foreign substance to the ball is cheating of the most blatant variety. Even more surprisingly, none of the umpires or opposing players seem the least bit suspicious of all the physics-defying things that the professor's pitches do. FridgeLogic makes this even worse - the rules also state that the balls used all come from the same pool, not that teams get to throw their own balls. If you coated the balls with a substance that made them dodge bats, they'd be dodging your team's bats, too. Enjoy that 0-0, extra inning game decided on walks, stolen bases, and wild pitches.

'''Peter''': Wrong position.\\

[[caption-width-right:314:The free-throw line! The goalposts! The MoralEventHorizon! The outfield! [[MovingTheGoalposts The goalposts]]! SPAAAAAAARE! Oh, but that is ''not'' [[ThatMitchellAndWebbLook Numberwang!]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}} Initiate MULTI-BAAAAALL!]]]]

** The Flying V is illegal because the Ducks ahead of the puck are directly impeding the opposing players; that's interference.
*** Actually, moving picks and other forms of non-contact obstruction are completely legal in hockey. They would only be called for interference if they initiated contact. If the defender initiates contact against a player without the puck, HE gets called for interference. The real reason that the Flying V is never used in real life is that it's a really stupid formation: all the defense has to do is gang up on the lead man and they either steal the puck easily or force the V offside.

* Golf movie climaxes almost always involve the "golden rule of golf": [[BizarreAndImprobableGolfGame Play the ball as it lies]]. This is customarily presented as an immutable law of physics, even when such a play would make a golfer's body contort in ways that would make a member of CirqueDuSoleil scream in pain. Apparently, the writers have never heard of the "unplayable-lie" rule, which, in real life, can be taken for any shot, even one safely in the fairway. It does carry with it a penalty stroke, and you can't use it to get yourself closer to the hole, but you can do it.

* Ghoulia has one in an episode of ''Franchise/MonsterHigh'' where she challenges the Dodge Ball team. Using her calculation she drops the ball and kicks it into the ventilation system which shoots it out hitting the walls and hits all the players. Anyone familiar with the game of dodge ball knows full well that if the ball hits anything aside from another person (such as the floor or walls) the ball is considered out of play and cannot be considered an out, so the ball was out of play just as she dropped the ball. But still the show treats it as if she won.

* Ghoulia has one in an episode of ''Franchise/MonsterHigh'' where she challenges the Dodge Ball team. Using her calculation she drops the ball and kicks it into the ventilation system which shoots it out hitting the walls and hits all the players. Anyone familiar with the game of dodge ball knows full well that if the ball hits anything aside from another person (such as the floor or walls) the ball is considered out of play and cannot be considered an out, so the ball was out of play just as she dropped the ball. But still the show treats it as if she won.

* In a 2009 game between the Bengals and the Browns, broadcaster Rich Gannon debated whether the Bengals should run down the clock before kicking an overtime field goal, so as not to allow the Browns time to return a kick. His broadcast partner helpfully reminded him that NFL overtime is sudden death.[[note]]Up until 2012, all NFL overtimes were pure sudden death. In 2012, the rules were changed to allow for both teams to possess the ball if the first team only scores a field goal. However, since Gannon mentioned running down the clock, it is likely that both teams already possessed the ball and so the period would have progressed to sudden death.[[/note]]

** One case that's surprisingly accurate happens in MarriedWithChildren; Bud dresses up as the [[MaskedLuchador "Bumblebee"]] in order to sneak himself and Kelly backstage of wrestling event. Eventually Bud ends up in what's obviously supposed to be a SquashMatch against real life pro wrestler King Kong Bundy.[[labelnote:*]]Ironically, the whole reason Bud snuck backstage was to get a picture with King Kong Bundy in order to join "No Ma'am"[[/labelnote]] King Kong is initially polite to Bud and agrees to go easy on him when he notices how nervous he is. Unfortunately, Bud ends up tripping in the ring and accidentally trying to to pin Bundy when his back is turned, leading Bundy to think Bud was playing a fast one at which point he proceeds to completely demolish him.

** In the opening for ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S06E19RedZoneCuba Red Zone Cuba]]'', Mike and The Bots are playing "high stakes" bingo and Magic Voice calls out "B-37." On standard Bingo cards, B holds numbers 1-15. 37 would be under "G".

* When SarahPalin resigned the Alaska governorship, she described herself as a "point guard"...and [[{{Metaphorgotten}} then it]] [[http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/07/07/its-on-point-guards-vs-sarah-palin/ got weird]]. The fact that played as a point guard in high school and majored in sports journalism just adds to the absurdity.