During football and lacrosse season, male athletes may find
themselves conflicted about which hairstyle they should go with before their
respective seasons begin, as some professional athletes have set a trend of
long hair styles.
The majority of players tend to keep their hair on the
shorter side, which may be due to lower maintenance requirements of shorter
hair. However, there are a surprising number of athletes that make the
conscious decision to keep a longer hairstyle.
“[Long hair is] something to [display], it’s an accessory. It [exhibits] what you have, and what others can’t grow,” said junior football player Jimmy M.
Athletes may choose to keep their hair long, as a symbol of
pride and glamour. Longer hair may also be interpreted as a form of endurance.
For example, in the hotter days, players with longer hair show off their
tolerance by handling a sweatier and hotter helmet.
“I would say that [the risk of lice increases], and the hair traps the sweat, so once you take the helmet off, you have a lot [sweat] bundled up in your hair,” said senior football player Robert M.
In regards to health, athletes may choose to keep shorter hairstyles to mitigate the chances of any type of skin rash or hair pest, such as head lice. Players may even be tempted to ridicule longer-haired players, saying that they are ‘try-hards’ or suggest that they are unsanitary.
“When you wear a football helmet, if you have long enough hair, sometimes you have to wear a headband because if you put the helmet on, it pushes the hair to the front of your head, and covers your eyes,” said Robert M.
However, some athletes dismiss the idea that longer-haired
players are more prone to obtaining lice or skin rashes. Many long-haired
players say that having long hair in their helmets is an aesthetic choice.
“[Getting lice] is a stereotype. I’ve never gotten lice,” said Jimmy M.
Despite the hassle of maintaining a good-looking long
hairstyle, some athletes believe that the effort required to maintain said
hairstyle boosts their conviction when preparing for a game.
“I really don’t have an issue with [athletes who choose to have long hair]. It’s usually just more of a hassle for them because they have to put their hair back,” said Robert M.
Regardless of personal opinion, sports officials, such as
coaches or assistants, have the final say in regards to issues of safety
concerns.
“We encourage our players to have a ‘clean’ hairstyle during the season. Meaning, hair that does not come out of their helmets due to the fact that it can become a safety issue for them if they are going to be tackled. We do have some players who have hair that does come out of the back of their helmets and we do not penalize them for this. However, our main concern for all of our players is personal safety and we look to eliminate anything we feel may be unsafe,” said varsity football coach Jeff DiLorenzo.l
Salvatore D.
Published December 2017