US sports explained for fans everywhere: NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL rules, game length, playoff formats and stats in plain English. (Page 2)
18 articlesA power play is when one team has more skaters because the other is serving a penalty. Learn how minors, majors and double minors work, 5-on-3, delayed penalties and when a power play ends.
A hat trick in hockey is three goals by one player in a game. Here is what counts, why fans throw hats on the ice, the natural hat trick, the Gordie Howe hat trick and where the term came from.
A balk is an illegal pitcher motion with runners on base, and every runner moves up a base. Here are the main ways to balk, the penalty and its exception, and clear examples.
How NFL overtime works in 2026: a 10-minute regular-season period that can end in a tie, unlimited 15-minute playoff periods, and the guaranteed possession rule adopted in 2022 and 2025.
The infield fly rule makes the batter out on an easy pop-up with runners on first and second and fewer than two outs. Here is when it applies, why it exists, and what runners can do.
Fourteen teams make the NFL playoffs, seven per conference. How seeds 1 to 7 are set, why only the No. 1 seed gets a bye, reseeding, tiebreakers and the road to Super Bowl LXI.
Hockey has three 20-minute periods, but a game takes far longer than 60 minutes. Here is how intermissions, NHL overtime, the shootout and playoff OT add up in real time.
An MLB game is nine innings, but it can end after eight and a half, run into extra innings with an automatic runner, or be cut short by rain. Here is how innings work at every level.
An NBA game has four 12-minute quarters and 5-minute overtimes, yet takes over two hours. Here is how the clock works and how college, WNBA and FIBA games compare.
A football game has 60 minutes of clock in four 15-minute quarters, but takes about three hours in the NFL and longer in college. Here is why, with halftime, clock rules and overtime.
The average MLB game took 2:42 in 2026, down from more than three hours before the pitch clock. See times by season, what slows games down, and doubleheader and playoff lengths.
How fantasy football works: draft real NFL players, set a weekly lineup, and score points from their stats. Leagues, snake and auction drafts, PPR scoring, waivers, trades and playoffs.
American football explained from scratch: the field, four downs to gain 10 yards, every scoring value, the positions, common penalties, how a game flows and how to start watching.