I was watching outside the lines on ESPN before I went to chruch Sunday morning and they had a interesting topic about hair. These high schools in Texas, the coaches believe that the players should not wear cornrolls(braids ie, ALLEN IVERSON) or even an afro that they felt is too big. Two coachs were white and the other coach was black. And they all felt that the hair style did not fit the teams dresscode. They felt everyone should look alike, you know like a team. One coach even admitted that the young men looked like THUGS with their hair braided. The young men and their parents defense was that the children are just expressing themselves through their CULTURE. The parents are even threatening by taking the coaches to court. Some of the parents and critics feel that the situation is racial, and not being sensative to the childrens feelings. My opinion, I do not know if I can call it racism, but I personally think that it is crazy to have that much control over your players. I am a education major, and I deal with young people every day. Being a THUG is what society labels them, but it is far from the truth. I think that these young men should be allowed to wear thier hair how they want to, becuase it is not affecting the team. I am up for any other opinions to help me look at this situation differently. What do you think?
Someone at my school has a pretty big fro. He usually braids in into corn rows, but he'll have a big fro sometimes. He plays football, and as far as I know the coaches don't care, though one of my coaches sometimes makes fun of him. (hey, did you stick your finger in a light socket.) I remember seeing him with his helmet on with some hair coming out. It was pretty funny looking.
Since when does cornrows make you a thug? Last I checked, everybody who commits a crime doesn't have cornrows. That's like saying every white guy who is bald is a skin head, it's just ignorant people who see one culture of people with a style, they don't like the style, so now that culture that has that style are criminals, or thugs, or gang members, or murderers or something, it's stupid. I agree with you young24, these kids should be able to wear their hair anyway they want
Personally I don't care, but if a team has a "dress code" it needs to apply to everyone. In other words no long hair, no braids, no corn rows, etc. Make it simple and easy for anyone of any race to follow so there will be no distractions.
Just like all other trends and fashions, they run in cycles. Afros and braids have come back just like bell bottoms, pedal pushers and everything else. It doesn't make you a thug or anything, thats clasic stereotyping.
i am all for allowing people to express themselves however they want. I think if the criticisms are racially motivated then they are certainly wrong. However, if it is a team policy, then it is a team policy. I played 4 years of high school sports (basketball included)and I always got hassled about the length of my hair (i am white), so I really think in most cases it is a conservative issue more than a racially motivated issue
I agree, I wouldn't have a problem at all if it was a team policy. But one of the coaches said that it makes the players "look like THUGS", and that is the problem I have. How does having a hairstyle make you looke like a thug!?
I wish it were more acceptable for a white guy to wear corn rows, hell, I'd do it, seems like a no fuss kinda style.
Cornrolls: Tasty snack or insidious invasion of Japanese society into the minds of America's youth. YOU DECIDE.
They're going to sue??? The last time I checked, team sports were a voluntary activity. If you choose to play then you subject yourself to the team's rules. These rules are in the SOLE discretion of the coach (so long as they don't violate district policy). When I played for my junior high...I had to wear a tie to school EVERY away game day. They wanted us to show up at the other school looking professional and respectable. If I didn't wear a tie I was suspended from the team and not allowed to make the trip. There's nothing wrong with rules and standards that are set up by a coach. The coaches run the team...not the students. That's a big problem in this country is that every time rules are set up, people look to sue and change the rules. This shows our young people that authority figures are not to be obeyed or followed. Sure there are times when authority must be questioned. It is the exception rather than the rule. Currently, it has become the rule.
Although I'd prefer the neater look, I don't have a problem with the rows. The same way I don't have a problem with tattoos and earrings. Now guys that highlight their hair, whew, that's a different story.
i had a good friend who was a software engineer at Dell. One day he told me he was going to put corn rows in his hair. I was really surprised and asked if that was acceptable at Dell. He took offense to my statement and said I was being racist. I told him I just didn't think it was a "professional look." Its the same reason I didn't wear my earring when I went to work. Nothing to do with racism, just professionalism. Since its not a common look in the software industry (and neither are earrings on males), I didn't think H.R. would take kindly to it... Needless to say he went ahead with it. He looked great in the hairstyle and said he received nothing but compliments at work from men and women. Go figure! Maybe I should have worn an earring at work.
I agree with you, which is the main reason why stupid rules like "No cornrows or afros" should be discouraged. The coaches are undermining their own authority by focusing on something that has no real bearing on the performance or perception of the team. By nitpicking on their players' appearance, they make themselves look more like control freaks and less like educators. Of course, it is their team and they can do what they want. But getting fussy over someone's hair will only limit their own success.
I think Corn Rows make a person look like a thug and probably make people perceive them as thugs, but I personally know the way you wear you hair has no direct corralation (sp?) to the way you act. Dreads don't make you a Rasta mon Corn Rows don't make you a thug Long hair doesn't make you a pot smoking hippie Mullets don't make you white trash But they may make you be perceived as one. {*mullets may make you white trash, so proceede with caution}
This year not withstanding, the Yankees are usually pretty successful, and don't they have some strict appearance guidelines? I think they made Giambi shave, for instance, and none of their players have that "tailpipe mustache" facial hair. By the way, I would rather any guy try corn rows, or eat corn rolls, before growing the cliche goatee, (aka tailpipe, prison p*$$y, etc.)
