Changing the rules

Football is set to consider extending the half-time break to twenty minutes, a franchising system is on the agenda in NASCAR, Formula 1 is exploring a revamp of its points scoring system, and the UEFA Cup will re-emerge next season as the Europa Cup. How important to sport is the regular updating of competition format, rules, regulations and points scoring systems? Do they help sport to retain its central appeal? Is something much more fundamental required to ensure that sports do not become too complacent? Or are such regular changes troublesome, needlessly causing competitors unnecessary problems? To what extent is change an important part of sport and a competitive challenge to those who participate in it? Does the current downturn provide a real opportunity for some sports to address the nature of their competition structures, rules, regulations and points scoring formats?