No Fun League

I'm sorry but the NFL is run by a bunch of old uncultured idiots. My comments in bold.

NFL curtails end zone celebrations

By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer
March 30, 2006

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Dance all you want after a touchdown, gentlemen. Just do it alone.

Spike the ball or, if you have the hops, dunk it over the crossbar.

Anything else -- forget it.

Touchdown celebrations have gotten more and more original lately, from Chad Johnson's putting the football to Steve Smith changing a diaper to Terrell Owens using the ball as a waiter's tray. Those players will need to go back to work on new ideas within stricter parameters after NFL owners voted 29-3 Wednesday to limit such histrionics.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what Chad will come to celebrate with now," Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy said after the vote. "He's pretty original and I'm sure he'll come up with something. It's a challenge to Chad in the offseason."

Part of what makes Chad interesting is the exuberance, creativity, and highlight reel worthiness of his play.

The genesis of the rule change adopted as the NFL meetings wrapped up came from the players' union itself. Last month at the NFL combine, a group of players told competition committee chairmen Rich McKay, general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, and Jeff Fisher, coach of the Tennessee Titans, they believed the celebrations were getting too elaborate.

"The players wanted defined limits of celebrations," Dungy said. "They really pushed for that."

"The players" were likely a tiny group of thin-skinned whiners. Peyton Manning comes to mind. The NFL doesn't strike me as having any sort of majority of players who mind the celebrations. In fact I'd bet you if the NFL actually took some time to poll the bulk of the players, they would vote overwhelmingly on the side of allowing most things.

The owners obliged, with Dallas, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay voting no.

Of course the owners were quick to oblige because that's what these old farts wanted. Kudos to Dallas, Philly, and TB for having some moxie.

"We want to eliminate where one man celebrating becomes more than a spontaneous action," said director of officiating Mike Pereira, whose crews will hand out 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties to offenders -- although the official has to warn a player before throwing the flag.

That includes anyone going to the ground to do their thing,

So even pushups or situps are penalties now. That's a bit overreactive don't ya think?? Those things can be spontaneous as hell. What about the worm? Or Lonnie Paxton's snow angel in the Snow Bowl? Something wrong with that?

or group celebrations.

The NFL stresses TEAM PLAY over individual showboating. Well why can't a TEAM CELEBRATE when it accomplishes something? WTF is this hypocrisy.

So no sit-ups by T.O. No grabbing the pylons as if they are putters.

How do either of these offend anyone or waste any substantial time in a game?

No multiple chest bumps.

Once again, someone needs to alert the owners. Multiple chest bumps are as normal an activity as high fiving teammates. Is it too "ghetto" for owners?

Pereira noted an increase in such shenanigans in youth and high school football who regularly emulate the pros.

Then give out penalties in youth and high school football if you are concerned with "sportsmanship" there. Throw aside the deluded view that this nonadult football is some sort of sacred institution of respectful, polite, hallmark card individuals for a moment. It's true that some kids are stupid in emulating pros because they're pros. At the same time, many adults I know would emulate anything cool and funny as well if we played. Movies and tv shows emulate td celebrations because they are visually exciting and humorous. At the same time, Antoine Walker's wiggle wasn't emulated. The NBA's Chris Anderson was a pro. How come no one copied the birdman signal he would show the crowd after dunks? BECAUSE IT WASN'T COOL.