Editing 1552: Rulebook

{{comic
| number    = 1552
| date      = July 17, 2015
| title     = Rulebook
| image     = rulebook.png
| titletext = It's definitely an intentional foul, but we've decided it's worth it.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a direct reference to the film ''{{w|Air Bud}}''.  In the film, a golden retriever becomes the star player on a basketball team.  The opposing team contests the legality of having a dog as a player, but the referee, having reviewed the rulebook, responds "Ain't no rule says a dog can't play basketball."  Here, the opposing team turns the rulebook loophole against the first team.  Because rulebooks are considered the final arbiter of decisions in most sports, [[Ponytail]] suggests that, since it isn't explicitly prohibited, her team is allowed kill and eat the dog.  Randall is using this logical fallacy to highlight the absurdity of the plot of ''Air Bud'' (and other similar movies in which ordinary animals have been given human roles).  At the same time, Randall has created an absurd and anticlimactic premise for such a movie, and he may be making a more general commentary on Hollywood's habit of making movies by combining basic tropes that, by themselves, tend to do well in the box office.

The title text acknowledges that killing and eating the dog would result in a {{w|technical foul|foul}} (interfering inappropriately with other players), but the benefit of committing the foul would be worth the resulting penalty (giving the other team a couple of free throws).  This of course ignores any local laws that could cover the proposed killing, such as animal cruelty laws.  Randall is poking fun at the common practice of intentional fouls, something that happens particularly often in basketball.  Although a foul is by definition against the rules, a team may deliberately break those rules and accept the penalty in order to gain some perceived advantage.  For example, in association football (soccer), a player may intentionally foul an opposing player with a strong attack to allow his team to regroup and increase its defensive position, starting with blocking the resulting free kick.  In basketball, an intentional foul may simply give the team time to rest and/or discuss strategy that it otherwise may not have had.

The dog in the comic is wearing a jersey with the number 9.  In ''Air Bud'', the dog wore a jersey with "K" on one side and "9" on the other, forming "K-9", a popular shortening of the word "canine".  However, it is also worth noting that this comic was posted just three days after the {{w|New Horizons}} space probe completed its fly-by of {{w|Pluto}} and sent back new information that changed some prior assumptions about this planetoid, including its recorded size.  Pluto had been regarded as the ninth planet in the Solar System until the {{w|International Astronomical Union|International Astronomical Union (IAU)}} removed its status as a planet in 2006 (a decision which is still disputed today{{Citation needed}}).  Given the timing of this comic and Randall's interest in planetary science, it is also possible that he used the "9" on the dog's jersey as a subtle message to the IAU that "Pluto is #9", considering also that Pluto is [http://www.new-dog-survival-guide.com/popular-dog-names.html one of the most popular dog names], partly due to the popularity of Disney's cartoon dog {{w|Pluto (Disney)|Pluto}}.

Randall previously parodied the "animal-as-player" loophole in [[115: Meerkat]]. Rule books are also mentioned in [[330: Indecision]] and [[393: Ultimate Game]].

==Transcript==

:[Cueball and Megan are standing with a dog wearing jersey number 9, Ponytail and Hairy are facing them holding a rulebook.  The horizon is visible behind them.]

:Ponytail: There's nothing in the rulebook that says we can't kill and eat your dog.


{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]