Babylon's Burning

Ruts

Running up the score is a sports strategy that occurs when a competitor continues to play in such a way as to score additional points after the outcome of the game is no longer in significant question and the team is all but assured of winning. Sporting alternatives include pulling out most of the team's first-string players, or calling plays designed to run out the clock (e.g., in American football, kneeling or running the ball up the middle). Mercy rules are used in many amateur sports, which end the game when the score reaches a certain point. The most common negative consequences of running up the score are injuries to a game's starting players, lack of experience for the non-starting players on the team (in those cases where starters are left in a game w… more »