He’s an undercover cop who is actually 37 years old. He really thought he’d be found out by now and is ready for another assignment, so he’s started dropping hints.
Ethan’s saying quarterback but 37 is a number for a defensive back or running back and so my conspiracy theory is that Willis doesn’t know sportsball well.
…. okay, so that takes about 3 seconds to google and we all know Willis can research his stuff, so it’s Ethan who doesn’t know sportsball, but it’s not like facts or common sense ever get in the way of a conspiracy.
rule regarding numbering only applies to the NFL…it’s traditional to wear 1-19 but it isn’t set in stone especially in high schools where you have to play both ways(offense and defense- get your minds out of the gutter!)
…it could be a subtle joke to highlight Ethan and Amber’s ignorance.
Assuming the school team uses the same numbering system as the NFL, not an awful bet, 37 indicates that he’s a Running Back or Defensive Back (#20-49), not a Quarterback (#1-19).
It’s not a solid system, but given the joke in this strip, might be what Willis is going for :).
A safety when the ball is on the defenders’ 1-yard line is unlikely (though not impossible) and not what anyone would be hoping for (the offensive team would be hoping for a touchdown, and the defensive team would be hoping for a turnover)
It is when the ball is on the offense’s 1-yard line that the defense would be hoping for a safety
And if you combine the two, you get Quarterback Gatorade, which honestly does sound like a flavor of Gatorade. Anyone try Quarterback? Wait… I don’t wana know.
i feel like Ethan and Amber should like football, though. like, a few years ago they were arguing over whether Jimmy Graham was still a tight end or if he’d hooked up with Drew Brees so many times he was now a wide receiver.
Familiarity with RPF slash and sports are two separate things. I mean, half the time, the former involves the players as pirates or coffee shop employees or something else that has nothing to do with their actual jobs.
Really young Amber and Ethan? You’re counting Gatorade as a sports term? I call foul – Gatorade and its more modern cousin Powerade are delicious ways to stay hydrated any time. Have a cold and need to push fluids? Perfect. Just had to be outside in 90 degree weather for half an hour running errands or doing yard work? Gatorade’s gotcha covered.
… this comment is not sponsored by either Gatorade or Powerade. And I have made myself thirsty.
I was under the impression Powerade was just crappy-tasting neon sugar? Generally when an actual medical person suggests extreme hydration in my presence they specify Gatorade and Only Gatorade (and sometimes Only Original Flavor Gatorade).
Last time I read the ingredients, they were pretty similar. But maybe the recipe is different in other countries, like with coke and mountain dew? (I tried caffeinated mountain dew for the first time recently, and ended up feeling sick and going home early)
At least the German versions differ a lot. Both have about the same amount of carbohydrates, though Gartorade somehow only counts parts of it a sugar.
Gatorade has lots of phosphates and uses sucralose and Acesulfam as sweeteners, Powerade uses Aspertam instead of Sucralose.
(As I said, if they left out the sweeteners, it might be drinkable).
Oddly enough, in Florida there is, or at least used to be, a rival sportball drink called 10-K or Ten-K, which had endorsements from most of the NCAA school head coaches from when I was in school (Bobby Bowden, Steve Spurrier, et al).
And now I’m secretly wishing that Willis writes a spin-off comic similar to Muppet Babies. It can be called, I dunno, “Dumb Babies.” Galasso can play Nanny.
* three times 37 makes 111, the Number of God, which indicates the Holy Trinity. Brent is one third of the Trinity, i.e. one of the persons of the Godhead.
* in the movie “Rain Man”, one of Dustin Hoffman’s character’s lines was “Thirty-seven. Thirty-seven. Thirty-seven.” This revealed that he was a lightning calculator. So probably Brent is too.
Okay but does Theory #2 make Brent the Father, the Son, or the Holy Ghost?
His age would indicate he’s the Son, but then again Danny Phantom was just 14 so being a ghost boy isn’t too out there.
Actually, wait, with a bit more googling it turns out that’s NFL-only, and college and high school follow different rules. So, yes, 37 could be a quarterback.
As someone who is entirely sport-atheistic, I say that Ethan and Amber should embrace their lack of understanding and interest of both sports and the associated social climbing.
To save people the trouble of looking it up, there are multiple rule 37s. One of them relates to disclosure during discovery; one is basically that you can come up with a lame conspiracy theory for anything. And a final one is that everyone on the Internet is a guy. Which seems weirdly appropriate given the chapter title.
That might be less of an issue at the middle school level. If I remember my tenure in flag football correctly (which I probably don’t), you kind of just pick whatever number you want from whichever jerseys fit you. I remember always going after #50 because my cousin was #50 on the high school team, even though I played a lineman.*
*Linebackers are traditionally numbered in the 50s, though that isn’t a hard-set rule now. Offensive linemen tend to be in the 60s or 70s, and defensive linemen are usually 90s.
In the Illuminatus! Trilogy the number 5 lies at the heart of all conspiracies. 3+7 is 10, which is two fives. Brett’s parents are both high level members of the Illuminati.
I can relate to the whole football thing…I’ve accidentally picked up slightly more than they have, but on the whole it baffles me. I did however pick up a top…more for yard work than anything else, and it was emblazoned with the logo of a pro football team… You have no idea how many conversations that started… and how mostly unwelcome they were…it was a poor choice sartorially. Football fans are weird.
Don’t worry I meant that to apply to any/all forms of football. 😉 Not just American. Because I’ve had this “argument” without caring anything about the various types and balls involved…I usually just lump it all into “Sportball” meaning having some sort of competition involving a ball, that will at some point either involve someone telling me how great it is, how great they were at playing it or what I should be thinking about a given team. 😉 There other sports that do not involve a ball, which also fall under my sportball umbrella. 🙂 I do not mind sportball, some could be fun, if one wanted to engage in that…but I really have no desire to be a sportball fan. I do not think less of others for being participants or fans, I just have no passion for it.
My theory right now is Mike is trying to make Ethan jealous, as he has a crush on Ethan, but Ethan isn’t aware of his own feelings since. Yknow. Gonna be in the closet until prom night.
Wasn’t there, like, an owl? A really nice one? Superb, even!
Yes, I believe it ate cereal from a really, really big, indestructible bowl. One might even say that bowl was “Super”.
https://youtu.be/mFlPxIxmego
Okay, how many conspiracy theories can we generate about the 37? 😉
It’s just Rule 34 after sales taxes are added to it.
Brent’s shirt is 37, Billie’s shirt is 97. 90 is 30×3. We know Billie’s mother has multiple affairs.
Brent is Billie’s half-brother from her mother’s third relationship.
Half Life 3 confirmed!
What is 6 x 9?
That should come out to exactly Ni.ce.
54. I don’t get it.
You’re incorrect; the answer is 42.
…in base 13, of course.
From Clerks, right?
It’s Willis’ way of hinting at what Brent and Mike might be getting up to.
In a row?!
So long as someone has asked this question I can rest easy at any implication of this number.
Now is it his score or does that mean he’s Mike’s 37th?
They’re going to play hockey on the roof?
Well a form of hockey anyway 😉
Heh… tonsil hockey…
The Clerks idea is the best one by far.
He’s an undercover cop who is actually 37 years old. He really thought he’d be found out by now and is ready for another assignment, so he’s started dropping hints.
It’s how many years of the strip in real time we can expect before we get to summer vacation.
david willis plus 2
It’s actually “LE” upside down. Brent is French!
Or Lawful Evil. Is Brent the one who winds up corrupting Mike fully to the dark side?!
Ooh, good one.
But it’s upside down, so does that mean he’s actually Chaotic Good?
Ethan’s saying quarterback but 37 is a number for a defensive back or running back and so my conspiracy theory is that Willis doesn’t know sportsball well.
…. okay, so that takes about 3 seconds to google and we all know Willis can research his stuff, so it’s Ethan who doesn’t know sportsball, but it’s not like facts or common sense ever get in the way of a conspiracy.
…. and retracting that earlier comment, because apparently rules are different for high school.
New conspiracy theory: I don’t know sportsball well.
…..
SHUT UP IT IS TOO A CONSPIRACY YOU’RE IN ON IT AREN’T YOU?
rule regarding numbering only applies to the NFL…it’s traditional to wear 1-19 but it isn’t set in stone especially in high schools where you have to play both ways(offense and defense- get your minds out of the gutter!)
could also be just a jersey, I mean even nonsportsball people wear them
(was gonna dig out my Avalon hockey jersey but I’m too lazy)
This is strip #59 of Of Mike and Men
59 + 37 = 96
96 backwards is 69
69 is… well, that one’s self-explanatory
CONSPIRACY!!
I’m still waiting for strip #69 of Lawsome!>/i>. I’m guessing it’s gonna be a long wait.
Brent had moved there from Nebraska, the 37th state.
…it could be a subtle joke to highlight Ethan and Amber’s ignorance.
Assuming the school team uses the same numbering system as the NFL, not an awful bet, 37 indicates that he’s a Running Back or Defensive Back (#20-49), not a Quarterback (#1-19).
It’s not a solid system, but given the joke in this strip, might be what Willis is going for :).
I got nothin’.
Backfield In Motion
I’m gonna have to penalize you baby
Backfield In Motion
You know that’s against the rules!
And The Jester’s On The Sidelines In A Cast…
I know the word scrimmage!
It’s when you carve things on shells, right? Not sure what it has to do with football, but they talk about it a lot.
So that’s what the Line of Scrimshaw is!
I loved The Scrimshaw Redemption- fantastic movie!
And no-one had to get shanked.
I refuse to believe that Ethan doesn’t know the term ‘tight end’, but he probably isn’t willing to admit that right at this point.
Is Amber out of touch with the idea of friends, or are the quotation marks because she knows they’re something more?
The patreon commentary says ‘just guys being pals’ so make of that what you will.
“Just guys being bis.”
Already she’s writing slashfic about her acquaintances.
I think this may be her slash goggles noticing hints that are actually there for once.
I wanna say “field-line” is another football word. Yes? No?
well, they play on a field, and it has lines on it, so… fuck if I know 🙂
No; but “sidelines” is.
oh! “field goal” is a thing, right? and touchdown.
Those are both things, yes. But when the ball is on the defenders’ 1-yard line, what you’re supposed to be rooting for is a safety.
A safety when the ball is on the defenders’ 1-yard line is unlikely (though not impossible) and not what anyone would be hoping for (the offensive team would be hoping for a touchdown, and the defensive team would be hoping for a turnover)
It is when the ball is on the offense’s 1-yard line that the defense would be hoping for a safety
Yup! But what I really want to see a safety from the defender’s 1-yard line, because you know that would live in legend and blooper rolls FOR-E-VER.
The last panel is too real.
Brent has one strong eyebrow game, at least
Ethan was disappointed when he learned that dressage wasn’t a football word.
…why did that panel of them walking away have to be from that angle
you’re not giving me much to work with here, willis
…wait never mind that kid’s, like, 15 or whatever
whoops
You be satisfied with your assortment of Joyce butts.
I needs me more butts, mate
At the very least I need a good Ethan or Jacob
And if you combine the two, you get Quarterback Gatorade, which honestly does sound like a flavor of Gatorade. Anyone try Quarterback? Wait… I don’t wana know.
I heard in some states if you recycle the bottle, you get up to a quarter back.
Quarterback is five times better than a Nickleback, right?
Anything is five time better than Nicklback. Well, except for Twilight and 50 shades, they are both worse.
Twilight + 50 shades = nickleback
Twilight & 50 Shades crossover movie + Nickleback soundtrack=the apocalypse.
Silly Americans. Even have crazy units for money. In the SI, clearly Quarterback is five times as
muchfar back as Twentiethback.i feel like Ethan and Amber should like football, though. like, a few years ago they were arguing over whether Jimmy Graham was still a tight end or if he’d hooked up with Drew Brees so many times he was now a wide receiver.
…what
Familiarity with RPF slash and sports are two separate things. I mean, half the time, the former involves the players as pirates or coffee shop employees or something else that has nothing to do with their actual jobs.
RPF?
Real Person Fic, fanfiction written about actual people.
Just down the road from RPF slashfic and lawsuit city.
Guy love, between two guys~
Guess Amber doesn’t read Eyeshield 21.
Hiruma is the superior evil blond. It is known.
Really young Amber and Ethan? You’re counting Gatorade as a sports term? I call foul – Gatorade and its more modern cousin Powerade are delicious ways to stay hydrated any time. Have a cold and need to push fluids? Perfect. Just had to be outside in 90 degree weather for half an hour running errands or doing yard work? Gatorade’s gotcha covered.
… this comment is not sponsored by either Gatorade or Powerade. And I have made myself thirsty.
… just finished “being friends” with someone under the bleachers and need to re-hydrate? Nothing better than Powerade.
(still not sponsored…)
that reminds me, I need some electrolytes right now. 🙂
Is it the electrolytes that make it taste like battery acid?
probably. it is a bit of an odd taste – part of it is salt.
Electrolytes are WHAT PLANTS CRAVE!
As with my post way up near the top about that number, I can rest easy knowing someone said this in response to electrolytes being mentioned.
They’re what plants crave (not really).
I usually prefer water or pop.
Powerade is more recent. Not more modern.
I’d like it more if they left out sugar and sweeteners.
Over here, Gatorade is very 1980ties, I know we have a sliding timeline, but …?
I was under the impression Powerade was just crappy-tasting neon sugar? Generally when an actual medical person suggests extreme hydration in my presence they specify Gatorade and Only Gatorade (and sometimes Only Original Flavor Gatorade).
When I was sick as a kid, my doctor specifically told my mother to buy Powerade “because kids usually like it better than Gatorade.”
I dunno. Maybe they were paying her.
Last time I read the ingredients, they were pretty similar. But maybe the recipe is different in other countries, like with coke and mountain dew? (I tried caffeinated mountain dew for the first time recently, and ended up feeling sick and going home early)
At least the German versions differ a lot. Both have about the same amount of carbohydrates, though Gartorade somehow only counts parts of it a sugar.
Gatorade has lots of phosphates and uses sucralose and Acesulfam as sweeteners, Powerade uses Aspertam instead of Sucralose.
(As I said, if they left out the sweeteners, it might be drinkable).
Oh, eew. I don’t think the Canadian version uses artificial sweeteners.
Gatorade – designed for the University (sic) of Florida football team. Later popularized, but named for the Floridah Gators.
Oddly enough, in Florida there is, or at least used to be, a rival sportball drink called 10-K or Ten-K, which had endorsements from most of the NCAA school head coaches from when I was in school (Bobby Bowden, Steve Spurrier, et al).
I think when puberty hits, Ethan’s just going to pop his head off of the balljoint and attach it to his new, swole body.
So like a Titan Master/Headmaster?
Baby Amber is adorable.
And now I’m secretly wishing that Willis writes a spin-off comic similar to Muppet Babies. It can be called, I dunno, “Dumb Babies.” Galasso can play Nanny.
Would that make this football player Baby Brent? Uh oh! A baby shouldn’t be playing such games, they’d be much better as a mascot.
The only important word you need to know for this sport is “hand-egg.”
My favorite football term is “moral victory.” As in, “It was a moral victory for the Detroit Lions.”
My mom says that a lot during football season.
I guess Ethan learned the football term “tight end” sometime later.
Let’s see….
* 37 is a prime number.
* three times 37 makes 111, the Number of God, which indicates the Holy Trinity. Brent is one third of the Trinity, i.e. one of the persons of the Godhead.
* in the movie “Rain Man”, one of Dustin Hoffman’s character’s lines was “Thirty-seven. Thirty-seven. Thirty-seven.” This revealed that he was a lightning calculator. So probably Brent is too.
Okay but does Theory #2 make Brent the Father, the Son, or the Holy Ghost?
His age would indicate he’s the Son, but then again Danny Phantom was just 14 so being a ghost boy isn’t too out there.
Wait, Amber would know another sportsball-related word: Tailgate.
Wait that looks like one of Ramona’s evil ex-boyfriends.
Give or take a 7. And his name does resemble “Brandon Routh”.
Huh I just drank Gatorade before reading this. Happy coincidence.
Jesus
Is 37 an actual number Quarterbacks would use?
No. Quarterback numbers top out at 19.
Actually, wait, with a bit more googling it turns out that’s NFL-only, and college and high school follow different rules. So, yes, 37 could be a quarterback.
Yeah, in elementary- and middle-school flag football you just kind of pick a jersey in your size, and the number doesn’t really matter.
Neither does whether it really fits or not.
Yup, with things usually erring on the side of “too big.”
I know some football terms too! 😀
Handball
Offside
Penalty shoot out
The ref needs glasses
Don’t forget ‘Who’s the bastard in the black”
Leg before wicket.
As someone who is entirely sport-atheistic, I say that Ethan and Amber should embrace their lack of understanding and interest of both sports and the associated social climbing.
Golden boys.
Which one will be the “first down”, do you think?
Turns out that guy isn’t a quarterback, he’s just some buff kid who likes wearing sports shirts.
Mike leaves after that revelation. “Sorry, but I need a good future, and working on a toy store isn’t an option.”
In a row?!
I understood that reference.
If his number is really 37, he is not a quarterback. If he is a quarterback, his number will be between 1 and 19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_number_(American_football)
37 is the age I will be in November. Coincidence? I think not!
Mike and Brent have matching haircuts. I approve.
They’re good haircuts Brant and Mike have. 😀
Jock Hair x Two-Dimensional Hair is my new favorite ship!
Ugh. I figured the hovertext had to be a lie, and I wound up learning about Rule 37 Damn you, Willis!
Willis failed to disclose the conspiracy, a clear violation of rule 37. Even Amber is a violation.
To save people the trouble of looking it up, there are multiple rule 37s. One of them relates to disclosure during discovery; one is basically that you can come up with a lame conspiracy theory for anything. And a final one is that everyone on the Internet is a guy. Which seems weirdly appropriate given the chapter title.
That’s actually better than the Rule 37 I found. The page I located claimed it was “There are no girls on the Internet. Ever.”
And technically, “football” is a football related term.
Last panel reminds me of when Walky and Becky met, and the bit about how there’s really only one fart joke.
Given the #37 on that guys chest, that would mean he is either a Running back or a Defensive back. Quarterbacks are 1-19
That might be less of an issue at the middle school level. If I remember my tenure in flag football correctly (which I probably don’t), you kind of just pick whatever number you want from whichever jerseys fit you. I remember always going after #50 because my cousin was #50 on the high school team, even though I played a lineman.*
*Linebackers are traditionally numbered in the 50s, though that isn’t a hard-set rule now. Offensive linemen tend to be in the 60s or 70s, and defensive linemen are usually 90s.
So, will Mike have sex with his mom?
For a nickel.
Afterwards, sure.
In the Illuminatus! Trilogy the number 5 lies at the heart of all conspiracies. 3+7 is 10, which is two fives. Brett’s parents are both high level members of the Illuminati.
Ok I can’t quite put my finger on why, but Brent looks eerily like Ryan to me…. -shivers-
Amber already knows about gay shipping, so she is more aware than Ethan in this moment of time.
I can relate to the whole football thing…I’ve accidentally picked up slightly more than they have, but on the whole it baffles me. I did however pick up a top…more for yard work than anything else, and it was emblazoned with the logo of a pro football team… You have no idea how many conversations that started… and how mostly unwelcome they were…it was a poor choice sartorially. Football fans are weird.
My two football related words are “centre-forward” and “offside”.
And yes, despite caring about neither sport, I have Opinions on what “football” without any modifiers should mean.
my football related terms are numerous because I am so cultured:
ball / shoe / helmet / jersey / grass / foot / hand / running
Don’t worry I meant that to apply to any/all forms of football. 😉 Not just American. Because I’ve had this “argument” without caring anything about the various types and balls involved…I usually just lump it all into “Sportball” meaning having some sort of competition involving a ball, that will at some point either involve someone telling me how great it is, how great they were at playing it or what I should be thinking about a given team. 😉 There other sports that do not involve a ball, which also fall under my sportball umbrella. 🙂 I do not mind sportball, some could be fun, if one wanted to engage in that…but I really have no desire to be a sportball fan. I do not think less of others for being participants or fans, I just have no passion for it.
You unspeakable villain, how dare you scorn the basis of civilized society.
Back in the day, I always kept a couple of long set pieces on chess I could launch into in retaliation.
Insert American football/association football joke.
That was barely going to be a good comment when it was a properly placed reply. Never mind.
My theory right now is Mike is trying to make Ethan jealous, as he has a crush on Ethan, but Ethan isn’t aware of his own feelings since. Yknow. Gonna be in the closet until prom night.