In every major sport, points and scores are the most crucial aspect of competition. Most sports have conventional ways to score—like touchdowns in football, goals in soccer, or baskets in basketball—but sometimes, unique circumstances lead to rare and unusual scoring outcomes. These moments can surprise fans, change the momentum of a game, or even become legendary. Let’s explore some of the most unique and fascinating scoring possibilities across major sports.
1. Football: The One-Point Safety
In American football, scoring typically follows well-established patterns: touchdowns (6 points), field goals (3 points), and extra points or two-point conversions. But there’s one scoring outcome that’s so rare most fans will never witness it—the one-point safety.
This unusual score happens during a point-after-touchdown (PAT) or two-point conversion attempt. If the defending team gains possession of the ball (such as by intercepting a pass or recovering a fumble), retreats into their own end zone, and is then tackled for a safety, the scoring team earns one point instead of the usual two points that a defensive safety would net.
The one-point safety has only occurred a handful of times in football history, primarily in college games, making it one of the rarest scores in the sport.
Other Unique Football Scores:
- Two-Point Defensive Conversion: This occurs when the defense intercepts a pass or recovers a fumble during a two-point conversion attempt and returns it the length of the field for two points.
2. Basketball: The Rare Four-Point Play
In basketball, scoring is usually done in increments of two or three points. However, the four-point play offers a thrilling twist. A four-point play occurs when a player is fouled while making a successful three-point shot, and then converts the subsequent free throw.
While not as rare as some of the other unique scores in sports, the four-point play is still a crowd-pleasing, game-changing moment, given the combination of skill and the extra chance that comes with the foul call. Players like James Harden and Jamal Crawford are known for pulling off multiple four-point plays during their careers.
Other Unique Basketball Scores:
- Full-Court Shot: Scoring a basket from beyond half-court, usually at the buzzer, can be an incredible way to finish a quarter or win a game. While not a separate scoring category, it’s an extraordinary moment when it happens.
3. Baseball: The Walk-Off Walk
Baseball’s scoring is based around runs, and most people are familiar with ways teams score, such as hitting a home run or driving in a run with a base hit. However, one of the most unique and anti-climactic scoring methods is the walk-off walk.
A walk-off occurs when the home team scores the winning run in the bottom of the final inning, but when that winning run is forced in by a bases-loaded walk, it’s particularly rare. In this case, the batter is awarded first base, the runner on third base automatically scores, and the game ends in a walk-off without the ball even being hit.
Other Unique Baseball Scores:
- Inside-the-Park Grand Slam: A batter hits the ball and, rather than the ball going over the fence for a traditional grand slam, they circle the bases due to fielding misplays or their own speed, scoring all four runs without the ball leaving the park.
4. Hockey: The Own Goal
In hockey, scoring usually happens when a player shoots the puck into the opposing team’s net, earning one point for their team. However, one of the most unusual and unfortunate ways to score is an own goal, where a player inadvertently scores on their own team.
Own goals are incredibly rare in hockey due to the speed and complexity of the game, and they often occur as a result of miscommunication or poor luck. Since only a small fraction of goals are scored this way, they’re memorable when they happen—and even more so when they occur in critical moments like playoff games.
Other Unique Hockey Scores:
- Goaltender Goal: When a goalie scores a goal by either shooting the puck into the opposing team’s empty net or being credited with a goal due to the opposing team’s deflection, it’s one of the rarest and most exciting moments in the sport.
5. Soccer: The Golden Goal
Though the golden goal rule has been phased out in most soccer competitions, it remains one of the most unique and impactful ways to score. The golden goal was a sudden-death rule in extra time where the first team to score would immediately win the game. This made the golden goal a thrilling but intense way to decide matches in tournaments like the FIFA World Cup or UEFA Champions League.
While the rule is no longer in use, its legacy remains, and fans remember the dramatic finishes it produced when in effect. For example, David Trezeguet’s golden goal in the UEFA Euro 2000 final secured France’s victory over Italy in a stunning fashion.
Other Unique Soccer Scores:
- Own Goal: Like hockey, own goals are rare but devastating in soccer, where one misplayed ball or defensive miscommunication can give the opposition a crucial advantage.
6. Tennis: The “Golden Set”
Tennis scoring involves a sequence of points, games, and sets, but the golden set is one of the rarest and most perfect accomplishments in the sport. A golden set occurs when a player wins an entire set without losing a single point, winning 24 straight points to secure the set 6-0.
Given the high level of skill required from both players in professional tennis, golden sets are extremely rare. To date, there have only been a few recorded instances in the Open Era of professional tennis, making it a nearly impossible feat that requires complete dominance over an opponent.
Other Unique Tennis Scores:
- Five-Set Tie-Break Marathon: In some tournaments, particularly in Grand Slam events, long fifth-set tie-breakers can stretch on for hours. The most famous example is the 2010 Wimbledon match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, which ended with a fifth set lasting 138 games.
7. Golf: The Condor
While many people are familiar with a birdie (one stroke under par) or an eagle (two strokes under par), few have heard of the condor, the rarest of all golf scores. A condor is a score of four strokes under par on a single hole, meaning a hole-in-one on a par 5 or completing a par 6 hole in two shots.
Condors are extremely rare due to the sheer difficulty of making such a score, particularly on par 5 holes, which are usually over 500 yards long. Only a handful of condors have been recorded in the history of the sport.
Other Unique Golf Scores:
- Double Eagle/Albatross: Scoring three strokes under par on a single hole, such as making a two on a par 5, is incredibly rare and celebrated almost as much as a hole-in-one.
8. Cricket: The Six off a No-Ball
In cricket, a six is awarded when a batsman hits the ball out of the field without it bouncing, scoring the maximum number of runs from a single hit. However, when this occurs off a no-ball (an illegal delivery by the bowler), the batting team is also awarded an extra run, making it an unusual seven-run hit.
While scoring six runs is common, achieving six off a no-ball and collecting an additional bonus run is quite rare and requires a combination of timing and the bowler’s error.
The Magic of Uncommon ScoresWhile the bulk of scoring in sports follows predictable patterns, it’s these rare and unique scoring moments that create unforgettable memories for athletes and fans alike. Whether it’s the shocking nature of an own goal, the perfection of a golden set in tennis, or the unlikely circumstances of a one-point safety in football, these unusual scores stand out in the history of sports and remind us why we watch: for the moments that defy the ordinary.
Learn more at: https://www.topendsports.com/resources/rules/scoring-systems.htm