Rules of Engagement: Second Installation

It's time for installation #2 of our official mockery of the history of rule changes in volleyball. There have been zillions of changes, and we'd like to make fun of each one, as well as tie them in to American society at the time. These are actual rule changes that have been made to the game.

1953 - Players were allowed to use any part of the body to play the ball: Long overdue repealing of above-the-knee rule, now that America was safe and free to injure themselves in any way they saw fit. It was an exciting time: the Corvette was introduced, a woman broke the sound barrier, and Lucy gives birth to Ricky Jr. as 68% of all TVs tune in to watch. Capitalizing on that newfound excitement, rulemakers say "Hey! Everything goes!"

1957 - Balls could be played off obstacles: Gyms were very small in the '50s. The term "crackerbox" originated in this decade. The Boston Garden was originally the size of today's mediocre middle school arenas. Most of America's raw materials were being used to build thousands of neighborhoods that all looked the same.

1960 - Gloves could be worn during play: Glove baron Clyde Isotoner exerted considerable influence upon American society at the beginning of the '60s, successfully persuading volleyball's governing board to adopt this odd rule. Some say that it was Clyde's glove designs that would later inspire artist Andy Warhol to do his greatest work.

1968 - Balls must be played above the waist: Upset with the Great Glove Debacle, volleyball developed a new no-nonsense attitude, which many believed to be a reaction to "dirty hippies" who many felt were ruining the game, what with their free love, which in the sport led to something called "free contacts." In response, nothing below the waist was talked about, nor permitted on the volleyball court. Players were encouraged to keep theirs eyes above the net.

1976 - Double hits were prohibited on any type of dig: This rule change can be directly linked to Watergate and it's extensive fallout. People were immensely distrustful of authority, of "the Establishment." Volleyball's governing board saw that they were being equated with that Establishment, and agreed to relax the rules of volleyball in order to gain the trust of its constituency: gymrats.

1984 - Player could make multiple contacts of a team's first hit if there was only one attempt and there was no "finger action" on the ball: "Finger action." One of the vaguest concepts to ever be introduced to the game, left open to the interpretation of all levels of referee across America. It's this rule that turned Andy Banachowski's hair gray. But the rule comes into effect just in time for USA setter Dusty Dvorak to mangle the ball just enough for USA to take the gold.