But football I don’t think is very ‘manly’ in general, probably because it veers towards an extreme, unappealing side of …masculinity? I can’t think of the right word.

Punctuation has always been a part of sport and has defined many an athlete (Babe Ruth’s called shot, Jordan’s tongue, Ali’s “…sting like a bee”). But does laying a lick on a wide receiver while giving up a crucial first down really warrant standing over the downed opponent and berating his mamma? If it’s a clean hit that takes a guy out of the game, then “good job”, you have done something. But when a guy springs back up and hustles back to the huddle, you still gave up the first down.

Sports reporters should follow up on this irrelevant and premature celebration, forcing manliness accountability. For example: “So Randy Moss, when you were celebrating in the endzone after your touchdown pass to put your team ahead with 2 1/2 minutes left you made a parting gesture with your hands, did you think that you had won the ballgame and therefore were doing the impossible (going undefeated), like Moses parting the Red Sea?

I think true manliness is adding punctuation when warranted, trash talk to silence the proud, and sportsmanship to the wounded.