Is NCAA Rule Banning Hashtags Too Strict?

#GoDawgs or #GoJackets? Whichever your preference, you won’t see either on an NCAA football field this fall.

The NCAA’s recent “Bulletin on Field Markings, Uniforms, etc.” expressly prohibits “social media designations such as URL’s and hashtags” (Hashtags are words or phrases that are preceded by the # symbol that can be used online to group messages together or to rally support for a common cause, such as for a favorite team.).

The rule means that while you may see your fellow fans using Twitter and other social media platforms while at the game, you won’t see “#SicemDawgs” between the hedges at Sanford Stadium or “#GaTech” on Historic Grant Field in Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Speaking of UGA, another Southeastern Conference school, Mississippi State, had used hashtags in the end zone at its games, but the NCAA rule will have the Bulldogs from the SEC West seeking something else to put at the ends of the field.

Under the NCAA rule, the only items allowed on the field during regular season games are the NCAA logo, conference logo, the college or university’s name and logo, the team name and logo, and the name of the commercial entity that has purchased the naming rights to the facility, though in no more than two locations.

Do you think the NCAA should change its rule to allow hashtags or social media addresses on college football fields, or do you think the rule is appropriate?

Share what’s on your mind with us, and then return here to see what your neighbors in Bartow, Cobb, Douglas and Paulding have said.