Remember that famous scene from the movie Field of Dreams? Where Ray Kinsella hears a voice saying, “If you build it, they will come.” Well, it seems that Ohio State Representative Josh Williams has a different message for visiting teams. He believes that if you plant a flag on the iconic “O” at Ohio Stadium, you should face serious consequences. Williams recently introduced a bill that would make it a felony to do so. This proposal comes after a heated rivalry game between Ohio State and Michigan, where tensions ran high and a post-game scuffle occurred. While the rivalry has always been intense but this legislative move takes it to a whole new level.

Ohio-Michigan rivalry is something that runs through years of hatred and controversies and planting flags over each other territory is something they have been doing for ages. But how come this time it’s different for the Bucks as their representative Josh Williams introduces a shocking bill against the flag planting tradition saying, “I am proud to introduce the O.H.I.O Sportsmanship Act to make flag planting at midfield a felony in the state of Ohio. Behavior that incites violent brawls and puts our law enforcement officers in danger has no place on the football field.” Looks like the shit got real too soon.

Well, there is no other way around to justify the fact that things really went out of control in the Ohio-Michigan game to the extent that local police had to chime in and spray pepper sprays to separate players. But bringing law and order into the scene was something no one thought of. According to the Bill, “No person shall plant a flagpole with a flag attached to it in the center of the football field at Ohio stadium of the Ohio State University on the day of a college football competition, whether before, during, or after the competition. Whoever violates this section is guilty of a felony of the fifth degree.” But the question that continuously strikes is wouldn’t the Bucks have done the same thing after their win?

Moreover, this Bill’s repercussions severely affect players who try to flag Ohio Stadium. According to the reinforcement, the person might end up for 12 months in jail with a fine of $2500 and the cherry on top moment is they will also get a five years’ probation. Man looks like losing against Michigan has really struck some nerves of Ohio State’s authority. They could have simply won the game rather than cribbing about it now.

Is flag planting an authority failure of Ryan Day

Michigan beating Ohio State was one of the most shocking incidences of this season. And what can you expect from the players after sustaining a four-year-long winning record against the Bucks? However, making the act of flag planting a felony is a bit of an exaggeration. Both teams maintain this year-long tradition, and they usually perform it playfully to keep the competition alive, given the history of the Michigan-Ohio rivalry; this represents their least significant heated involvement. Even ESPN’ Paul Finebaum reflects on somewhat the same opinions that is these high-end legislative measures are really needed.

This Bill against the players planting flag over Ohio State’s stadium caught a mixed reaction from everyone across the nation but Finebaum had something unusual to say, “I’m usually not wild about state legislators trying to get publicity, but in this case he’s got the right idea, This needs to end. But ultimately it’s really up to Ryan Day.” Well according to him it’s on Ryan Day than his players as he needs to step up and be a kind of leader who also maintains order even after the game. Metaphorically speaking Michigan already planted the flag on Bucks territory with their win even if they would have let the actual thing pass by they were already all over them with or without the celebration.