Wikipedia:Ain't no rules says a dog can't play basketball

Even though dogs are not explicitly forbidden from playing basketball, this dog would still probably not be allowed to play in the NBA

Air Bud

In the 1997 sports comedy film Air Bud, the film's climax rests upon the titular dog character helping the Timberwolves win a basketball game. It's discovered that there's no rule explicitly banning a dog from playing basketball, so Buddy joins the team and wins the game. While it is true that dogs are not banned from playing basketball, there are rules that disqualify most dogs for other reasons.

In public schools, players must sign up, tryout, and be accepted into the school basketball teams before they can play. As Buddy did none of these things, he still wasn't allowed to play basketball. In professional sports there are even more requirements. In the NBA, for example, players must be at least 19 years old, and most dogs that reach that age are in no shape to play sports. This isn't even mentioning the fact that a dog would never get past tryouts because they are physically incapable of dribbling.

Applicability to Wikipedia

All of this is to say, be careful. While you may be able to skirt some rules on a technicality, you'll probably get caught up in other rules. Don't try to be a Wikilawyer, don't try to game the system, and don't be a stupid fucking dog that thinks it can play basketball.

An alternative interpretation as it applies to Wikipedia is that if you're going to try and abuse the system in a way everyone understands is abuse but isn't technically against the rules, you better be as charming, winsome, and friendly as a golden retriever.

See also

• WP:RATATOUILLE
• On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog