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Football Zapper

Eliminate near miss controversies
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Whenever I am watching football (soccer) on TV I get very frustrated when the ball gets close to the goal. Sometimes the ball looks as if it has passed the line, when in fact it has reached the half way line and there is no danger of a goal, meanwhile I am jumping from my seat thinking it’s gone in the back of the net and no-one else has noticed!

However, if the goal mouth was electrified or fitted with some sort of force field in someway that would evaporate the ball, and viewers would no longer have this problem. Naturally, it would have no effect on the players; well perhaps bathe them in a nice blue or purple light.

The force field could be calibrated to take account of near misses (when the ball does not actually pass over the goal line) and would have the advantage of eliminating all those “was it a goal or not” debates.

FussyPedant, Mar 25 2007

cyclops http://news.bbc.co....3001000/3001768.stm
[po, Mar 25 2007]

Goalline Technology http://football.gua.../0,,2036818,00.html
Premiership to trial goalline technology [imaginality, Mar 25 2007]

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       Only vaporize? Nuh-uh. You've got to stick some proximity explosives in the ball. That'll show those refs.
croissantz, Mar 25 2007
  

       Welcome to the halfbakery, [FussyPedant]. The idea of having an electronic way to determine if the ball has crossed the goal line is a good one, and in fact, will be trialled in the Premiership in the 2008-2009 season (see link).   

       The idea of vaporising the ball with some kind of force field that at the same time would have no effect on the players besides bathing them in a pretty light, on the other hand, is a little less well-thought-out here. Generally, if your idea contains phrases like 'some sort of' and 'somehow', take it as a sign that it'd be good to rethink it and spell out more explicitly how you would achieve your goal (no pun intended), so it comes across as less of a 'magic' or wishy-washily vague idea.   

       A simpler solution to your problem (not that simpler is better necessarily, around here) could be to paint the halfway line a different colour to the goal lines: say, light blue for the halfway line, light yellow for the sidelines, and white for the goal lines.   

       Happy baking, though!
imaginality, Mar 25 2007
  

       [croissantz] is on the right track. If the proximity device detonated within a custard filled ball....
the dog's breakfast, Mar 25 2007
  

       Thanks for the welcome [imaginality]...[A simpler solution to your problem (not that simpler is better necessarily, around here) could be to paint the halfway line a different colour to the goal lines: ] Unfortunately the different coloured lines would not make much difference because of the optical illusion that occurs regarding the ball not the lines on the pitch. The pitch is fine, no problems with the pitch, my problem is with the ball!! If the ball was to be vaporised, there could be no quibble about who set off the goal sensors. Ball passes line, ball vanishes, therefore it's a goal.   

       [dog's breakfast][croissantz] genius x 2.   

       [boysparks] shades of quidditch?
FussyPedant, Mar 28 2007
  


 

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