Museum of unintended consequences/Exploiting sports rules

From CSWiki

In football, an incomplete pass stops the clock. So near the end of a half, if a team wants to get more plays in, it often throws an incomplete pass to stop the clock. Similar, in basketball, one team may foul the other as a way of getting possession of the ball. Risking a one point foul may be worth the possibility of a 2 or 3 point field goal.