fumble
Let an agent explain the fumble as a game event, relay how the rulebooks define it and what follows, and keep it apart from muffs, incomplete passes and the everyday sense of fumbling.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Rule How the event is defined.
Definition
Possession and loss.
Definition
Possession and loss.
- What counts as possession and control before a loss of the ball becomes a fumble? definition
- When is a runner down so that a lost ball is not a fumble? boundary
League differences
Rules by league and level.
League differences
Rules by league and level.
- How do the rules differ between professional, college and Canadian football? provenance
- Which rulebook edition applies to the game in question? provenance
Boundaries What a fumble is not.
Muff
Touching a ball not possessed.
Muff
Touching a ball not possessed.
- How does a muff differ from a fumble? boundary
- Which kicks and passes can be muffed? definition
Incomplete pass
The passing arm question.
Incomplete pass
The passing arm question.
- How do rules separate a fumble from an incomplete forward pass? boundary
- How has that rule been revised over time? provenance
Aftermath What happens after the ball is loose.
Recovery
Who may recover and advance.
Recovery
Who may recover and advance.
- Who may recover a fumble, and when may the recovering team advance it? definition
- What happens when the ball goes out of bounds? definition
Review
Officiating and replay.
Review
Officiating and replay.
- How do officials and replay review rule on a possible fumble? action
- What evidence is needed to overturn a call? measurement
Records Statistics and history.
Statistics
How fumbles are counted.
Statistics
How fumbles are counted.
- How are fumbles, fumbles lost and forced fumbles recorded? measurement
- Which source holds the official record? provenance
Notable plays
Famous fumbles.
Notable plays
Famous fumbles.
- Which fumbles are cited as historically significant? provenance
- Is the account sourced from an official or reputable record? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Activities and processes
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- ACT
- Domain
- ACT.EVT
What it is Filled
In American and Canadian football, a fumble occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring, leaving the ball live so that either team may recover it.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain the fumble as a game event, relay how the rulebooks define it and what follows, and keep it apart from muffs, incomplete passes and the everyday sense of fumbling.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Requires prior possession and control, unlike a muff
- A forward pass that is not caught is incomplete, not a fumble
- The ball stays live, unlike a play ruled dead when the runner is down
- Recovery by the defence is a turnover
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Present one league's rule as universal.
- Claim to overturn or confirm an official ruling.
- Use fumble data to support match-fixing or betting manipulation.
Only with a human decision
- Any official ruling on a play.
May
- Explain the rule and cite the rulebook and season used.
- Summarise fumble statistics from official records.
Moral aspects Filled
- Contact in loose-ball scrambles carries injury risk.
- Statistics shape player reputations and contracts, so they must be accurate.
Who is affected
- Players
- Officials
- Fans and bettors relying on accurate records
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns the event; the league or governing body defines it and the officials rule on it.
Master systems
- League rulebooks
- Official game statistics
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q1706492 - registry parent class
related
- turnover - when the defence recovers
- muff - a muff is touching a ball not yet possessed
- incomplete pass - a key replay question
- gridiron football rulebooks - definitions differ by league and level
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.fumble
- Wikidata: Q2721589 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2721589)
- Wikidata: Q2721589 registry item
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
- kind: game event note
- sports: American football, Canadian football note
- outcome: ball remains live; recovery by either team note
Plane ACT: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Ball comes loose from a player who had clear possession
- Ball is loose before a knee, elbow or other body part touched the ground, or before the player was ruled down
- Players from both teams scramble for the loose ball
- A ball carrier losing the ball, often when hit, with the loose ball on the ground and players from both teams diving for it.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain the rule
- distinguish a fumble from a muff or an incomplete pass
- explain recovery and turnover
- relay how fumbles are recorded in game statistics
- describe how officials and replay review rule on them
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Pile-ups for loose balls can injure players
- Misapplying one league's rule to another
- Confusing the sports term with the everyday sense of fumbling
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Official playing rules of professional leagues in the United States and Canada
- Collegiate and high-school football rulebooks issued by their governing bodies
- League instant replay rules for reviewing fumbles
Context of use required Filled
- fumble recovered by the offence
- fumble lost (turnover)
- forced fumble
- fumble returned for a touchdown
- fumble out of bounds
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q2721589: fumble - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Fumble - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should league-specific fumble rules be separate entries?
- How should the everyday verb sense be signposted?
- How should rule changes by season be versioned?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q2721589/spec.json