# Bowl game don'ts **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 22, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038 "2011-12-22T03:01:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/1 "2011-12-22T03:01:18Z")
My wife and I are going to the Holiday Bowl. We received our tickets from Cal today, included was a letter with a non-exhaustive list of ways we cannot be nice to the athletes and their families. Do other schools send such letters to alumni who buy tickets? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/2 "2011-12-22T04:25:12Z")
I have never been to a bowl game, so I don’t know Can you list some of the stranger ones? And what is to stop a guy is who is a big (and rich) Stanford fan from masquerading as a Bear fan and start giving presents to Cal football players? To sabotage their program. Right now, tOSU football program could be brought to its knees by a clever and rich Michigan fan. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/3 "2011-12-22T04:39:04Z")
None of them are strange. Just things like providing transportation including rides to the airport, no meals, access to events not open to the public. It reminds me of when I was working on a satellite project for NASA, when we went to meetings we had to take separate cars to lunch because if we went in one car they would be bribery. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/4 "2011-12-22T17:45:34Z")
When I was a season ticket holder for Texas, they did usually send out the compliance reminder every year. I’ve never received it for single-game tickets. I’m sure every school handles it differently, but if you haven’t bought tickets through the Cal athletic department recently, their system probably flagged you as someone who should get the reminder letter. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/5 "2011-12-22T17:50:14Z")
Hey gazpacho…see you there! I’ll be the one wearing a Cal cap. 🙂 I got the same letter with my tickets; the information is also included in the season ticket package. Given that it’s a potentially different audience it makes sense to repeat it, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/6 "2011-12-22T18:26:51Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > And what is to stop a guy is who is a big (and rich) Stanford fan from masquerading as a Bear fan and start giving presents to Cal football players? Uh…the football players themselves? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/7 "2011-12-22T19:52:05Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Uh…the football players themselves? These are football players. Does Terrelle Pryor ring a bell? and what is stop a blue chip recruit (with little hope to be an NFLer) from be a willing accomplice? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/8 "2011-12-24T16:02:10Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Does Terrelle Pryor ring a bell? It does. Do the thousands of other football players who DON’T make stupid decisions every year ring a bell? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/9 "2011-12-24T21:35:03Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > It does. Do the thousands of other football players who DON’T make stupid decisions every year ring a bell? It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/10 "2011-12-25T05:36:27Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch! > > :smack: Really? So they’ve cancelled college football because of Terrell Pryor? Rewritten scores of rules concerning college athletes because of that incident? Or…maybe you’re just completely wrong. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/11 "2011-12-25T16:41:21Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Really? So they’ve cancelled college football because of Terrell Pryor? Rewritten scores of rules concerning college athletes because of that incident? Or…maybe you’re just completely wrong. “cancelled college football?” Who said that? hmmm, a little hyperbole, or taken enormously out of context? I don’t think it would take a much of conspiracy for someone to take down a school. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/12 "2011-12-25T16:53:52Z")
I will say, again, that I _still_ don’t understand what Terrelle Pryor did that was so horrible. So he sold some of his gear/winnings? BFD. Wasn’t it his to begin with? If it’s not his, then why was it in his possession - did he steal the stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/13 "2011-12-25T19:11:11Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I don’t think it would take a much of conspiracy for someone to take down a school. And yet, after over 100 years, no one’s done it. Why is that? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/14 "2011-12-25T21:33:10Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > And yet, after over 100 years, no one’s done it. Why is that? How do you know it hasn’t been tried? I don’t, for sure. if a tree falls in the forest, does it make a noise? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/15 "2011-12-25T22:43:24Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > How do you know it hasn’t been tried? I don’t, for sure. > > if a tree falls in the forest, does it make a noise? If a tree falls in the forest, is there evidence of it on the ground? None of your idioms have been relevant at all. If it’s been tried and is SO easy to take a program down, then why haven’t any programs been taken down? Maybe because it’s much harder than you suggest. Actually, it’s precisely because it’s not that easy. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/16 "2011-12-25T23:03:34Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > If a tree falls in the forest, is there evidence of it on the ground? None of your idioms have been relevant at all. If it’s been tried and is SO easy to take a program down, then why haven’t any programs been taken down? Maybe because it’s much harder than you suggest. Actually, it’s precisely because it’s not that easy. “So Easy” Who said “So Easy” I certainly did not, in fact a generic search on the thread reveals no instance of “Easy” on this page. In fact this was my initial question on the issue in the 2nd post: > [@](#): > > And what is to stop a guy is who is a big (and rich) Stanford fan from masquerading as a Bear fan and start giving presents to Cal football players? you are taking what I say so far out of context, that IMO you are deliberating being adversarial. The question was primarily rhetorical but you chose to take it to a way different level. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/17 "2011-12-26T14:07:24Z")
“Not much of a conspiracy”, when in the context of taking down an entire collegiate football program, is a pretty fair use of the term “so easy”. Are you now suggesting it would be difficult? (Hint: you should, since there are thousands of people out there that would be sufficiently motivated to do exactly that, yet year after year, decade after decade, they don’t. The reason is because while occasionally the Terrelle Pryors of the world make a stupid mistake (and get busted, I might add), the other several thousand collegiate football players out there are sufficiently educated on the NCAA guidelines and don’t fall for stupid shit like that.) ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowl-game-donts/607038/18 "2011-12-26T14:53:01Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > “Not much of a conspiracy”, when in the context of taking down an entire collegiate football program, is a pretty fair use of the term “so easy”. Are you now suggesting it would be difficult? (Hint: you should, since there are thousands of people out there that would be sufficiently motivated to do exactly that, yet year after year, decade after decade, they don’t. The reason is because while occasionally the Terrelle Pryors of the world make a stupid mistake (and get busted, I might add), the other several thousand collegiate football players out there are sufficiently educated on the NCAA guidelines and don’t fall for stupid shit like that.) Not to mention that, assuming the player reported the attempt, it wouldn’t be hard to trace the booster back to his “true” school, which would then get hammered instead.