As sad as it is to say, I agree with Jim Walden. What’s even sadder to admit, is I watched the Jim Walden Good Sports show on Sunday morning.

If you haven’t seen it, don’t. If you have seen it, I’m sorry. It’s like eating a box of Kleenex; it fills you up but it isn’t very satisfying.

You want to talk about low budget, have you seen that set? But I guess the personality of the great coach makes the show. His trusty sidekick leaves a little to be desired, but it’s just great to have 30 minutes to reflect on the former Walden “Glory” Years.

Anyway, the man who failed to play a guy who ultimately rushed for consecutive 2,000-yards seasons, actually said something profound. He said the referees are calling far too many penalties for players who celebrate. I agree.

Come on, what’s wrong with a little celebration? Why can’t you do a little dance?

The lack of an opportunity to celebrate is the main reason I didn’t go out for high school football. I didn’t want to cost my team 15 yards every time I scored. The penalty yardage would have been devastating to us, and the dance would not have done anything postive for my reputation.

I can’t sing and I dance even worse, but the main thing is that it would have been fun.

I find nothing wrong with an endzone celebration, and I have seen so many times this season a team getting flagged for something stupid like pointing to the sky or raising the roof. (Although I agree with a flag for anyone who raises the roof becasue it is about as out of style as tight-rolling your jeans. I also believe Ames’ and this university’s finest should be able to cuff and stuff any fan who tries the annoying gesture.)

Sure people shouldn’t taunt their opponents (even though I find it funny and would liked to have done it myself), but there is nothing wrong with being excited about scoring six points, rolling a turkey, nailing a three or scoring a run.

What are you supposed to do? Especially when free speech and other privileges are being taken away from students on a daily basis. (Not by this university, but I’ve heard from friends at other universities that their schools are run by power-hungry leaders. I can’t imagine what that would be like.)

Anyway, I think having a little fun shouldn’t be too much to ask for. It’s as if players must immediately hand the ball to the referee, bow their heads and run past their teammates giving half-hearted high fives, all the while not even so much as hinting at a smile.

Yellow flags litter the field as much as the red tape covers this university. Iowa State is filled with enough red tape to cover every floor of Alumni Hall and Beardshear and still have enough to reach to the steps of Catt Hall.

But the yellow flags thrown are just as annoying to me as the 12 trips and 34 signatures required to add or drop a class, or the 16 buildings and 65 signatures needed to change or add a major.

Sports are supposed to be fun. People are supposed to enjoy their success by spiking the ball, strutting a little two-step and piling on teammates in the back of the end zone. All this is fine in my opinion.

It’s entertaining for the fans, the players enjoy it and most importantly, I laugh.

Drew Harris is a senior in journalism and mass communication and political science from Peosta.