:: Life on Planet Dan-E ::

:: Friday, March 28, 2008 ::

:: Nothing better to do? ::

Anyone who reads my blog knows I'm a huge football fan. I've followed my SanFran 49ers since the Joe Montana era. You might think I live and die during the months of October to January depending on how they do, which isn't too far from the truth. But at its core, football is entertainment, nothing more. It's one vehicle for men (and women) who follow the desire to be a part of something larger than themselves, however absurd, ephemeral, or sophomoric our devotion may seem to others. We love our teams, we love the sport itself, and we know that although Our Team may have lost in the playoffs/not made the playoffs/sucked so bad you wanted to disown them, life goes on and there's always next year.

That being said, what the FUCK is up with this shit?. Seriously, there's the Michael Vick issue, players out there causing shootouts at strip clubs, and players still trying to take steroids and other performance enhancing supplements but forget all that. Those long-haired bastards need to see a barber.

I mean, really? This is what the powers that be of the National Football League are going to discuss?

Granted, this is the merely the suggestion of one team president of one football team - Kansas City Chiefs president Carl Peterson- who by the way, hasn't been able to put together a winning team since Dick Vermeil retired a few years ago. But the fact that it's actually important enough of an issue that it'll be discussed during the NFL owner's meeting tells me that some people who run the league are incredibly shortsighted and out of touch.

Look, I realize that for me to get all riled up about something this trivial (from any perspective really, be it from team owners to the casual fan) is a bit absurd, considering there's so many other things out there that I can get riled up about. I know that there are other things that concern me more. But reading about this affected me in a way I can't exactly explain, and it's not just because I'm a football fan with long hair that's almost down to my ass (okay, maybe a little).

The NFL has had an image problem the last couple of seasons. Players testing positive for drug tests, several criminal convictions, players being caught with gun arsenals, and even allegations of cheating among the coaching ranks. This article argues my point more eloquently than I can (and gayer... seriously, "Waiting to Exhale" dude? Take a day off and watch "Caddyshack" or something) and I'll paste a few points.

...players wear their hair long for reasons beyond fashion or to be rebellious. For example, Pittsburgh Troy Polamalu does it as a tribute to his Samoan heritage and Jacksonville's Lamont Thompson as a way to remind himself to be patient. And as a man who has grown locks twice in my life, I can tell you starting them can be very spiritual and maintaining them a source of pride. Like fingerprints and DNA, no two heads of locks are exactly the same.

...No, I see it as another way to make corporations comfortable about the NFL because its image has taken a severe hit the past couple of seasons. Whitewash the personality so that the product is more palatable to a broader audience.

I'm going to wake up tomorrow and think about the day ahead and the upcoming weekend. I'm going to study for the upcoming wine test I need to take at my new job. I'll watch CNN and consider the upcoming election. And I'll probably wonder if I'll be able to wake up in time to get in some tennis Saturday morning. And even if some of my favorite players have to cut their hair to meet uniform standards, I'll probably still follow football with the same fervor as your average football freak.

But at least I have a modicum of an idea of what really matters.

Labels: 'roids, football, hair, rants

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 12:16 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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