There’s a reason that rules and laws exist. We get that. Sure, sometimes we chafe under the authority of bosses or government or society, but without rules and laws, our perfect little society would devolve into some bizarre violent scene out of Waterworld, with roving gangs of urine-drinking Kevin Costners wreaking havoc on the post-apocalyptic landscape. There is no in between.
(Daywalker.)
But sometimes, man…sometimes rules are just stupid. Like, really stupid. Like, “it’s-illegal-to-hunt-camels-in-Arizona” stupid (no, that’s not actually the law). See that kid right there? That’s 12-year-old Graham Bartunek, and all he wants to do is play football. But unfortunately, the stupid rules of the Oconomowoc (WI) Department of Parks and Recreation are getting in the way. Sometimes, rules were made to be broken.
Young Graham is different from the other kids. See, Graham is albino. Anyone who’s ever seen the movie Powder can see that this might pose a problem for the lad. He’s different, he’s unique, and he just wants to play football. But because he is supersensitive to sunlight, he needs to wear a tinted visor during games in order to avoid hurting his eyes. That wasn’t a problem when Graham lived in Kansas City, but now that his family has relocated to Wisconsin? Yeah, according to WTMJ, that’s where the stupid rules come into play:
City officials said the tinted face shield violates federal safety standards, because players’ eyes have to be showing, but the family doesn’t understand why an exception can’t be made because of Graham’s disability.
“The face shields are allowed in football. The NFL allows them. We have a doctor’s note to justify the need. It’s about vision. It’s about sun exposure,” Paul said. For now, Graham wears sunglasses to play, but he says they frequently fall off, and the sunglasses only protect his eyes, not the skin that is greatly sensitive to the sun.
Now, forgive us if our civics class information is a bit rusty, but we were under the assumption that federal regulations apply to the whole country. So if said federal regulations allowed him to wear a tinted visor in Kansas City, then those same federal regulations should allow him to wear a tinted visor in Oconomowoc. Furthermore, the Americans With Disability Act says - as far as we remember, which probably isn’t all that much - that the city must make a reasonable accommodation for the kid.
But as anyone who’s ever had to deal with municipal government lackeys knows, things are never that easy. Some poor linear-minded functionary in a cubicle somewhere in city hall says that The Rules can never be broken, bended, amended, or differently interpreted, and so we find ourselves at an impasse.
The city needs to be careful, though. As anyone who watched teen movies in the mid-1990s knows, the last thing the city wants to do is anger an albino kid. You just never know what kind of powers he might have, or how he might get his revenge…
11:26 am on September 16th, 2009
If the locals say no, then no it is. Next thing you know, powder is dead from heat exposure, dont albinos have decresed sweat glands? let the white terd play madden 10, maybe if his paretns didnt do drugs during childbirth, maybe whitey would be normal.
11:28 am on September 16th, 2009
That is ridiculous. There are so many legal things the family could probably pursue. Who is a city parks and rec. director to say what is safe and what isn’t if a medical doctor has cleared this kid to play? Let him wear a visor
11:36 am on September 16th, 2009
Hey “Doc D” how about this. You are a complete dumbass.
11:50 am on September 16th, 2009
Why not just wear tinted rec specs? Eric Dickerson rocked the goggles… should be good enough for a 10 year old.
The rule against visors is intended to allow medical personnel to check the pupils of an injured athlete without moving their head or neck.
11:53 am on September 16th, 2009
Doc D you are an idiot. Also, I live in this community and part of the facts are not in the blog. This came about because the AAYFL (the youth football league that Oconomowoc belongs to) would not let him play with the visor last weekend. They are the ones that are not allowing it - the city is only following their rules. The commisioner of the AAYFL (aayfl.org) and his lackeys are the ones that do not want to budge on this issue. They are saying it is a safety issue. The other piece of info that is missing is that the helmet that was provided by Rydell (from the league) was purchased knowing that he needed a shield AND the entire face mask on the helmet lifts up - which means you can EASILY see the kid’s eyes if need be. This is a case of a board of directors making a VERY BAD decision where one player is concerned. They need to do the right thing and let him use the shield to play!
12:04 pm on September 16th, 2009
Thanks for the additional info, FballMom06. Having dealt with youth sports commissioners before, I’m sorry to say none of this surprises me at all.
12:13 pm on September 16th, 2009
They are not saying he cant play? totally agree with dickerson specs. Doc, you are on point, the rest of you whiney dumbasses should get a life, and fball mom, suck the coach off again.
12:33 pm on September 16th, 2009
WTF - someone else posting under my username? Now you’re a jack-ass for two reasons…
(BTW, Brooks, your site auto-fills the name line in the reply section, often with other peoples’ IDs. Might want to fix that.)
-The actual Doc D
/From Wisconsin - let the kid play for God’s sake.
1:22 pm on September 16th, 2009
Jo Fool - You are correct they are not saying he can’t play, just not with the visor that protects his skin from the sun, the possiblity of getting skin cancer and his eyes. I’m guessing if it was your kid - you’d want to protect them at any cost. Seeing as how I am married to an ex coach and I am an ex cheerleading coach in this league (the AAYFL) it is pretty safe to say I know of what I speak. if the previous commissioner was still in that postion, this would not even have been an issue as he truly was “Just for the Kids” as the AAYFL’s motto states. Your last comment just shows all of us what an adolescent you truly are. Get a clue and grow up.
1:32 pm on September 16th, 2009
Rec specs. Eric dickerson wore them every play of his nfl career. Sounds like peanut allergy BS. NERDZ!!!!!
2:13 pm on September 16th, 2009
does the kid have ADHD as well, joke!!
2:16 pm on September 16th, 2009
the kid isnt wearing gloves in the pic, what about his hands? cancer mitts? should they allow him to use hulk hands to play? what a joke, people whine about everything, football isnt for everyone, maybe he could do something else….
3:00 pm on September 16th, 2009
As the only saying goes “Rules are for the strict adherence of the foolhardy and the guidance of the wise”.
9:40 am on September 17th, 2009
Hey Jo Fool, very appropriate name. I’m sure you would be pissed if this were your son. It’s not whining when we’re talking about a child and his safety. You’re just a stupid moron.
10:03 am on September 17th, 2009
falcon 60:
If my child was an albino, I wouldnt blame the world, let him play something else. You and Fball Mom are the true uptight morons. Whining about safety, dont play football!!!!!!!!!!
3:41 pm on September 17th, 2009
Asa disclaimer I will point out that I coach in this league, though not for Oconomowoc. I do NOT speak for the team or the league … these are simply my personal thoughts. I do not know enough of the specifics of this particular situation to make an informed decision about which position is correct. Based on what I know, I think both the parents and the league make compelling arguements. As a coach, I want whatever the solution is to be one which ensures this young man gets to play football safely. I do think one of the things that clouds these kinds of issues is the constant fear that in the event of injury, that individual coachs or game officials could wind up being sued for negligence if it is shown that they did not follow to the letter the safety rules put in place by the league when a child is injured in a game in which they are involved. All of us coaches are volunteers who get involved because of the love of the game, our love of children, and our desire to see them learn and enjoy the game. None of us want to lose our houses and retirements doing this, but all of us as coaches have heard the horror stories of volunteers being sued, sometimes years after the fact, by individuals or thier families for injuries sustained by a player while playing the game attempting and then attempting to hold them liable for the injuries. That results in a very rigid and defensive appplication (ie no exceptions) of the league rules, even when they may seem to defy common sense. The league, I think, is trying to make sure that it protects its coaches, officials and other volunteers, who are essential to the program. The fear of litigation has a chilling effect on volunteers, I think. I could go into a seperate diatribe about how the lack of tort reform, scurge of a sea of personal injury attorneys and willing clients looking for a quick payday is ruining the country in general … but I’ll save that for another blog.
11:26 pm on September 18th, 2009
Nerdz-The “kid” as you called him, has a disability. Cancer Mitts? Come on, can’t come up with a smart comment, so you type the first thing that comes to your mind. I’m surprised your tag line didn’t read……duhhhh, Do all of us a favor and stick to something you relate too…..maybe Bazooka Joe or Scooby.
12:20 pm on September 21st, 2009
Has anyone observed a head or spinal injury at a football game? EMTs stabilize the player usually taping the helmet, with head inside, down to a gurney board. Key assessments are made by observing the eyes, mouth, airways, and speech of the player. Making the visor secure enough to stay in place during game-play makes it difficult to remove quickly and safely in an emergency situation.
Why would anyone want to put their child at risk like this? This is not a stupid rule they are trying to bend!
In addition: the family and media are ignoring key facts regarding this case. Both are exaggerating the situation.
10:34 pm on December 1st, 2009
u all are dumb asses mom ur just a bitch doc d is a little pussie who dosent no wat football is i am a high school football player and if the kid cant play using a viser then he is not good enough that people care haah so dont play if u suck and stob being a pussie kid and just play with a clear one cause alot of kids are albino and they r not being little bitches like u so suck it up and play if u want to play