My opinion on NFL celebration

[93rollaracer]

LONG READ!!!!!

Just wrote this for the school paper after the Eagles vs. Ravens game. I thought it was a great example of the sorry state of the NFL's celebration policy and it pissed me off enough to the point to write a freaking huge column on it and post it up here. It's cut more than I would like it to be, but I'm still way over my word limit. Anyways, here it is...Enjoy!



Halloween’s Philadelphia Eagles vs. Baltimore Ravens game turned out to be one of the best games of the week. The Eagles pulled off a hard-fought 15-10 victory over the Ravens. Unfortunately, the game will be remembered most for what Philadelphia wide receiver Terrell Owens did after he caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. After entering the end zone, Owens starting doing a dance that Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis has made famous.

Lewis then added to the developing controversy after the game. Lewis said of the dance, “Don’t be a coward and wait until you make one play to do something”

Lewis has a tendency to do the same thing, however. Even before anybody makes a play, Lewis begins dancing around. Lewis can be seen doing his “squirrel dance” before every game. After making a tackle, even if his team is hopelessly behind, Lewis jumps up and dances around like he just made a game-saving stop.

Many people saw Owens’s imitation as excessive. Many people have also seen Lewis’s dancing, especially in hopeless situations, as excessive. The NFL has a much more liberal approach when it comes to players celebrating.

The NFL has tried many techniques in the past to curb the growing amounts of excessive celebration in the league. They included banning celebration altogether, levying a 15-yard penalty against an offending team and have now resorted to simply fining and suspending players. Suspensions only occur under the most extreme of circumstances.

In 1999, the league banned team celebrations. If team members decided to participate in a preplanned celebration, each offender was fined. Some players paid the fines for a time, but team celebration has all but disappeared in the league today.

While the fines may have helped stop team celebrations, they have not kept individual players from doing whatever they want after scoring a touchdown or making what they judge to be a good play. Several incidents dating back to 2000 help to prove this theory.

On October 20, 2000, Owens, who was playing for the San Francisco 49ers at the time, scored two touchdowns when the 49ers played against the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. After the first, he ran to Cowboys’ star in the middle of the field and celebrated without incident. After scoring the second touchdown, Owens repeated the act. This time, however, Cowboy George Teague hit Owens in the middle of the celebration, and a small skirmish ensued. Steve Mariucci, 49ers coach at the time, suspended Owens for one game and docked him that week’s paycheck.

The next two examples happened in 2003. New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Horn was fined $30,000 for pulling a cell phone from under the goal post pad and making a false phone call after scoring a touchdown. In a separate incident, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson held up a sign that said “Dear NFL, Please don’t fine me again.” after scoring.

Horn said of the incident: “Would I take it back? No, no. I knew exactly what I was doing.”

Johnson expressed the same sentiments: “It's fun. It's part of the game. They can't take that away from us. I've got to continue to do what I do. That's just Chad.”

This shows that the fines the NFL is issuing are not succeeding in preventing excessive celebration. By failing to prevent too much celebration, the NFL is endangering its players. As the Owens-Teague incident shows, players will not hesitate to take the law into their own hands when it comes to excessive celebration.

The NFL has their priorities reversed when it comes to celebration. The league prides itself on being a team sport, and tries to teach this to young children. Based on this, the NFL should reverse their policy on celebration. Team celebration should be allowed, even encouraged so long as it does not mock the opposing team. Individual celebration that goes beyond a simple spike or other classic celebration should be punished with at least a 15-yard penalty. If the league deems the celebration to be worthy of a fine after the game, then the player should be fined.

October, 31’s game pitting the Eagles vs. the Ravens is a perfect example of the NFL’s current problem when it comes to celebration. While Terrell Owens’s actions did not lead to violence, they have in the past and may in the future. The NFL’s ineffective policy will allow this to happen if not changed soon. Banned team celebrations should be encouraged and individual celebration should be kept to a minimum. When fans attend a game or watch it on TV, they want to see a football game; not a dance party.

[TexasF355F1]

One of the many, many, many reasons I HATE Dion Sanders is b/c of his act on the field. It would be the first quarter and he'd make a quick little run and get a first down and start dancing around like he just won the Super Bowl. I don't care if the players do their dance in the End Zone, it's just kinda natural i think. But there is definately waaaaaay too much show-boating in the NFL.

But what do I care, I'm hardly a fan of the NFL as it is.

[Chavez408]

Let em do their dance. Its fooball. And it might sound silly to most of ya about lewis and the others jumping and dancing after a tackle, but its natural to me, because I do the same in the field. Sure some of them push it too far like the big mouth owens.. i never like his mouth too much bs comes out of it, even though i found his lewis dance funny, it was still harsh. But why would they want to take those dances from the game? it makes it eterntaning for the viewers. PLus they already got that tauting penalty..why would u want more? Screw it, let em do w/e they want.. and sure fine them afterwarths, so they can know what thye are doing. My 2cents

[93rollaracer]

Originally Posted by Chavez408

Let em do their dance. Its fooball. And it might sound silly to most of ya about lewis and the others jumping and dancing after a tackle, but its natural to me, because I do the same in the field. Sure some of them push it too far like the big mouth owens.. i never like his mouth too much bs comes out of it, even though i found his lewis dance funny, it was still harsh. But why would they want to take those dances from the game? it makes it eterntaning for the viewers. PLus they already got that tauting penalty..why would u want more? Screw it, let em do w/e they want.. and sure fine them afterwarths, so they can know what thye are doing. My 2cents

that's what i'm shooting at. i want to see a football game not some guy dancing around.

[Chavez408]

I dont think your gonna find that anywhere, unless its waterpolo, and even they have their moments lol...

[TheMilkman]

Originally Posted by chavez408

But why would they want to take those dances from the game? it makes it eterntaning for the viewers.

If people need dancing to make football entertaining to watch, then they should just change the channel and put on mtv or something like that. Celebrations of any kind should bring an automatic fine, unless it's before/after the game.
I'm so tired of seeing defensive guys dance around when they tackle the opposing running back....after the RB just ran for a 45 yard gain. Or you see the running back get up and flex his muscles after he picks up 2 yards on 2nd and 12. Yea, real impressive.
It's gotten completely out of hand. Same things with touchdowns. You scored, good. Now be a man and go back to the sidelines. Act like you've been in the endzone before. Do what Barry Sanders used to do after he'd break off a nice run, or score a td. He'd just hand the ball to the official and go back to the huddle or sideline.
Team celebrations are banned, and rightfully so. It's football, not Soul Train. I wish guys like Butkus and Nitschke (sp?) were still around. I'd love to see Terrell Owens or Joe Horn do a stupid little dance in front of them. They'd be lucky to walk away
Unless the NFL does something to crack down on these stupid celebrations, then future generations of players are going to push the envelope even further. Heck, just look at what a hypocritical mess the NBA has become. It'd be a shame to see the NFL go the same route.
NFL

[Chavez408]

Originally Posted by TheMilkman

I'm so tired of seeing defensive guys dance around when they tackle the opposing running back....after the RB just ran for a 45 yard gain. Or you see the running back get up and flex his muscles after he picks up 2 yards on 2nd and 12. Yea, real impressive.
NFL

who in the hell is gonna dance after that.. Ihave never seen that before. But oh well, I always enjoy watching my team celebrating after a big stop, run, TD or what so ever, but thats just me..

Some people might be the old hard school football fans,players,coaches, like one of my ex football coach. He was more of a guy that said 'go out there and kick ass, and never smile'
im more of a guy that will still kick your ass on the field and smile about it and make myself look good. By saying look good, I dont mean, dance around like a freakin' moron and go slap the ref afterwarths. But either way, I still love this sport, no matter, and I will be watching and be apart of it aslong as I live my mexican life.

[TheMilkman]

Originally Posted by Chavez408

who in the hell is gonna dance after that.. Ihave never seen that before.

Maybe you were too focused on the dancing

[Chavez408]

ahh what did u guys ban milkman? we were having a friendly convo..

[crayzayjay]

Banned member back under new name. Anyone else want to ask?

[Gotti]

Originally Posted by 93rollaracer

October, 31’s game pitting the Eagles vs. the Ravens is a perfect example of the NFL’s current problem when it comes to celebration. While Terrell Owens’s actions did not lead to violence, they have in the past and may in the future. The NFL’s ineffective policy will allow this to happen if not changed soon. Banned team celebrations should be encouraged and individual celebration should be kept to a minimum. When fans attend a game or watch it on TV, they want to see a football game; not a dance party.

TOTALLY disagree

I like watching players celebrate, it makes the game more exciting....

I can live with no celebrating on the field, but come on celebrating after a touchdown is part of the game it should almost be mandatory

[Chavez408]

Originally Posted by crayzayjay

Banned member back under new name. Anyone else want to ask?

ah thats why! Ok carry on on than.




BS like this, I agree on you that they should fin them! For that kind of crap that they pull, and guess who it is?? Yup, big mouth T.O!


and this is the dance that 93racer is talkin' about: I dont find non wrong with this, but I agree that it was harsh for Ray, and that he should of crack him on the next play


And after plays like these..whos not gonna celebrate? Ill be jumping in the crowd.

[crayzayjay]

That last play is un-fuckin-believable

[Chavez408]

I got alot more

[93rollaracer]

see my main problem with the TO dance goes back to the dallas incident. how to we know ray lewis isnt gonna blind side him and really hurt TO. i honsetly found it kinda funny too, but ray lewis is on the same field as TO and who's to say that ray lewis couldn't take after george teague and level TO.