Revealed: The 5 Signs ESPN’s College GameDay Will Not Allow

(KMDL-FM) Before every major college football game in America, ESPN puts on a circus. They call it a pre-game television show, but if you've seen it, the term circus certainly fits the bill as a way to describe the popular College GameDay television show.

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College GameDay is a badge of honor for a university's fanbase. It means that their team is hosting what the network believes to be the "game of the day", or at least the game most people will be talking about.

What Is College GameDay on ESPN?

The show is well respected for its football knowledge and insight. The show's entertainment value comes from celebrity guests and silly contests the hosts play with the audience.

But beyond the "what you're supposed to see" part of the show, many viewers tune in to see the humorous digs, insights, and outright burns the studio audience members create in the form of College GameDay signs.  The term irreverent seems to apply to a lot of the handmade signs.

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Just by looking, you'd swear that there is no censorship on those signs, but unbeknownst to a lot of us, there are plenty of eyes watching what's been printed on poster board, and believe it or not, your sign could get you tossed from the area where the show is being broadcast.

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But did you know that five kinds of signs are automatically disqualified from being in the College GameDay Broadcast area? Yeah, we found those out this weekend when the show had to go inside because of Hurricane Isaias.

This was displayed on the stadium message board at Coleman Coliseum this past weekend on the campus of the University of Alabama. It outlined for those in attendance what would and what would not be acceptable. It even noted that bringing markers, pens, pencils, and dry-erase boards would not be allowed, just in case somebody wanted to be sneaky.

The reason for the disqualification of certain kinds of signs makes perfect sense. The network is doing a television show about sports; it is not hosting a free speech, get-free-time-on-TV event that some people believe they are entitled to.

These Five Kinds of Signs are Not Allowed at ESPN College GameDay Broadcasts

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The first kind of sign that won't be allowed is one that features a ".com". That would be free advertising, and we know there is nothing about ESPN that is free to anybody. The second disallowed sign is the younger cousin of the ",com": the QR Code. Those codes can be read by viewers at home and could direct them to someplace online that ESPN doesn't want you to go.

The same can be said for those who want to add a "#" to their College GameDay message. The network doesn't want you following those hashtags either, which is why signs that have them are not allowed.

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The fourth kind of sign that ESPN doesn't allow is signs that are political in nature. Again, it's a sporting event, and even though politicians can attend the game and disrupt sideline communications between coaches and their teams, signs that support, berate, tease, or disrespect politicians or political ideals have no place in this gathering.

What Does College GameDay Have Against Religion?

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College GameDay also has a rule that bars religious signs. Again, it's a sporting event, and even though a higher power is often called upon during a game-winning kick, that higher power or the beliefs associated with it shall not be allowed to pass through security at College GameDay.

I am sure the "religious aspect" of sign banning will be put to the test this weekend when the popular show visits Provo, Utah, for the game between Brigham Young University and Notre Dame University; both schools are well known for their religious affiliations.

And now you know that if you get the chance to visit College GameDay in person, there are things you can do and things you can't, but thank goodness there are great things we can eat.