Stan's Blog

From the wish list

I wish the era of long-haired football players would end. Immediately. Completely. Permanently.

After another weekend of watching games on the gridiron, I continue to be annoyed with the increasing amount of players whose hair is so long it covers not only the name but also the number on the back of their jersey!

That was the case yesterday for a defensive lineman on the Bengals. I think he was No. 94. The dude looked like part football player, part Crystal Gayle.

Then you've got the whole dread-lock thing. The worst part is players are wearing bigger-sized helmets to account for their locks, which results in a loose helmet rolling on the ground after nearly every play. At what point will the coaches regain some control of these Whoopi Goldberg look-a-likes?

We need coaches who care enough to enforce clean-cut hairstyles. Whatever happened to coaches like that? You can bet Troy Polamalu or T.J. Houshmanzadeh never played for a coach like that.

Has none of these long-haired hippies seen the hair-do's of Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, or Derek Jeter? What about Peyton or Eli Manning? Heck, a professional hairstyle is something that even T.O. and Donovan McNabb can agree upon.

Call me old school, but I think you can tell a lot by a man's haircut (or lack thereof), especially when the man's job is to be part of a team. Some of these guys have missed it, but the goal of teamwork is to fit in, not to stand out.

I'm convinced there's a reason you don't see long-haired football players hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after the Super Bowl. And you don't see them in corporate endorsement deals either.

Here's to wishing we don't have to see them altogether.

posted by Stan W @ 1:09 PM