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Most states that have mercy rules waive this rule for a championship game. In most states, once the point differential is reduced to below the mercy rule-invoking amount, normal timing procedures resume until either the end of the game or the mercy rule-invoking point differential is re-established in Colorado, Georgia, and Kansas, the clock continues to run even if the differential falls below the threshold.

The rule varies by state for example, the clock does not stop upon a score in Colorado, Indiana, Kansas (regular-season games only), or Missouri (fourth quarter only). Plays that would normally stop the clock, such as penalties, incomplete passes, going out of bounds, or change of possession, would not stop the clock. In most states, the clock stops only for scores, timeouts (officials', injury, or charged), or the end of the quarter. That greatly decreases the amount of time taken for a game to complete, which reduces the leading team's chances to score more and the time that the trailing team must spend in facing an insurmountable deficit. For instance, in American football, one team could be ahead by 70 points with three minutes left in the first half in baseball, the better team could have a 20-run lead in the second inning, but the game would still continue.Īmerican football Middle and high school football Īt the middle- or high-school level, 34 states use a mercy rule that may involve a "continuous clock" (the clock continues to operate on most plays when the clock would normally stop, such as an incomplete pass) once a team has a certain lead (for example, 35 points) during the second half. Thus, one team, particularly if it is decidedly better than a weaker opponent, can still "run up the score" before the rule takes effect.

However, mercy rules usually do not take effect until a prescribed point in the game (like the second half of an association football game). The rules vary widely, depending on the level of competition, but nearly all youth sports leagues and high school sports associations and many college sports associations in the United States have mercy rules for sports including baseball, softball, American football and association football. It is especially common in baseball and softball in which there is no game clock and a dominant team could in theory continue an inning endlessly. It is common in youth sports in North America, where running up the score is considered unsporting. It is called the mercy rule because it spares further humiliation for the loser. For the 2002 film, see The Slaughter Rule.Ī mercy rule, slaughter rule, knockout rule, or skunk rule ends a two-competitor sports competition earlier than the scheduled endpoint if one competitor has a very large and presumably insurmountable scoring lead over the other.