Who remembers the great touchdown celebrations of Chad Ochocinco? Using the pylon as a putter, wearing the Hall of Fame jacket on the sideline, he was a joy to watch. It kept people tuning into games every Sunday to see what the latest antics were. He and T.O., who was recently snubbed once again for the Hall of Fame, were two of the best showmen the NFL had in the 2000’s. So what happened?
The NFL decided to create an excessive celebration penalty, that tacked on 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff. It basically banned anything that went beyond the normal confines of the game. This made essentially all celebrations that we were used to illegal. No more dancing with the cheerleaders or taking a cell phone out and calling your agent. These were plays that live on infamously throughout the history of the NFL. What is the point of getting rid of a fun pastime?
Supposedly, it is to protect the integrity of the game. Whenever something is done to get rid of a frivolous part of a sport, that’s the line that gets thrown out. How can something be protecting the integrity of the game when that part of the game has been around since the beginning? This rule change was where the first mention of the “No Fun League” was brought up. When there is no fun to be had, why would people want to watch?
In a league that is dominated by money, it is still a mystery as to why the commissioner would penalize something that brings viewers to the program. Goodell has been called many things, but he has built the league up to be the powerhouse that it is today in terms of sheer money making power. Maybe his thought process was to make up the low viewer count with fines brought on by excessive celebration penalties.
Even with these penalties, some players don’t shy away from the stage. Antonio Brown is someone who has accrued plenty of these penalties, but still does it. That’s just another reason he is such a fun player to watch. Seeing what crazy endzone dance he is going to do is another reason people tune in to watch. That’s the main goal of the NFL, to get people to watch. So why not let players celebrate again? Can you imagine the things Odell could come up with? He has already built an entire storyline with a kicking net, legally! Let these players have their time to shine. Do it for the fans.
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