Will someone explain to me the logic behind the Excessive Celebration rule in football? Isn’t the whole idea of this sport to win and celebrate the victory? Oh, I know that right now there is a legion of perfect mommies ready to pounce on me for doubting the necessity of this rule. But in creating this no celebration-of-an-accomplishment concept, the rule designers have thrown common sense out the window.
This week, two high school teams in Ohio fought a close battle on the gridiron. With 1:15 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Louisville High School’s QB threw a pass that was caught in the end zone. The play resulted in Louisville taking a 26-24 lead over their opponent, Walsh Jesuit. The kid who caught the pass pointed to the sky with his finger – not the middle finger- but his index finger. He didn’t get down on his knees and pray or do a victory dance that would intimidate the Rockettes or launch himself into a series of back flips. NO, he just pointed his finger in the air. The gesture did not delay the game; no words or taunting were heard; and almost no one realized the kid made a gesture. As it turns out, it was a quick tribute to a friend who had recently been killed in a car crash.
Well, the referee blew the whistle, called the kid for excessive celebration which gave Walsh Jesuit excellent field advantage allowing them to score a FG and win the game. I have no problem with Walsh Jesuit winning. I think Louisville’s special teams should have held them, but that’s not the point. The point is how does a finger in the air constitute excessive celebration? One would think that the Ohio athletic director upon hearing about this ridiculous penalty would have had the balls to say, “That was a little over the top of a call,” but no, he backed up the ref because “no player is allowed to call attention to himself.”
Here is my rant–I know it took a long time to build to it, but as Perry Mason or Matlock would say, “I had to build a foundation”. It is obvious to me and anyone who has ever watched even one football play that players call attention to themselves just by being on that field. That’s why they wear the uniforms. No player worth a damn will sack a quarterback or run a ball into the end zone and not celebrate. Any sporting event is emotional for both fans and players, and sometimes when people do good things, they like to show off a bit. And from a practical perspective, if a player doesn’t draw attention to himself, he is most likely not making the team. You need ego and people looking at you and your playing skills to make a football team. You need to stand out. The sports arena is no place for humility.
So, how did these irrational mothers (because you know this idea was started by some band of overprotective mothers who believe excessive celebration and for that matter, keeping score, will permanently damage their offspring’s self-esteem) get the entire athletic world to go along with this sham? My first thought was bribery, but to reach the pro levels would require more money than even Oprah has, so I am going with my second theory which is extortion. Scoff if you must, but I have seen these mothers in action. I have seen them threaten everyone from the pediatrician to the school principal because no one knows more about children than they do. They think no one is as good a parent as they are. They know all about nutrition, education and discipline and their kids never watch TV or play video games or raise their voices or swear – in other words, they are serial killers waiting to explode. And when they do explode, the mommies will say, “It must be the school’s fault. He was never this way at home.” Perhaps, their future criminal path could be averted if children were allowed to show some emotion and celebrate a freaking touchdown.
Anyway, this rule has now found its way into college and professional sports. I am sorry, but if you are playing college sports or getting paid millions to play professional football and your feelings get hurt because a player on another team celebrated too much – get the hell off the team. Sports are about showing off. Don’t believe me? Ask the players. I bet if you poll players, no matter what sport, very few of them would object to celebration.
So, I think the ref who called that kid on excessive celebration should lose his stripes. I also think parents who can’t handle the fact that their kid might have a tough game or might have to endure an opponent’s celebration should either not allow their kids to play sports or they should stay at home and work on their plan to change football into a non-contact, non-competitive sport where everyone gets playing time and no one wins or loses. Yes, that will teach our kids a good lesson about the real world and how to adapt to it. I see a generation of leaders just waiting in the wings.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/01/alex-schooley-excessive-celebration-dead-friend_n_944574.html
So “doing” a cheerleader on the goal line after a touchdown is a “bad” thing? Explains why I was asked to leave the team then, huh? Who knew?! 😉 (Clearly the Ref had money on the other team.)
Yes, I think the cheerleader thing might raise a few eyebrows! But in this world, Jack, who knows?
Hmmm. Players shouldn’t call attention to themselves. That sounds like the church choir director who has someone in his alto section with a great voice but won’t give her any solos because it would make the other choir members feel bad, and aren’t they all there for the glory of God, even those who can barely carry a tune!
We get those in every profession where people are performing in front of other people.
Yes, you are right Kathy. I don’t get all the hoopla. It seems very silly.
Good rant! I first heard of this rule in football; I haven’t seen it in basketball yet. They DO assess technicals for delay of game or taunting speech, but not for fist pumps or other signs of celebration. I think too many people have no idea what sports are about!
If you look at the video of this game, you can barely notice the kid pointing. It took no time off the clock and the other team was not even around him. It was stupid and ridiculous so I had to rant. It’s funny in baseball, no penalty. Players know if you taunt or over-celebrate, the other team will get you back next time you are at bat. They handle it themselves.