After watching a few too many superhero movies, I was left to wonder about how the formal rules of various sports would react to the actual appearance of superpowers and similar fantasy/SF phenomena.
While one could argue that sports would rapidly change their rules if and when such phenomena became public knowledge, there is precedent for discussing "rules as written", since things do not generally change overnight, and there is the possibility of someone revealing that they have superpowers months or even years after winning a competition (while a sports league could make a rule today saying "Starting 2019, no Kryptonians without a waiver", it's hardly fair to retroactively revoke Clark Kent's high school gymnastics awards from the 1940's). There is even a long-running blog whose purpose is to discuss theoretical real-life legal issues that fictional superheroes might face.
Would such questions be acceptable for this site? If so, how could they best be phrased?
Example questions:
- I am a fifty-foot tall NBA player and can dunk baskets across the entire length of the court. The opposing coach says that my presence is unfair, but I cannot find any "maximum height" rule in the rulebook. Am I allowed to play?
- Strictly speaking, do years of eligibility for NCAA athletics attach to the player's body or to their consciousness?
- Does the Marine Corps Marathon have a speed limit?
- I have made a deal with a powerful extra-dimensional entity. In exchange for helping him open a portal to his planet, he has agreed to rig Wimbledon in my favor. My coach says this is cheating, but my lawyer says it is no different than praying before a match. Who is correct?
- Do to gamma ray exposure in the womb, I Hulk Out like Bruce Banner when I get angry. Is this condition considered a qualifying disability for purposes of eligibility to participate in Special Olympics?
- I am a member of the Great Race of Yith who has temporarily occupied the body of a human being in order to learn about human sports. Would using my vastly superior intellect while competing in this body be considered a Poor Sportsmanship violation according to the rules of the International Cricket Council?
- My body was vaporized in the Battle of Procyon 7. The Great Computer downloaded my consciousness into a new body, but made a mistake and put me in the body of a man. Am I still considered to be a woman for the purposes of playing in the WNBA?