Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Will Roper, Lakeland, Florida — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:21:40 GMT

I do not understand why it has to be "the religious types" that is at the top of all "you can't behave like that" list. I know many "religious types" that don't care one bit about hair length. I personally believe more in the corporate and military "thing" rather than religious. HOWEVER, to me, everyone seems to miss this point. Our kids.... they look up to our pro athletes. I do not care what the "experts" say, kids look up to pro athletes. All you have to do is raise your own kids to discover this revelation. My question, do you want your children running around with hair a quarter way down their back or tat's covering both arms to the degree that their skin can not breath? I am all for individuality but I also believe some people, as public figures, have a responsibility to the public.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

David Maloney Portland, Oregon — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:57:19 GMT

I am not a religious fanatic, but I do like a clean look, I know it might sound petty, but you do have their name in the back for a reason. let them grow it as long as they want as long as their name can be seen. Please tell me what is wrong with looking clean at work, after your shift is done, go ahead and let your hair out.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Zac, Spearfish, SD — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:39:36 GMT

Get a life Roper. It's hair............

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Chioke Hassan,Baltimore,Md — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:53:01 GMT

Dear Mike
I think it would be more lame if they have a rule that prohibits road teams from celbrating in the middle of field at postgame.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Daniel, N. Royalton, Oh. — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:00:10 GMT

Lighten up Will. Having long hair is not hurting anyone. My children can run around with long hair-hair is not indicitive of character. You are right about the "religous types" always being singled out-I guess they are easy targets-it is not "cool" to be a man of faith.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Eddie Whitehead, Charleston, WV — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 03:47:10 GMT

Mr. Roper, children will not have hair growing down there backs or tats covering both arms unless the parents allow them to. I believe that public figures have a responsibility to the public, however we are responsible for raising our own children. We need to take some accountability and quit blaming society.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

T Kuta — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 03:54:42 GMT

If I work for someone and they believe my individualism hurts the company they have every right to ask me to do whats right for the team or face the consequences. The owners are the bosses not any one player and one players actions or inactions can destroy a corporate image to the point that it may never be overcome. They don't have to cut their hair, just don't play in the NFL if their hair is that important.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Matt, Seattle, WA — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 13:24:18 GMT

This is still the United States and individual rights are important. The league should stop the regulations at the 'uniform level' and not cross over to the players' bodies- those belong to the players and the players alone.

The military has a very good reason for mandating short hair- personnel do not have access to proper showers for extended periods of time in the field. For troop readiness they need to avoid lice, ticks, etc. from infecting soldiers and/or spreading through entire units. Last I checked, the NFL still had showers for the players in every locker room in every stadium.

As for the 'It's for the children' argument, each parent must take the responsibility for raising their children. If you find your child has a sports hero that has qualities you do not like, sit the child down and explain to them the what it is and why you do not like it. In the end, when they are adults, they too will make their own choices.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Christian, Taipei Taiwan, via Dana Point — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:13:41 GMT

<If the Chiefs want to clean up a mess on the sidelines, start with the way coaches dress.>

Actually, they should start with that DISASTER of a coaching staff and stop preaching / dictating what players wear and how they look. Concentrate on their training and mental health. Its a game, get off the soap box!

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Ronnie B, Houston, Texas — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:39:30 GMT

I hate to be an old fogey but players and people tend to get way ridiculous with fads. You know its just a matter of time before the guys compete for who has the longest hair. Unfortunately with the kinda cash they have to spend buying extensions and fake hair these guys will start looking like Rapunzel!! You know they will. They are highly competitive by nature and they will take it too far. So I won't be a total old fogey how about the length be not longer than the players middle back. So I guess I say "No" to the Hair Tuck rule. Go Texans!! Go Dolphins!! Go Bears!! Boo Colts, Patriots, Dallas and Raiders!!

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Jim Hudson Ohio — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:17:05 GMT

Cut the hair has nothing to do with "religious types", it has to do with the marketing of the game and the potential for injury. I agree the coached should clen up their act an dress professionally...where are you Vince "When Pride Still Mattered"

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

James Bowe, NYC — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:17:22 GMT

Will, what tragedy do you see befalling your children if they let their hair grow? They'll be much more successful in life if you give them some space. I was the only one of my friends in high school who had parents that allowed me to drink. In return they always knew where I would be, who with, and they were guaranteed that I would never get in the car with a drunk. I never did. I didn't drink often either, as it really didn't seem a big deal to me, the rebelliousness of it taken away by my parent's permission. I was also the only of my friends that did NOT do drugs. These results ARE typical. So back off your kids. And if you don't want them getting tattoos, don't worry, they can't afford it without your help anyway. Hair and tattoo's are not the things to be worried about. Instill character, work ethic, and morality in them. Then let them make their own decisions and mistakes, they'll be fine. I promise that Troy Polamalu's hair won't ruin their lives...

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Tim, West Michigan — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:31:28 GMT

Will Roper...
"...a responsibility to the public..." for what, exactly?

To uphold *your* view of morality, or what it means to be "upstanding"?

That's the very notion Mike is questioning here, so claiming that celebrities or athletes have a responsibility for something without justifying that 'something' is vacuous.

You speak as if you believe that everyone tacitly accepts long hair and tats are malignancies on our society... as if we all accept that such things are undesirable.

I don't care if my child has long hair. Ditto for tattoos (once the child is old enough to understand the permanence, etc.).

Did you have another argument other than what I would want for my child?

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Erin, Kansas City, MO — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:45:52 GMT

Do we really live in a society where this is still important? Aren't the religious/political/corporate schmucks who bleat for a very social dress code the same individuals who denounce socialism in all its incarnations? Gee, I can't wait to live in a world where everyone looks the same. As long as we're holding "public figures" responsible for our children's upbringing, why don't we just mandate haircuts and tattoo removal for everyone they might eventually come into contact with? What if their eighth-grade teacher, Miss Sweetiepie, has a butterfly inked on her ankle, or they're lucky enough to work in a casual environment where their boss sports bermuda shorts and a ponytail? What if you find out that sweet young man your daughter is dating happens to have some barbed wire snaking around his bicep? While we're at it, we could go ahead and sterilize every door handle, computer keyboard and phone receiver our children might ever come into contact with? Guess what - there are people your children look up to more than public figures, parents, and that's you. If you don't want little Johnny inked to the last inch and sporting dreadlocks, make your wishes known - and please, give a reason, and not just "because." If you have some sort of arbitrary (read: stereotypical) appearance standard, lay down the law. You are in charge, after all, aren't you? If your kids are too old for you to lay down the law, then consider that they have become the person they wish to be and mind your own business. I imagine, Will, that you were a scruffy establishment-fighter in your younger days too, and if you weren't, well, you may have missed the entire point of young adulthood.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Corey Koopman, Holland, Michigan — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:53:54 GMT

I beleive that if for some odd reason this rule does pass that players can not have hair hanging out of their helments we better be ready for what their hair will look like when the helments come off. If a player is trying to get attention with his hair, one way or the other he will. As for the hair being unsafe that is a joke and to whom propesed this rule must not even watch football. If you want to talk safety, tell me why hands to face of a lineman is illegal but when a running back hauls off with a monster stiff arm everyone cheers? Don't get me wrong I think the stiff arm should be legal but hands to the face is nothing more than a hand shake in the trenches and should be legal also.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

MarkK — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:00:58 GMT

I've been saying for too long now that the league should do something about the ridiculous hairlength under the helmet. If you want to look like a fool off the field then be my guest. But if I'm an owner or head coach I tell my players to "look professional on the field" or take a hike.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Tim, Schaumburg, IL — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:21:51 GMT

To Mike: another terrific article, as is to be expected when ripping the No Fun League. I wholly agree in particular with your comments about cleaning up coaches' appearances on the sidelines first (Belichick looks like an angry bum).
To Will: 1st I'm not a parent yet so my opinion loses that value, however at 24 years old, I'm not too far removed from being an impressionable kid. That said, if as a parent the biggest concern you have is your kids looking up to and emulating some athelete with long hair and tattoos, then bravo on your parenting. If you dont have to worry about things like drugs, alcohol, smoking, violence, gangs, or random crime than your kids are lucky.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Aaron — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:49:20 GMT

The NFL is becoming ridiculous.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Brian Wolf — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:33:59 GMT

Will,

I think you just proved Mike's point. I know a lot of guys with long hair and/or tattoos, and they're are no more or less moral than the short-hair-and dockers crowd.

Maybe, pro athletes have a responsiblity to conduct themselves in a positve manner. I just think your version of "positive" needs to move beyond the "Leave It To Beaver" era.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Ray M, Los Angeles, CA — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:22:38 GMT

come on everyone. You all make good points but this ain't the dern 70's. How many saw the movie the mighty Titans. It wasn't cool back then to have long hair because it was related to Hippies and anti war. Where we see now and understand why we have wars. Which I'm not going to get into if it's wrong or right, but let's be more specific. When Sunshine got on the field with his flowing blond locks and females where digging it. Guess who got jealous. The Dudes with the buzz cuts. LOL. But honestly we are refering not to Troy, Or to Jeremy Shockey, but they are attacking the dreds. Or dredlocks. Which is a culture and expression of self, and even religion called rastafarism that NFL has no clue about. The truth is most atheletes do tie up thier dreds or hair, but I mean traveling so often, and with the schedule the way it is do you honestly expect then to be maintained on a constant level.? No, so just let it be, and stop trying to mold pro atheletes into what you think thier image should be NFL coaches. I guess Michael Irvin is presentable because he has a low cut? But you ignore his character. HALL OF FAME is a shame..

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Eric, Denver, CO — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:08:51 GMT

The owners should be the ones who decide this. They pay these players millions to perform. If the player doesn't like it thats fine. They can try to find a job in the 'real world' where they get paid like they do and be idolized.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Tristan Knutson-Lombardo, Salem, Oregon — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:37:32 GMT

The idea of controlling how the players look is extremely problematic. Just like we've seen with the NBA recently, it feels like race (omg, no he didn't!) is key in understanding why the "short hair" proposal is troubling.

The NFL, like the NBA, is a league dominated by black players (over two thirds). These players, of course, are "overseen" by an overwhelming majority of white coaches, managers and owners. Yes, race is alive and well in sport, and seeing that so many of football players with long hair are Players of Color, it seems that this is a classic example of white supremacy. I mean, the NFL never objected in the 70's and 80's when a bunch of white dudes played with long hair. (Last time I checked, long hair still obstructed the name on the jersey back then too.)

And speaking of white supremacy culture, it seems that our idea of "looking professional" is pretty messed up. The fact that we parcel up, divide, and box-up what "professional" looks like screams a culture of supremacy to me--it only serves to essentialize and exclude people in order to form social hierarchies that privilege some while oppressing the rest. I mean, we don't get after the coaches for not looking "professional." But ooohh, that's right, they're white. I forgot that the rules of racial standing for whites shelter us from the hail-storm of accusations calling our appearance "unkept"--especially when we show up to work in sweats that we probably wore to bed the night before (yes, that means you Bill Belichick).

Yes, it would be nice if it was just a game, but sports are not immune to the social hierarchies that we find in society today. And is there no better, no more explicit example of racism then the proposed hair rule? I mean, you don't see Nike squabbling over Rafael Nadal's dark locks, or the MLB complaining about Randy Johnson's mullet... or did you already forget about Beckham's long hair in '04? This proposed rule is cloaked in racist sentiment, and I am deeply frustrated with the NFL for considering this. The NFL needs to stop policing its players appearance. And if the league was really concerned about appearance, how about it started to deal with the rampant steroid use, or the blatant displays of hegemonic masculinity that allow sexism, homophobia and racism to permeate the league, from the commissioner all the way down to the fans? Ditch the proposal...

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Paul Michaels, Scranton, PA — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:14:02 GMT

If a person has long hair, it doesn't automatically make them a bad role model, nor does having a short hair cut make that person a good role model. I present to you Troy Polamalu with long hair versus Terrell Owens with short hair. Now which one do you want your kids to grow to be like? When are we going to realize that the character and actions of the players are so much more important than what they look like? I'd bet that if the NFL did come down with some stupid rule to ban long hair, based on his actions to date, Mr. Polamalu would cut his and not make a big deal of it at all. Can you image Owens doing the same thing if the roles were reversed?

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Ray Stefl, Denton, TX — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:55:04 GMT

I hate the long hair! It is awful to see the hair covering the names and in some cases, part of the numbers. I even cheer against teams that have players with hair down the their ass. Besides, if it was their own hair it would be different. Most of the guys get extensions to make it that long. If the want to wear it long, let them grow it, than we can discuss it.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

JHD, Topsham, Maine — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:08:23 GMT

Believe it or not, some men (like myself) simply look better with long hair. Mine simply refuses to accept the law of gravity until it gets to about chin length. I suppose that a football helmet could keep it in check, but I don't think that wearing a football helmet in a symphony orchestra performance would go over too well with the conductor.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

thursday — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:45:20 GMT

i don't see any rule in the OT saying people have to have long hair and beards. once again mike, you prove yourself a real scholar. No one said anything about a connection between long hair and morals, and most of today's "religious crowd" doesn't really make that connection either. the nfl is trying to downplay individualism because football is, and always has been, a team sport. each team wears what is called a uniform. one doesn't have to be an etymologist to figure out that that word literally means "of one kind". If these players are wearing hair out of their helmets, that's fine and dandy. Diversity is always a good thing. but the NFL has the right to impose a dress code and personal appearance code, just like any other BUSINESS.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

Jon S., Richmond, Ca. — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:21:24 GMT

Hey Roper raise your children right and they won't follow after the sports and rapper types with the hair and the tats. They follow you, their father.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

John, Mooresville NC — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:17:05 GMT

For all of you who refer to the NFL as the NO FUN LEAGUE - STOP CRYING
Why do any of us care one way or the other? These athletes make millions in one year...something most of us will not see in our entire lifetime. Most companies have a dress code policy; and I would venture to say 83% of Americans are miserable in their jobs...I have no sympathy for these athletes, and if the owners vote for the haircut, I say shut the heck up and play ball, they are the ones signing their INFLATED paychecks. The NFL is becoming disgusting from the standpoint that these sissified athletes cry over issues that have absolutely no effect on the outcome or quality of life…Frankly, we should all find that offensive.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

John Doe, Seattle Wash — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:27:27 GMT

Anything that is visible reflects the image of your employer while you are "on the clock" and as such your employer has the right to dictate what is and is not acceptable in reflecting their desired image. If I work in a grocery store and they do not allow tattoos to be visible, a person with tattoos must wear clothing to cover them. This does not mean they cannot have tattoos, just not visible tattoos. Same with hair. If the policy states it must be of a certain length or contained to a certain area, then I must either cut it or contain it. That is called "corporate policy" and most people who work in the public eye, whether it is in a service position or an entertainment position that is controlled by a large corporation (when was the last time you saw a news reporter with long hair and visible body art, or body piercings?) are subject to similar policies. Big deal. I do not personally care if my grocery clerk has long hair and tattoos but most employers do. I really has nothing to do with an individuals "responsibility to society" it is just a way of projecting a certain image for the product they wish to sell. In this case the product is football, and in order to appeal to the broadest demographic they have to keep their image pretty close to the middle. They do not want to "mold the minds of our children" they just want as many people, adults and children, women and men, to tune in as possible. Believe it or not, they pay millions of dollars to marketing firms to find out exactly who they need to be catering to and what they need to do to increase their appeal. They do not just pull this stuff out of their hats, someone has done some research.

Hey, No Fun League -- let your hair down!

John Doe, Seattle, Wash. — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:25:12 GMT

Personally, Polamalu needs a haircut. Im all for having your hair do crazy things and bein rainbow colored, but it pisses me off when i cant even watch football for wondering how a cheerleader got on the team.

I wish they would regulate hair more and deregulate celebrating in the end-zone.

Celebrating is the shiz, ppl should quit bein sore losers and chill out and enjoy watching the dance skills they apparently dont have.

Cut your hair to at least above the shoulders and learn to celebrate your ability to score points on the field.

Geez does the No Fun League know how to mess things up.