The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association just doesn't like to give the ambiance that it isn't the be-all-end-all authority of preps in this state.

The overbearing mother of high school athletics is passing the latest in a number of unnecessarily-restraining rules that, they'll insist, are all in the best interest of the kids.

Thanks to its sportsmanship committee voting in unanimous favor, WIAA will no longer allow fans to remove their shirts when attending indoor games.

WIAA feels that exhibitions such as letters painted across bodies of fans in order to bring more energy and vigor to the stands is offensive. Maybe to a few, but for the rest of us, including the athletes, it's hilarious. And, in a weird way, part of the tradition.

Ultimately, this is the sort of decision that should be made on a school-by-school basis. Why WIAA feels the need to interject its opinion and, worse yet, frivolous bylaws, is beyond me.

Any rules regarding preps events should be created, first and foremost, in the interest of the athletes and those that work closely with them from coaches to parents. When WIAA refuses to let photographers stand at court level for the state tennis tournament, the priorities are compromised. When I get booted to the balcony, the kids' photos in the paper suffer. In turn, so do scrapbooks and other presentations of irreplaceable memories.

I also might hear or see something from a closer vantage that might improve how I retell their story in the next day's paper.

Simply put, far too many of WIAA's restraining decisions simply seem like they're made for the sake of reminding everyone who thinks they're in charge.