All games are played by an arbitrary set of rules designed to encourage a particular kind of competition. New equipment, new tactics or simply increasing skill levels may undermine critical aspects of the balance or challenge of those games. Practically all sports have tweaked their rules over time to ensure that the game remains fair, challenging and enjoyable to watch.
In the early 1950s, the NBA had a serious problem with boring, low-scoring games. Once teams had achieved a lead, they tended to run out the clock by passing the ball between each other and playing very defensively. In 1954, they introduced the shot clock, which effectively prohibited these stalling tactics and was widely credited with saving the game as a spectator sport.
Golf has regularly changed the rules to preserve the integrity of traditional courses. Better clubs, better balls and greater athleticism were making many holes almost trivial for professional players. Rather than destroying their heritage by abandoning iconic courses, they chose to regulate the equipment. They haven't just banned new developments - in many cases, they prohibited equipment that had been used in competition for many years.
In the case of curling, the directional brush heads revealed a new way of using old equipment. Traditional bristle brush heads were thought to be obsolete, but turn out to be extremely powerful if they are brand new, very stiff and used in a specific way. This combination of factors may be detrimental to the game as a whole. I think that it's entirely reasonable for the World Curling Federation to consider a ban on certain types of bristled brush head.
It's worth contemplating the fact that the ban on directional brush heads came entirely from the players themselves - prior to the ban, 34 elite curling teams signed an open letter saying that they would not use the new technology.
A real nice, fictional example is the one in Quidditch through the ages by Kennilw... er, JK Rowling. A whole section is devoted to stooging, a tactic to overpower the goalkeeper that was eventually banned because it made the game too boring (not to mention dangerous for the goalies).
In the early 1950s, the NBA had a serious problem with boring, low-scoring games. Once teams had achieved a lead, they tended to run out the clock by passing the ball between each other and playing very defensively. In 1954, they introduced the shot clock, which effectively prohibited these stalling tactics and was widely credited with saving the game as a spectator sport.
Golf has regularly changed the rules to preserve the integrity of traditional courses. Better clubs, better balls and greater athleticism were making many holes almost trivial for professional players. Rather than destroying their heritage by abandoning iconic courses, they chose to regulate the equipment. They haven't just banned new developments - in many cases, they prohibited equipment that had been used in competition for many years.
In the case of curling, the directional brush heads revealed a new way of using old equipment. Traditional bristle brush heads were thought to be obsolete, but turn out to be extremely powerful if they are brand new, very stiff and used in a specific way. This combination of factors may be detrimental to the game as a whole. I think that it's entirely reasonable for the World Curling Federation to consider a ban on certain types of bristled brush head.
It's worth contemplating the fact that the ban on directional brush heads came entirely from the players themselves - prior to the ban, 34 elite curling teams signed an open letter saying that they would not use the new technology.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/top-curling-teams-say...