Sports, like life or any other game, come with a set of rules to which all players must abide. In football, it is illegal for a linebacker to run into the middle of the offensive huddle and drop-kick everyone. In baseball, the batter doesn’t run to third without going through first and second.

There are rules for tailgating, too.

For instance, fans talk junk to other fans — even more so if fans have home-field advantage. Therefore, if there are people that can’t take the boasts of pride (which is all in good fun anyway), then they shouldn’t be there. Just like the guy who’s 5’11” and 145 lbs. doesn’t play football. It’s not personal — it just comes with the territory and anyone who overreacts to it is just oversensitive.

But whatever rules apply to students must also apply to alumni. Walking through alumni parking lots can bring on just as many taunts as walking through student ones and anyone that disagrees with that is naive. Alumni take just as much pride in their school as students do and, since they understand the rules of tailgating, play the tailgating game the same way.

Still, students are the ones under attack here and if they want something done, then they ought to go to the forum today discussing the restrictions. Tailgate in the Brickyard and, as the Beastie Boys put it, “You gotta fight … for your right … to parrrrrtaaaaay!”