Editorial Policy: How All American Sports Cafe Checks the Rules

This page explains how All American Sports Cafe researches, checks and maintains what we publish. Our guides explain rules, formats and statistics, and they are only useful if they are correct for the season you are watching. Everything below exists to make sure they are.

Sources we rely on

Every rule, number and format we state is checked against an official or primary source before publication. In practice that means, in order of preference:

• The official rulebooks published by the leagues and governing bodies: the NFL rulebook from NFL Football Operations, the NBA and WNBA rulebooks, the Official Baseball Rules and MLB glossary, the NHL rulebook, the NCAA's playing rules, and FIBA's Official Basketball Rules for international basketball.
• Official league announcements of rule changes, schedules and records, published on league and team sites.
• League statistics pages for records and career totals, with the date of the figure noted.

Secondary sources such as news reports can help us find a fact, but they do not replace the primary source. When a primary source is not available, we say so, use cautious wording and avoid presenting an estimate as a rule. We do not invent statistics, quotes or records.

How we track and date rule changes

Leagues change their rules often: overtime formats, kickoffs, pitch clocks and shot clocks have all changed in recent seasons. We handle this in three ways. First, each guide says which season or rulebook edition its rules come from. Second, when a rule has changed recently, we describe the current rule first and then briefly explain what changed and when, so readers who remember the old version are not confused. Third, we review our guides when leagues publish new rulebooks or announce changes, and we update the affected pages.

Records and career totals change during a season. When we cite one, we say when the figure was current, for example "as of August 2026", rather than presenting a moving number as permanent.

Corrections

If we get something wrong, we fix it. When an error is found, by us or by a reader, we check the claim against the primary source and correct the page as soon as it is confirmed. Substantive corrections, such as a wrong rule, number or date, are noted on the page so readers know what changed. Minor fixes to spelling or wording are made without a note. To report an error, email [email protected] with the page address and, if you can, the rule or source that shows the problem. We read every report and reply once the page has been checked.

Independence

All American Sports Cafe is independent. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or paid by any league, team, governing body or player, and no outside party reviews or approves our guides before publication. League and team names appear only to identify the competitions we explain.

We do not publish betting tips, picks or odds. Our job is to explain how the sports work, not to predict results.

Our standards at a glance

• Every rule checked against an official or primary source.
• The season or rulebook edition stated for rules that change.
• Records and totals dated.
• Hypothetical examples clearly labeled as such.
• Real players named only for widely documented facts.
• Errors corrected promptly, with substantive corrections noted.

For more about who writes the site and how, see about All American Sports Cafe and our editorial team.