Ed Marinaro With All Due Respect

Tattoo You

Let's talk about tattoos. Just about every sport I see on TV has players showing off the latest artwork on their arms, shoulders, legs -- even necks.

I remember back in my playing days of the 1970's, if a guy had a tattoo, it was on his ass, ankle or in some place that would not be overtly visible. Gradually, tattoos started popping up on almost every part of the body, and I don't think there's any place left where a needle and ink hasn't been.

Not too long ago it was unique and cool to have one tattoo. Some people thought it would be even cooler to have two tattoos, and of course the ultimate in coolness (in their minds) would be multiple tattoos. It seems there's so many tattooed players that it's really not that cool anymore, and rather, it is the rare player today without any tats who is the minority and is unique and cool.

Unfortunately, tattoos don't look so good on 60-year-old sagging skin, and I can only imagine what an archeologist 1,000 years from now will think as he tries to decipher the hieroglyphics we put on our bodies. I'm sure each and every one has a great story behind it, but for the life of me, I can't decode them. One day, someone is going to develop a quick and painless method for removing all these tattoos, and it will be the greatest invention since the computer…something I would definitely like to invest in!

November 9, 2000

edmarinaro@sportshollywood.com

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Ed Marinaro

In his three seasons as Cornell's tailback, Ed Marinaro was the all-time leading rusher in Ivy League history. He established eight NCAA career records and was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. After turning pro he became a running back for the New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks. Then he turned to acting and played everyone from Joe Coffey on the classic TV show "Hill Street Blues" to Joey Buttafuoco in "Long Island Lolita." In his off-time he enjoys ranting in his column for SportsHollywood.

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