why do football players have to showboat, dance or walk into the endzone? this should be penalized...?

Question

i know guys are excited and want to celebrate and i'm not against this totally...i just really don't like it when they do it as they make a touchdown. i really hate it when they hold the ball out or walk into the endzone. i wish a player from the other team would come from behind and knock the ball away or knock the tar out of them. i remember when this happened when dallas won super bowl in '93 against buffalo (and i'm a dallas fan). anyways, i wish this would be penalized and players wouldn't act like a bunch of pansies from hollywood, that they would just run into the endzone like men.

judging from the responses a lot of people are talking about celebrations after a td. i'm not talking about that as much, except the big annoying attention drawing celebrations. i'm talking about guys celebrating or taunting as they make a td, ie. walking or turning around into the endzone or holding the ball out.

Answer 1

Football is a business and a sport, people want to be entertained as well as see their team win. The celebration for some athletes, shows the passion they have for the game, and not always about their egos. But their are some that do it for their egos...i.e. Dallas Cowboys WR, Terrell owens.

Answer 2

Over celebrating is annoying, but I don't see anything wrong with celebrating after a touchdown or a game changing play like an interception, or even a big third down sack.

When players taunt other players, the fans or coaches, THAT to me is inexcusible. T.O. used to be bad about that, but he's gotten better. My favorite end zone celebrator is Steve Smith because he does things that are fun, without being insulting.

When the Panthers played Minnesota in the season of Cruise-gate, Smith ran a fade and was wide open for the easy touchdown. He then dropped down to a seat in the endzone and began paddling an imaginary boat as if someone was chasing him. It was brilliant, entertaining and not too over the top, as it was over in a few seconds.

Brett Favre still charges all the way down the field. I love the guy, he enjoys the game, but I'd wager a Packers TD celebration lasts a whole lot longer than most other teams, yet no one considers them too over the top.

Answer 3

It gets annoying. The best policy is to score like you've been in the endzone many times before, so it's no big deal. WRs get pretty over rated in the NFL after they show boat a lot. So they like to be a total @ss to make more money. I think the NFL should make a rule that a player can celebrate all he wants, but then no personal fouls will be flagged if the defense lets the guy have it. People don't realize they changed the rules so bad to handicap the defense to have more scoring. So now these offensive guys act like morons. Back in the day, if a player did that the defense would knock his block off later in the game. Now, rules keep that from happening. So players act like children.

Answer 4

Because they no longer have the class that a true "professional" should have. They no longer have the class exemplified by the Jim Browns, Jimmy Taylors, Charley Taylors, Bob Lillys, Paul Warfields, John Riggins, Walter Paytons, Johnny Unitases, Raymond Berrys, Lenny Moores, Gayle Sayers, Ray Nitschkes, Dick Butkuses, of the world. These and many more, were star performers, and their talents and actions spoke for themselves. They took and gave devastating punishment, made extraordinary plays of all kinds. When they scored touchdowns, they simply tossed the ball back to the referee. If any excess celebration was exhibited, the occasions were exceptional, and far and few between. Having grace, humility, and exhibiting sportsmanship, in such a brutally primal and competitive, sport shows a lot more character and accomplishment, than dancing around, like a preening peacock on steroids. The aforementioned qualities are such that ALL can emulate, and from which the young can benefit.

Answer 5

I agree it should be penalized. There is a difference between getting excited and giving high fives to your teammates and doing some sort of ridiculous dance or high stepping into the end zone. I would love for a guy to just flat out fumble the ball before crossing the goal line sometime to learn a lesson. It is sad that some of the guys can't act like the men that they are supposed to be.

I am sure you will be berated for this question by all the Chad Johnson, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens type player fans on here.

Answer 6

Showboating is penalized by the coaches when they make Mr. Celebrity do extra laps or reps during practice the next week. However I disagree with your assessment of touchdown celebrations. That is an accomplishment that fans celebrate and that celebration is infectious, players should be allowed to share in it as long as they are in their home stadium. To celebrate in an opposing team's stadium (unless clinching a playoff berth or setting an NFL record) is merely taunting and should be punished as such.

Answer 7

I agree with you but feel that we are in the minority. I love it when a team is getting creamed and a back up linebacker makes a tackle and celebrates like he just won the super bowl. I wonder if it an issue of teams policing themselves. I'm not a Pats fan but you really don't see it that much with them, just the occassional mini celebration.

Answer 8

Celebrating is ok and should not be all lumped together. Some players go to far with celebrations, but I dont think all players who celebrate should be looked down upon.

Answer 9

I like watching it. It's entertaining. Give me thumbs down, I don't care. I'd rather my team didn't do it, and they don't. I'd rather the team I was playing against didn't do it, it just pisses me off. I like watching other teams do it though. The only reason I don't like seeing it is because I think... damn, you got us good with that whole scoring thing. It sucks, but don't penalize for it. It's really just a character call. Yellow flag=the player who did it is a poor sport, but an entertainer.

Answer 10

I agree 100%. If you want clowns - go to the circus. Notice the best guys don't have to clown. Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Adrian Peterson, Jerry Rice, Steve Largent. They don't pull that crap. Guys who aren't near as good like Johnson, Bush, T.O., Joe Horn feel like they have to draw attention to themselves because they don't make enough good plays to let their play speak for itself. I wish defenders could still go clock those guys for doing that crap like the old days.