Every year, as the weather (finally) gets warmer and students dare to poke their heads out of their parkas, the United States of America descends into utter madness. This malady is caused by a strange phenomenon known as "hoopyball," which seems to attract at least several dozen spectators for each game. Early symptoms manifest in subtle verbal tics, such as a sudden obsession with "seeds" and constantly asking where the nearest "pool" might be. As this madness progresses, subjects are seized with a sudden desire to scribble on what appears to be symmetrical, branching lines; this is often accompanied by low muttering, erratic coin-flipping, and asking whether a duke would beat a butler in a fight.