Tom:  The wussification process continues to metastasize across college campuses. One example of this is a rule in college football – and what sport conjures up more images of manliness than this? – that imposes a 15 yard penalty on a team if one of its players “celebrates” a great play.  After all, to celebrate is to affirm the joyous nature of achieving something, a response that reinforces those awful urges to pursue self-interest. Such penalties are so atrocious that, if a player begins celebrating before he gets to the end zone for a touchdown, the score is negated.

I was watching a college game yesterday – between Nebraska and Northwestern. Northwestern seemed to have assured victory when they went ahead 24-21 with less than a minute to play. The Nebraska team – led by a third-string quarterback – got up to the 50 yard line with but 4 seconds left in the game.  The quarterback threw a “Hail Mary” pass some 60 yards, and it was caught for a touchdown that won the game for Nebraska.  The quarterback and the TD receiver were each seen running around the field, jumping and shouting for joy at what they had just accomplished. Had there been 2 seconds left in the game, the officials would have been certain to penalize Nebraska for “celebrating.”  As it is, I imagine one or more of these officials having a sleepless night wondering how, once the game was over, they might have been able to punish the Nebraska team for unlicensed exuberance.

But it’s worse than that. In the name of political correctness, many college teams – particularly in football – have taken to wearing pink uniforms (I haven’t seen any lace as yet). Players who thought they were wearing gold and black uniforms for the glory of Boll Weevil State, were discovering that they were playing for a new alma mater: Breast Cancer Awareness.  I suspect such foolishness will get even worse next year.  I can just imagine the color green being substituted for the traditional college colors on behalf of Climate Change! In time, perhaps, teams will be expected to wear a red cross on the front of their helmets – as in the old M*A*S*H movie – on behalf of Obamacare!

The Best of Butler Shaffer