BUNNIES AND FOOTBALL

BUNNIES AND FOOTBALL

By Andy Weddington

Tuesday, 30 September 2025

Picasso had his pink period and his blue period. I am in my blonde period right now.  - Hugh Hefner

A bit of news yesterday caught by my attention and have reflected since. 

I played city recreation youth football for a couple of teams - a shopping center and Salvation Army.

During those years, while visiting family and retrieving an electric football game from an uncle's closet, I stumbled on some early 1960s Playboy magazines.

First ever seeing.  

There was dressed bunny on the cover and undressed bunny or two inside.  

Junior year of high school first game of the season third play injured right leg and with help of teammates hopped off the field. 

Sort of like a bunny, I guess.

Cheerleaders hopped about and wore skimpy outfits but yards more cloth than bunnies in Playboy. 

Endured the game, watching from sideline, and afterward taken to the hospital ER.

X-ray revealed tibia clean break.

So much for football. 

Hard cast for two and half months. 

First crutches then a lot of hopping.

Sort of like a bunny, I guess.

And a lot of limping during recovery to recover lost muscle and strength.  

The following season again football but not the same; ever conscious of the leg. 

And that was that. 

I watched football - college and pro.

And cheerleaders, too. 

A short five years later, leg and mind back to normal, I was a Marine. 

One weekend during training some brother lieutenants handed me a Playboy saying, "You need to take a close look at this one."

The second time through picked up on why the gift. 

The centerfold born same day/month/year and in same small town same hospital.  

Weird. The odds. 

Casually, without disclosing source or reason, asked my mother if she recalled whether any other babies born that day. 

Oh, yes. A girl. Guess what, mom?!

Somewhere that magazine squirreled away. 

I faithfully watched college football until about 25 years ago. 

Noted - cheerleader outfits were moving toward bunny attire. 

I stopped watching pro football about 40 years ago, with exception of catching bits of Super Bowls, commercials, and half-time shows. 

It was dumb luck to be watching the year Justin Timberlake ripped half of Janet Jackson's top off - the breast scandal. [As I recall, was finally deemed no accident.]

I don't keep up with football, anymore. 

No time. 

And Playboy magazine is for pre-teen boys. Grown boys, too.  

But the big announcement yesterday an entertainer named Bad Bunny would be the next Super Bowl half-time entertainer grabbed my attention. 

Who?

Never heard of him. 

Then this morning during coffee it hit me. 

I'm so old I remember when ...

Playboy published college football's All-American team, and bunnies complemented. 

And bad bunny was an Hefner honey. 

I'll not be watching this year. 

And could not care less who scores.