“It rains on both sides of the field” (football adage)
“It rains on both sides of the field” (or, “it rains on both sides of the line of scrimmage”) is an old football adage that’s been applied to many other disciplines. The saying means that one shouldn’t whine about bad conditions if those conditions are exactly the same for one’s opponent. However, bad weather conditions might favor the home football team that is more familiar with those conditions (for example, when the Dallas Cowboys played the Green Bay Packers in the December 31, 1967 “Ice Bowl” NFL Championship game at Lambeau Field, won by the home team Packers).
“It rains on both sides of the line of scrimmage” has been cited in print since at least 1942.
26 November 1942, Boston (MA) Daily Globe, “Myers Tell HC ‘Looping Line’ Courts Disaster” by Vern Miller, pg. 31:
“And you know it rains on both sides of the line of scrimmage,” he added.
Google News Archive
30 October 1947, Owosso (MI) Argus-Press,“Crisler Hopes for Dry Field for ‘M’ Clash With Illini,” pg. 16, col. 6:
As for weather advantage to either team, Crisler commented that “It always rains on both sides of the scrimmage line.”
Google News Archive
12 March 1950, Toledo (OH) Blade, “Mirrors of Sport” by Joe Knack, sports, pg. 2, col. 1:
Sounds as if the boys are tryingto outdo our gridiron professor’s “a football takes funny bounces” or “it rains on both sides of the line if scrimmage.”
Google News Archive
15 July 1958, Prescott (AZ) Evening Courier, “State Schools Divided on Athletic Code” by the Associated Press, pg. 10, col. 3:
Clyde Smith, Arizona State athletic director, said, “There’s an old saying in a football game that it rains on both sides of the line of scrimmage.”
1 January 1968, Redlands (CA) Daily Facts, “Green Bay only a tiny bit better” by Milton Richman (UPI Sports Writer), pg. 9, col. 4:
“I don’t think the cold affected us any more than it did the Packers,” declared Landry. “We were all suffering out there.”
There is an old football axiom which says it always rains on both sides of the field. That didn’t necessarily hold true for Sunday’s weather which converted the field at Green Bay into one big ice box.
Google News Archive
29 November 1990, Wilmington (NC) Morning Star. pg. 3A, col. 3:
ANALYSIS: “When it rains, it rains on both sides of the field”
Winter war in gulf would help U.S….andIraq
By JOHN KING
Associated Press
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An Army officer who recently returned from Saudi Arabia agreed the cooler months gave the Americans a manpower and equipment advantage, but he offered a caveat: “It’s like a football game. When it rains, it rains on both sides of the field.”
24 May 2007, Austin (TX) American-Statesman, “Leadership, legislation litter floor of House, “pg. A14:
But it is true that in the Capitol it rains on both sides of the street, so some bad bills go down as well.
Norton Community
joen
Re: Why Norton Did not take part in Retrospective Test Of AV-C recently.
06-18-2011 01:10 PM
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Allegedly it was because there was no network connection allowed. There is an old saying in football: “It rains on both sides of the field.” That is, don’t whine when you have the same conditions as your competition. Just compete and let the best team win. Some products still got Advanced Plus ratings under this condition. Why shouldn’t Symantec?