A Perspective on the Sport of Polo
By Ron Allen
The time has come for polo to finally advance into this millennium with some serious rule changes that will not only enhance the experience for pros, patrons, and spectators and at the same time create an exciting, high speed, game that will have much more appeal to any potential TV audience. Right now, no one is watching the one or two games a year that make it onto television for two good reasons…the rules are too complicated and the constant foul calling make the game mundane.
Today’s polo is bogged down with pros that use their teammates to block opponents and then they continually stop on the ball. Once the team gets to midfield they hit toward a weaker player and end up with a foul and a free penalty shot. It’s boring, predictable, and uninteresting. Name another sport that has more than half the points scored in a game as the result of penalty shots. Only polo!
Changing directions after every goal with the worn out, weak, excuse of “wind, sun and field advantage” is laughable. After you make a goal the other team gets the ball for a knock in.
To have a throw-in when a player hits the ball out of bounds is another major cause of slow, boring, polo. Once again, only polo has such an antiquated rule.
Every two minutes a whistle blows and there is another long delay while the officials have a conference on who fouled and where they should place the ball. With just one mounted official and three sideline referees located at mid-field and at each 60 yard marker the game delays will diminish. How many times do the NBA officials delay the game every two minutes?
It’s time to go to eight chukkers that last 6 minutes each. The total playing time is exactly the same as six 7:30 chukkers. The average playing life span of a high goal horse has been cut in half because of the constant stopping on the ball. During the 1980s the game was open and running and a horse could last eight years instead of just four years.
The patrons need to be more involved in the game. If a zero or one goal patron scores a goal it should be worth two points. Then well see how many times they get told to “leave it”.
Any goal scored from outside of an 80-yard marker should also be worth two points. This will put an end to pros that deliberately slow down the play inside of 60 yards to try and get yet another foul called.
One final thought: you only need one thrown-in to start the game. The horses would appreciate it more than anyone else.
These suggestions are right on the money. Everywhere I go, I convince players to play with a knock-in after the other team scores and they love it.
Spot on. These are some well thought out ideas. What club has the “nads” to buck the USPA and go with it? My money says they will never change. What does everyone else think?
The rationalization of these ideas make a lot of sense. All we have seen so far is the Open on tv 2 months late and then only getting to see half the game and a bunch of commercials to promote polo.
Another group is trying to stream the games from New York and it’s very poorly done. No one seems to know what they are doing and all the rule changes in the world wouldn’t help them. Why is this going unchecked by anyone? I have a feeling it’s the same old attitude “well it’s better than nothing”. Really?
I’m not so sure I like the idea of 8 chukkers. All the rest of it is certainly worth considering. It seems to me that the Argentine pros have more control of high goal polo than anyone. Then again, the US doesn’t have any players that are going to make it to 10 anytime soon. Why is high goal dying in the United States? Can the clubs just changes the rules and just leave the uspa out of it?
Who ever got fouled has to shoot the penalty 2,3 or 4. The pros say that this will only encourage the pros to foul the sponsor more, I say it will not allow the sponsors to just buy their win, they must earn it. If the ball is hit out over sideline,it is a free hit in for opponent. Leave the change of direction in rules it makes you think when playing. leave that rule for the arena only. I have played on fields where they put the field east to west and in the afternoon sun it is really important to not be staring into the sun the whole chukkar.