Marion Barber, Troy Polamalu, and Others: A Hairy Situation in the NFL

Would Bob Marley’s mug be plastered on countless dorm rooms if he were sans dreadlocks? Possibly. Would the Predators have been able to throw Arnold around and hunt the Aliens as though they were pheasants without the dreads? Debatable. Would Sampson have been able to slay an entire Philistine army with a donkey’s jawbone had he been without the flowing locks? Certainly not. As the NFL aims to eradicate the ever growing manes some players are sporting, what words would describe a clean shaven player such as Troy Polamalu? Standardized, homogeneous, conforming, bland. For all you Madden gamers out there, how excited were you the first time you saw cyber Ricky Williams truly look like his real world counterpart, complete with flowing dreads? For me, the Dolphins’ running back went from a generic character to the bruising power runner he once was. Cutting the dreads out of the NFL will mean that players will lose their individual flair. Not only would a rule ... (link)