Everyone loves a superstar and there are plenty of them in sports. They captivate our imagination and are the lasting image that we often remember from an era.

Superstars also simultaneously draw the admiration and ire of fans. As time has gone on in sports, more and more fans complain about the things that star players are allowed to do on the court. For those that aren’t familiar, the average professional player has to follow the rules that the league has set. But when it comes to superstars, they seem to have a different set of rules to go by. What do they call these rules? Well, there isn’t a specific name, so why not call them the Superstar Rules.

The Superstar Rules are when the normal games rules don’t seem to apply to a particular player because of their status. For example, in basketball, when you are on offense and you have possession of the ball, you cannot use your off hand to push off a player to gain an advantage. But in one of the most famous plays in NBA history, one of the NBA’s greatest players, Michael Jordan, used that very move to seal the deal on the Bulls’ sixth championship and second three-peat:

If you look at that play in slow motion, Michael used his left hand to push off on Utah Jazz small forward Byron Russell. If that would have been Byron Russell making that move against Jordan, there is no way that Russell would not have been called for an offensive foul in that moment.

But the Superstar rules don’t just apply to basketball. The Patriots’ Tom Brady, who some consider one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, has gotten a few questionable calls to go in his favor. For example, check this call out here:

The rule in the NFL is that you cannot go low on a quarterback and make a tackle. And if you make contact, that is a personal foul. But in this instance, Terrell Suggs clearly did not touch Tom Brady. The superstar quarterback was just coming off an ACL tear the previous year and because of that and the fear that he could get injured again, the referee got baited into throwing the flag. Clearly, he got the star treatment here. If that would have been a lesser quarterback, Minnesota’s Christian Ponder for example, and he would have had the same reaction that Brady had there, I believe the only penalty on that play would have been one that was thrown on the quarterback for his reaction to show up the referee.

These two examples are just a sampling of what the Superstar Rules are. Basically, the gist of it is that the rules only apply to a certain extent.  You may see a star travel or double dribble in basketball. You may see a star quarterback throw the ball away and break the Intentional Grounding rule. Heck, you may see a cornerback mug a defensive back all the way down the field. But if that player is a superstar, be prepared for that play not to go your way. After all, the superstar has the clout. They have been deemed to reach a level of greatness that allows them to get those calls or non-calls.

So, what do we make of the Superstar Rules? Are they fair? Of course they aren’t fair. But are they supposed to be fair? If you are a superstar, more often times than not, the call is going to go your way. That is just the way it is. If you aren’t a star, you need not waste your time trying to convince the referees or officials that the call should have went the other way because you are not going to change their minds. You would be better served just making sure that the game is out of reach enough to where the magic of a superstar cannot take it away from you.

If you have any sports questions or need any sports information, feel free to hit me up on Twitter (@General_MP) or hit me up on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MikePatton32482).

Previously: Inside Sports With The General: Two Harbaughs, Two Big Decisions
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