Dec. 16, 2002

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The following is from the most recent issue of the magazine.

By Mick Mixon

Let's change the rule that says the play is over when a college football player slips down untouched while in possession of the ball. In the NFL, a ball carrier is not down in bounds without contact by the defense and that rule makes for some great plays and exciting moments! Why should the whistle blow a college play dead just because a receiver or a back drops to one knee to make a catch with no defenders around, or slides on a muddy spot in the open field?

Let's change the rule whereby teams kick off from the 35 yard line. The most boring play in football is the touchback following a free kick, and the modern day soccer style kicker thumps too many kick offs deep into and out of the end zone. Why not move it back five more yards to the 30 and bring the exciting kick off return back into prominence?

Let's change the rule that creates a "legal clipping zone" around the line of scrimmage. Because of its great potential for injury, blocking below the waist should be made illegal across the board in college football. The smaller schools will squawk because they'll say they can't recruit the big, strong linemen like the powerhouse schools. That is a legitimate point, but it doesn't outweigh the safety issues that blocking at the knees and ankles creates.

Let's change the rule that forces college football coaches, players and fans to live with blown officiating calls. If a game is televised, why not take advantage of the instant replay capability that cameras provide? If the game is not televised, no problem. We just do without replay! After all, replay is used for certain situations in televised college basketball games. Let's do the same thing for football!

Let's change the rule that makes it okay for fans to bring the goal posts down. Hey, I know. If a huge win for the home team seems imminent, the home team operations crew throws a switch that sends a nice sized electrical current to the uprights and cross bar. It wouldn't be hard to do. Clip clip here, clip clip there, and presto! Electrified goal posts! Even liquored up, Fraternity Freddy might not be so eager to play jungle gym if a sign on the bars said, "DANGER. HIGH VOLTAGE."

Let's change the rule whereby the media picks the All-ACC teams. Assistant coaches live this stuff year round. Aren't they, with their film study, scouting reports and hours of game preparation, much more qualified to select the best players? And what writer or broadcaster can truly identify which interior linemen had the best year?

Let's not expand the Atlantic Coast Conference in the foreseeable future. A nine-team league allows everybody to play everybody once in football and twice in basketball and that adds so much to the fairness and collegiality of the conference. And what would a football conference title game bring to the league? Some TV money? Sure, but it would also be another chance for an ACC team to lose and drop out of the national championship picture. Besides, who wants to go to Syracuse, New York twice a year, anyway?

Let's change the basketball timeout contest where someone gets picked out of the stands to hoist up a half court shot for a prize. Make every adult male contestant sign a form indicating that if he embarrasses his gender by not even getting his shot attempt to the free throw line for crying out loud, he has to donate fifty bucks to the UNC Children's Hospital or the charity of his choice.

Let's change the rule that permits unattractive, temporary, "soft signage" in the Smith Center and at Kenan Stadium but disallows small, tastesful, light blue and white words like "Coke" or "Carlyle" or "BMW" to flank the scoreboards on a yearly basis. Your athletic department badly needs the revenue. The world didn't come to an end when ads adorned the court and the basket standards for two Pre-Season NIT games in the Smith Center, did it? And doesn't it seem hypocritical to draw a "that's not our culture" line between a car dealer banner paraded out to mid-court and a scoreboard ad for the identical company?

If you take this magazine, you ARE our culture. What are your thoughts on this issue?

And what "Let's change the rule" ideas do you have?

I'm at mmixon@tarheelsports.com and I always enjoy hearing from you.