what's with all this hair?

[jchamp]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Meanwhile, consider that the player is on the football field only a tiny percentage of his time; so he's supposed to change the way he looks during the entire football season just to conform with your idea of how he should look on the field? Besides, what difference does it make to the game how the players look? They have uniforms to tell the teams apart, that's all you need.

People change the way that they look in order to do their job all the time. The military is the most obvious example but many civilian jobs require strict grooming and appearance standards, and most professional environments will at best look down on persons displaying poor grooming and hygeine habits. As an official I am expected to shave and maintain a conservative haircut, exercise and maintain a clean uniform, as well as a professional appearance when in uniform. I even work with officials who wear skin-colored armbands to conceal tattoos on their arms during games. We're all beholden to certain requirements for various reasons.

Entertainment professionals maintain strict diets, exercise, and alter their grooming or make other adjustments to their bodies because directors or some other person in authority demands it. Football players are just another breed of entertainment professional. As it is, they already spend a vast majority of their time training and conditioning their bodies and minds for their sport, to maximize performance and minimize personal risk. By having and maintaining long, flowing locks of hair, they slow their running--thus hampering their performance--and put themselves at risk.

I'm not saying it should be illegal. I'm just saying it's stupid.

[bkdow]

what is we had a ZZ Top type beard? Can I tackle him by the beard and what if is mouthguard comes out because his beard was wrapped in it. Do we have facemasking? Wow, think of the rules we could come up with if we just thought more like the IRS!

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by bkdow

what is we had a ZZ Top type beard? Can I tackle him by the beard

Yes but they'll call you a Rough Boy.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by jchamp

People change the way that they look in order to do their job all the time. The military is the most obvious example but many civilian jobs require strict grooming and appearance standards, and most professional environments will at best look down on persons displaying poor grooming and hygeine habits. As an official I am expected to shave and maintain a conservative haircut, exercise and maintain a clean uniform, as well as a professional appearance when in uniform. I even work with officials who wear skin-colored armbands to conceal tattoos on their arms during games. We're all beholden to certain requirements for various reasons.

Entertainment professionals maintain strict diets, exercise, and alter their grooming or make other adjustments to their bodies because directors or some other person in authority demands it. Football players are just another breed of entertainment professional. As it is, they already spend a vast majority of their time training and conditioning their bodies and minds for their sport, to maximize performance and minimize personal risk. By having and maintaining long, flowing locks of hair, they slow their running--thus hampering their performance--and put themselves at risk.

I'm not saying it should be illegal. I'm just saying it's stupid.

Exactly. Nothing says the kid has to cut his hair, but it's pretty stupid to play with long hair.

Regulating the tackles based on hair would only encourage more players to grow their hair long, which would be a bigger safety risk, even with a rule in place.

[APG]

Originally Posted by jchamp

Entertainment professionals maintain strict diets, exercise, and alter their grooming or make other adjustments to their bodies because directors or some other person in authority demands it. Football players are just another breed of entertainment professional. As it is, they already spend a vast majority of their time training and conditioning their bodies and minds for their sport, to maximize performance and minimize personal risk. By having and maintaining long, flowing locks of hair, they slow their running--thus hampering their performance--and put themselves at risk.

I'm not saying it should be illegal. I'm just saying it's stupid.

I somehow don't think having long hair is slowing anyone in a football game at all. The only thing, performance wise, one could argue is being slightly easier to tackle from behind.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by APG

The only thing, performance wise, one could argue is being slightly easier to tackle from behind w/o getting a horse-collar penalty.

added a little something......

[Robert Goodman]

I think there's an actual example here at 3:24 -- Girl football player is fast and fun to watch! - YouTube -- but hard to tell because it's overcranked. It does look, however, like her head was pulled around. I don't see a flag coming out.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by APG

I somehow don't think having long hair is slowing anyone in a football game at all. The only thing, performance wise, one could argue is being slightly easier to tackle from behind.

You're discounting both the sheer weight of the hair and the increased drag coefficient.