YES: Syed AliIt’s almost a forgotten form of art, one that requires grace and beauty. It demands practice, patience, commitment and dedication. Men try to shy away from it, but let themselves go once in a while. Are men scared because of the attention it receives? Or could the tights frighten them away? Ladies and gentlemen, I’m not talking about ballet. What I’m talking about are touchdown celebrations in football.
In this generation of football, touchdown celebrations are almost an integral part of the game. Which is why I ask myself sometimes: Do I really need to see another touchdown celebration? After scoring a crucial touchdown, the player defiantly looks towards the crowd and begins his routine. Technically, it isn’t a dance, but it’s his way of leaving an exclamation mark on his accomplishment. But in the players’ mind, does the Jumbotron read “Home: 6, Road: 0”? Or “Me: 1, Them: 0”?
Personally, I’d have no problem seeing touchdown celebrations being abolished from the game, it wouldn’t concern me one bit. But we all know that it probably won’t happen. I admit that the referees and coaches cannot possibly control the players’ emotions right after they score a touchdown, but sometimes, players take the celebrations out of control. The NFL has been trying to limit celebrations, but to no avail, it hasn’t made much progress. Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens have been fined by both the league and their own teams, but it hasn’t prevented them from doing any more dances.
I question myself because occasionally, players go too far and put themselves in a position to try to garner individual attention and/or they embarrass the opposing team. Not only are the celebrations unnecessary, but it interrupts the game as well. The amount of time that it took the 325 pound defensive lineman to attempt to do the Macarena could’ve been replaced with the kicker attempting to make the extra point. At least the kicker has a higher success rate in completing his task.
Players such as Joe Horn, Randy Moss, Owens and Johnson, most notably the latter two, are notorious for their end zone celebrations. I admit that the celebrations bring a different level of fun to the game, but as long as it’s done within a respectful and mature manner, I have no problem with it whatsoever. Seeing Terrell Owens spiking the football on the Dallas Cowboys’ star and Randy Moss showing the Green Packers’ fans his rear end is definitely something that I wouldn’t want a young fan to see. It gives kids a “Monkey see, monkey do” mentality, in that instead of being a team player, they want to do a touchdown celebration of their own because it’s the cool new thing that the pros are doing. The players should be setting a good example for kids on how to properly play and respect the game, not how to get brownie points for disrespecting it. I’m not saying that all touchdown celebrations are bad, but I don’t agree with a lot of them, most notably the two aforementioned celebrations.
So players please, the next time you score a touchdown, no matter who you are or what position you play…can you just hand the football to the referee? When I’m watching television, I don’t want to have to question myself over whether I’m watching a football game or Dancing with the Stars.
NO: Gina MurrayFootball is a sport full of passion, excitement and victories. While a touchdown isn’t a rare occurrence, it’s still exciting when one is scored. Every touchdown is a feat for the players…so why shouldn’t we celebrate them? Since some people like to celebrate even the littlest things, shouldn’t it be okay for the players to celebrate their touchdowns? I think football celebrations are an important part of a football game and there should be no problem for a player who wants to celebrate.
In the last couple of years, football celebrations have gotten even more attention because of certain players’ extravagances. There have even been props added. Terrell Owens has some of the most memorable and controversial football celebrations. He had a sharpie pen in his sock and after scoring a touchdown, he autographed the ball. He’s also grabbed cheerleader’s pom-poms. Such performances are usually found to be entertaining, along with simple dances that players include with their touchdowns. I’m not a fan of Terrell Owens myself, but I do think he can be very amusing to the fans after a touchdown.
Some people feel that the celebrations can sometimes go a little too far, like Owens’ controversial celebration on the Dallas Cowboys’ star. But I don’t think the celebrations should be limited, as long as they aren’t illegal, it’s assumed that anything goes.
Despite the fact that athletes celebrate their victories in other sports as well, those celebrations are not questioned. Football is my favorite sport because it’s fast, exciting and unpredictable. The celebrations add to the game. Because the players are so excited, they express those feelings in their actions. I like that we can see another side to the player besides competitiveness. They show their silly or goofy sides, their ability to dance or lack thereof, and their passion for making their goals.
Football celebrations should be celebrated for what they are: an opportunity for a happy player to express his happiness and entertain the fans. The only limit should be keeping their celebrations legal. Otherwise, players should have the allowance to freely express themselves. Those who don’t like football celebrations just can’t see the passion, the excitement and the entertainment that the players offer to their devout fans.
