From Play to Policy: Examining Rule Modifications in Sport Through Organizational Learning and Performance Feedback Lenses

Sport organizations (e.g., leagues, federations, associations) often modify their rules of play to address shifts in their internal and external environments. Previous research on rule modification in the field of sport management is limited by the scope of rules considered and explanatory theoretical frameworks used. This study leverages a computational approach to analyze modifications (births, revisions, and deletions) to an archival collection of 10,277 National Football League rules between 2001 and 2022. Theories of organizational learning and performance feedback are used to generate testable relationships between plausible goals, related performance outcomes, and subsequent rule modifications. The results provide an initial account of how and why sport organizations modify their rules over time. Notably, this study finds that organizations appear to learn strategic uses for different types of rule modifications to address specific deviations in performance relative to salient goals in sport. Implications for future research on rule management are offered.