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I've been growing my hair out for about 14 months, its about half way down my back, and a few weeks ago I tried out for my high school football team.
anyway, since the first day they have been telling me to cut my hair or i can't play. they said i'd have to cut it to shoulder length and the bangs above my eyes. the thing is, i want to keep my hair and play football, but i can't.
if i cut it to shoulder length then i might as well shave it off the way i used to keep it because the barbers wouldn't be able to mimic the way it grew out (the way i like it.) i know it won't take to long to grow it back, but i might quit football, not because it's hard but just because im not sure if i want to play it yet and in that case cutting it would have been for nothing.
so what do ya'll think, should i cut or not, or should i wait till i'm sure im gonna play, sorry if this sounds like im rambling, it just p---es me off that i have to choose my hair or football.
Hi Lupi,
I think that's weird that they want you to cut your hair for football. With all that gear you have to wear, there should be a way to keep your hair under control as long as it is. Well, others will have to advise you on the possibility or impossibility of convincing your football coach. Isn't there any football player in the whole NFL with long hair? That would be a powerful argument.
Or is it that they don't want to openly require all guys to have short hair, so they use sports as a pretext in order to get them indirectly to comply to that stupid rule? Are female football players required to cut their hair? I woudn't think that today you could offer football for male students only...
If that "forced choice" remains, and you like your hair, but are NOT sure how much you like football, then I'd just keep my hair long and move on. There are other sports like basketball, baseball, soccer, swimming, you'd know better than I could.
If, however, football is indeed the sports of your dreams, and if it is important for you to play football now, and if you can't appeal against those stupid rules, well, that's tough. Are or were you interested in football because you feel it's a cool sport, or do you just feel kind-of compelled to do football in order to be seen as manly, as a "real guy"?
Hope you find a way of dealing with all this that makes you happy (rather than just resigning yourself into the situation).
In any case, hope you simply can be yourself, whatever that means, and, happy growth, hair-wise and otherwise!
Hans-Uwe
i completely agree it is wierd that i have to cut my hiar if i want to play. my hair secures tightly into a ponytail, and would easily fit under all my padding or i could tuck it into my helmet too. i don't watch sports on tv so i wouldn't be able to find anyone with long hair. watching bores me, i'd much rather be playing.
if you mean our school doesn't want to openley require all boys to have to have short hair, i think that's true. our schools newest dress code has a bunch of junk about proper grooming of our hair, or at least thats what the coach said.we don't have any femlaes on the team currently, though i wish there were... but i think they're allowed to try out.
as far as the forced choice thing, ya i was thinking of quiting as of now. i just wanted to play for fun and to have something to do. as far as other sports, i dont think the school would trust me with a bat... and baseball is boring. i have friends on the swim team and they've all had there heads shaved.im on a recreational soccer team currently, there the ones ho kept makeing comments to me about playing football. i've actually thought about cheerleading, if you watch the show still standing, you know the points that the kid brings up are very logical in joining cheerleading.
i find football as challange and something to do in my spare time. i also wanted to play because people (with the exception of my soccer team and the teams i've played,) tell me i couldn't succed in it if i had to.
i guess i have to do a bit of soul searching to find out what i want to do.
thanks fo the reply.
Exactly, there is no issue here except in the coaches' minds.
Read this from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11150277/ e.g. :
His coaches aren’t about to tell him to pick up a scissors, either.
“I’m not sure how much that hair weighs,” Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said, laughing. “As long as it doesn’t slow him down, I don’t care. He can grow it another foot if he can get another interception.”
Regardless how the Super Bowl turns out, Polamalu has no barber in his future.
“I don’t know when I’ll cut it again,” he said.
Troy Polamalu is an awesome football player. he's one of the best defensive players in the league, and just won a super bowl ring. and, he's got the longest hair in the NFL.
it's too bad that your coach won't let you play with long hair. obviously, in reality, having long hair is not a detriment to your game like your coach seems to think it is. maybe you can reason with him?
i've checked with all the coaches from the freshmen to the varsity team. they all say the same thing. the thing that gets me is that one of the freshmen's best players hasn't been told to cut his hair since the first day, and i get it every day. his hair is longer than mine! as far as reasoning goes, i think im gonna have to get alot better before they'd let ME try reasoning with them. unfair dont ya think?
Hi Lupi,
I don't think you have to prove to your peers that you CAN play football - I'm sure you can. If you enjoy the challenge, well, that's another thing. - I like it that you'd rather play yourself than just watch a game - that's extremely healthy.
By the way, it is possible that the school sport hair rules are illegal - you could check with the local ACLU chapter. Will your parents support your intention to keep your hair AND do the sports you want?
And, apparently, Dean has found out something else...
Best wishes!
Hans-Uwe
you're right, i don't have to prove to my peers that i can play, it's more because it's fun andi love a challange than anything. my parents would support me. my mom doesn't like my hair or me playing football, but she'd support me. my dad was an allstar high school football player about 20 years ago, and he had hair past his butt. so ya, he supports me and agrees with me that this new rule sucks. oh, how would i be able to check at an aclu chapter, and what is that?
Hi Lupi,
ACLU is the American Civil Liberties Union, at www.aclu.org. There is one other organization, the "Gender Public Advocacy Coalition" or www.gpac.org . Their approach is a bit different from the ACLU approach - they'd see long hair as a protected way to express male or female gender identity.
Good luck, and be yourself!
Hans-Uwe
Assuming that it is a written rule (I'd check into it if I were you) then you have to decide which is worth more. Being that football is a team sport it isn't too surprising that coaches would place a premium on conformity unless this is all out of concern for safety.
ya, im gonna check to see if i can look in a copy of a rulebook for it on monday. they say its for safety, but i say there full of bull----. my dad and most other males in my family have played highschool football, and everyone of them had had there hair past shoulder length. sorry, don't know where i was goning with this...
A hard choice in one way but it is long enough to keep in a very safe tail or bun so it should not be an issue.
If however it is some neanderthal coach whose life was in the military wanting to impose his view of the world then it is difficult to see a way round. So far as I am concerned the answer would be NO but I cannot decide for you. Indeed i would offer him some choice abuse for his trouble.
well, we have about 6 different coaches, and they all are on my back to get it cut, and some of them look too young to have been in the military. but ya, if i do end up quiting, you can bet i'll give them heck for it. oh, by that i dont mean i'm gonna get in trouble, but i am gonna do all i can to get to him within the schools rules.
Stick it out - they are just trying to impose something they have read about
dude...i think the quarterback for the pittsburg steelers has long hair. and zakk wylde had long hair in high school and had his bangs cut and he probably played football while he had long hair. really, if you had to get it trimmed the cut bangs look can be cool depending on who you are. i wouldnt cut my hair if it was me though.
thanks, i'll do some searching for info on those people. the bangs thing don't really workout well for me though, so ya...
thanks for the help.
if they dont let you play because of your hair, isnt that breaking some kind of law?
Your coach needs to visit the eye glass store and get new
glasses. Just today I was watching the highlights
of the Patriots first pre-season game.....and there was
a player with long hair stick out of his helmet.
There are several players with long hair in the NFL,
Long haired NFL player
Presumably they will be trotting out stories on team bonding and the all American 'clean' footballer.
Have a look at the long-haired Juan P. Sorin.
uh, sorry, i meant american football. thanks anyway.
You can't presume these things. On most of this planet football means association football. This is not the America Wide Web! The word 'World' is in there for a reason.
again im sorry. i noticed that. thats why i said "sorry" in my last message. i just don't know what to call the sport so the rest of the world can tell. well, actually "american football" might work. personally i play soccer too. they have never once hassled me about my hair. again, thanks. but please dont reprimand me after i've apologized. it was a mistake to just say "footbaall" and i know that now.
Sorry, I didn't mean to be harsh.