Wire
How instant-replay challenges work in the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL
A coach in the NFL gets two. A manager in baseball gets one, or two if the first succeeds. The differences are in what can be reviewed.
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Independent desk. Figures are traced to named sources and corrections are logged — see the editorial policy.
The general desk. Comparisons across leagues sit here, and so does the stream of short stories that arrives from the newsroom's automated feed.
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Wire
How many games each league plays: 17, 82, 82 and 162 explained
The length of a season is a product of how hard each sport is on the body, and how many dates an arena or stadium can fill.
Wire
How the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB drafts differ in rounds and order
Seven rounds, two rounds, seven rounds and twenty. Three of the four leagues use a lottery to set the top of the order.
Wire
Hard cap, soft cap or no cap: how the four major leagues limit payroll
The NFL and NHL have a firm ceiling. The NBA has a cap with exceptions. MLB has no cap, only a tax on exceeding a threshold.
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Wire
Overtime in the four major leagues: how NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB games are extended
Ten minutes, five minutes, a three-on-three shootout, a runner on second base. Each league ends a tied game in a different way.