Two controversial, but currently legal, weapons in the world of sports are the topic of a lot of conversation with potential bans looming. Of course, I’m talking about the Eagles’ famed Tush Push and the suddenly-in-the-limelight torpedo bats utilized by the Yankees. But which could go first?
DraftKings Sportsbook provided some HYPOTHETICAL odds on the question, with the Tush Push the current favorite.
The tush push being banned by the NFL is currently a slight favorite over torpedo bats being eliminated from baseball 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZaIsmmFGm6
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) March 31, 2025
This makes sense as reports coming out of the NFL Owners Meetings suggest that there is “support” for the move to ban the hotly debated play. While there is currently no data suggesting any additional injuries because of the play, the Packers listed player safety as one of two reasons for their proposal to ban the play. Bills head coach Sean McDermott on Monday also discussed player safety in explaining his support for the ban, citing the added force of the play and the posture of the players as being his key concern.
#Bills HC Sean McDermott says being “proactive” on banning the tush push to prevent injuries, even if the data is not there now, is the best way to proceed: “We’re going to always act in a way that’s best for the health and safety of the players.” pic.twitter.com/sHCPRIsKh8
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 31, 2025
However, others, such as Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, came out against banning the play, with Ryans saying it’s hard to punish a team for being really good at something. Ross Tucker, host of the Ross Tucker Podcast, says it’s kind of embarrassing for the other NFL teams looking to ban the play because they can’t do it as well as Philly. And Ross finds the claims of player safety concerns comical. But if the play does get banned it just turns the Super Bowl champion Eagles and their offensive line into legends, because they were so good at pushing the other team around that their favorite play had to get banned. And at the end of the day, Ross says the Eagles are smart enough where they’ll still find a way to be the most effective QB sneak team in the NFL even if the Tush Push is banned.
Tush push ban?!?!?
Got a LOT to say about it in latest Ross Report™️ presented by https://t.co/niap51Af6F pic.twitter.com/TxReYh5sth
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) March 31, 2025
On the other side, torpedo bats suddenly joined the conversation after an offensive onslaught from the Bronx Bombers over the weekend. For those not familiar, torpedo bats are completely legal, designed by an MIT physicist and defined by an unusual barrel custom-made for each player, which places more wood in an area more likely to see contact.
Yes, the Yankees have a literal genius MIT Physicist, Lenny (who is the man), on payroll. He invented the “Torpedo” barrel. It brings more wood – and mass – to where you most often make contact as a hitter. The idea is to increase the number of “barrels” and decrease misses. pic.twitter.com/CsC1wkAM9G
— Kevin Smith (@KJS_4) March 29, 2025
The Yankees have utilized the torpedo bats to great effect, scoring over 30 runs and mashing 15 home runs thus far this season. Former Marlins president David Samson said on Nothing Personal with David Samson that it’s almost as if people have forgotten what the job is of a baseball team – to find every advantage that the other side doesn’t want to see done. Pitchers are always looking for ways to get the hitter out — be that strategies, grips, sequences, etc. At the same time, hitters are in meetings to try and figure out ways to beat the pitchers and do the single hardest thing in sports — hitting a baseball. David says every team, not just the Yankees, spends time, money and resources to find ways to help their hitters hit better and to make it so their pitchers limit the opponent’s hitters’ odds of success. He says it’s up to the commissioner to maintain equilibrium and to ensure that we’re not legislating away intelligence and that everyone operates under the same set of guidelines and rules as outlined in the rule book.
David wants to make something crystal clear: THERE IS NOTHING ILLEGAL ABOUT TORPEDO BATS. Hard stop. They may look different, they may lead to a different result at the moment, but they are exactly in compliance with the requirements for bat dimensions in the MLB rule book. But he says everyone is talking about it because the Damn Yankees have found a way to do it again. And it goes back to what has been a key issue for Commissioner Rob Manfred — the disparity in money spent OFF THE FIELD to improve a team’s product on the field, such as expanding front offices and hiring MIT physicists. He says all we do in everything we do is try to take the rules we’re given and gain an advantage. As the Dodgers and Yankees always say when it comes to payroll, they’re not doing anything wrong, they’re just operating within the system. So in David’s mind, the Yankees spent money they’re allowed the spend to develop something they’re allowed to develop that is being used by everyone for the sole purpose of doing something better. And that’s the exact type of innovation that should be incentivized, not punished.
So what’s going to go first — the Tush Push or torpedo bats? It feels like the smart money is on the Tush Push, but should either of these innovations really be thrown out of their games? It feels kind of lame to be honest. You want to beat the Eagles? Beat the Eagles. You want to silence the torpedo bats? Pitch better. But it seems like the squeaky wheel is going to get the grease and the Tush Push will be sent to the dust bin of history. And if the Yankees make it to October despite all their injuries and deficiencies, the torpedo bats might not be far behind.
