Goalposts

On the sporting field, goalposts are posts between which players must carry, kick or pass a ball or similar object in order to score points, or simply a goal. In many games, at each end of the field of play, there are two vertical posts (or uprights) supporting a horizontal crossbar. In some games, such as Association Football or Hockey, the object is to pass the ball between the posts below the crossbar, while in others, such as those based on Rugby, the ball must pass over the crossbar instead. In Gaelic football and Hurling, in which the goalposts are similar to those used in rugby, the ball can be kicked either under the crossbar for a goal, or over the crossbar through the posts for a point. There are other variants too. In Australian Rules Football, there is no crossbar but 4 uprights instead. In Netball, a single post at each end of the court supports a horizontal hoop that the ball must fall through. While in Basketball, where the hoop and associated backboard was originally supported on a post, the posts themselves have been done away in most cases, with and the hoop and backboard now being suspended over the court from a stadium wall or ceiling.

In business, the concept is more abstract, with some performance measure or target being set as a goalpost while achieving the target is often known as achieving a goal.

The expression "moving the goalposts", which means to make a set of goals more difficult just as they are being met, is often used in business but is derived from American football.

In American football, especially at the collegiate level, fans flooding onto the field and tearing down the goalpoasts [1] after an upset victory by the home team is a widely practiced - if dangerous [2] - means of celebrating.

See also

• Goal

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