The Temps In South Dakota Are So Cold That SDSU Players Are Stuffing Themselves Into Hot Boxes Between Drives

For people who don’t keep up with the world of FCS football, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits have become something of a powerhouse. They’ve made deep runs through the FCS playoffs each of the last four years, including winning the National Championship last year, beating North Dakota State in the process. They’re currently in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoff against Villanova, and they’re pulling out all the stops to make sure that their players are safe and healthy. 

I’m going to be honest; I’m a little bit split on this. I know, as somebody who’s from Michigan, I should probably defend football weather, but cold weather sucks. It’s never fun. The only people who enjoy cold weather are people who get a chance to experience it twice a year. Y’all didn’t have to grow up around it. I did. With that said, these are elements to football games. Teams have heaters on the sidelines, but having hot boxes, which are essentially shelters to keep you warm, kind of goes against that football mentality. I’m a little bit surprised that this is even allowed. Does each team have to supply their hot boxes? If so, I feel like Villanova is at an unfair disadvantage.

I’ll openly admit that I might be out of the loop on this one. Maybe these things have been around for a minute, but part of the appeal of December football is frigid temperatures. It’s having your digits freeze. It’s being able to see the warmth of your own breath. I feel like I’m waxing poetic, but I doubt Bart Starr and the Green Bay Packers were allowed to use hot boxes in the Ice Bowl. As long as SDSU isn’t breaking any rules, they might as well take advantage of this loophole.