DAILY DIRT: Olympics are not immune to some bizarre rules 

Make sure to don’t skip over the dried ants information … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,026 of The Daily Dirt.

1. During the Olympics, we often get lost in all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the Games.

Beyond all the hoopla, however, are some serious rules competitors must follow, a structure that is rarely mentioned while we are watching the events unfold on our TV sets within the comfort of our living rooms.

Did you ever realize that:

• Olympic boxers are not permitted to have beards. Some limited facial hair is OK, but no beards. I always wondered where the New York Yankees’ hierarchy came up its ruling on that matter.
• While dunking is permitted in Olympic basketball, there is absolutely no hanging on the rim permitted. If you were caught hanging on the rim this week in Paris, you were subjected to having to swim in that filthy, polluted Seine River where some of the swimming events have taken place. (Relax, I’m just kidding. not about the no dunking, just about having to swim in the cesspool if a river.)
• Gymnasts are not permitted to wear colorful nail polish. There is no specific reason. They just can’t.
• Cyclists can’t wear knee socks. Cyclists’ socks can only go to mid-calf.
• Karate participants must have clean hair. Referees can disqualify an athlete for dirty hair. But they can wear colorful nail polish. (Settle down, I’m not serious about the last part.)
• MX riders cannot compete in untucked shirts. (But they CAN have colorful nail polish.)

2. Did you know (Part 88) …

• That for Americans, popcorn is the most popular go-to food at a movie.
• In Colombia, the top choice is dried ants.
• That Americans consume enough peanut butter each year to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon. If you’re wondering, that would be 500 million pounds of peanut butter.
• That “American” cheese is not actually American. It was invented in Switzerland in 1911.
• That Coca-Cola is used as a pesticide by farmers in India.
• That half of all Americans eat at least one sandwich per day.

3. The colleges with the highest STD rates:

• 1. Penn
• 2. Louisiana-Monroe (ULM)
• 3. Troy
• 4. Marquette
• 5. Duke
• 6. Tulsa
• 7. Vanderbilt
• 8. SMU
• 9. TCU
• 10. Notre Dame.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – Count me in that half of Americans who eat at least one sandwich a day.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. I’m sure the University of Kansas has a much higher STD rate than those other schools.