@ErikDarling A few things have happened over the years
Some things that come to mind immediately:
late 2019 - the Monica incident
late 2020 - we stopped allowing questions from unregistered users here
during 2020 - Microsoft moved from MSDN/TechNet forums to a new Q & A format site and started promoting it (and SO) for questions more aggressively than they had in the past
2020 - 2022 Covid changed work practices somewhat with more people using online collaboration tools than previously
None of that changes the raw numbers (even if you start accounting for closed questions and other potential quality indicators) but they seem relevant to me
@ypercubeᵀᴹ it's almost certainly a bug/configuration error, but I'm too lazy to bother
@PaulWhite I think it's also self-limiting to a degree. All the most common questions get answered, harder questions aren't suitable to the format, and you get an institutional base of users that is somewhat daunting to newer contributors.
It's two parts of 45 min each + extended time (decided by the referee near the end of each part, usually 3-5 extra min)
when it's a cup/elimination game, like the ones left at the World Cup, there can't be a draw. If the score is equal, there are two extra parts (15 min + ext. time each).
If the score is still equal, we have the "penalties". Each team choses 5 players and they kick one penalty each against the opposite team's goalkeeper.
If the score is still equal after the 5, one more player from each team is chosen and they kick 1 more penalty.
And it continues until the game is decided.
According to wikipedia, the longest penalty shootout ended at 25-24, after 27 penalties from each team.
