Ain't No Fun

DATE: 12/16/2003 11:15:34 AM
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There's a new editorial by Pat McInally on NFL.com decrying the increasing number and severity of <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/6926351">on-field celebrations</a> by individuals, highlighted by Joe Horn's <a href="http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/NO/6924142">creative use of a cellphone</a> after scoring a touchdown Sunday night.

I'm so sick of the old-school fans whining about the new breed of NFL athlete. Football is still the most entertaining sport to watch, and frankly I enjoy watching end-sone celebrations.  They add to the fun and excitement of the game.  Joe Horn's celebration was tacky compared to Terell Owens' Sharpie incident, but that's just my opinion.  At least it was creative. 

In fact, the NFL has come down so hard on team celebrations that individual ones are becoming more and more common.  The No Fun League decided that team celebrations, such as the Redskins' "Fun Bunch" of the '80's and the St. Louis Rams' "Bob 'N Weave" in 2001 were too offensive to the other team to be allowed to continue.  Since these displays of team uniqueness have been banned, it is any surprise that we are seeing more and more individuals showing off after big plays?

The players in the NFL aren't grunts, like they were in the old days.  They are highly-paid entertainers that bring in a lot of money for league owners.  Also, marketing is a lot bigger than it used to be, and players see a cut of that money as well (or at least they should).  The best way for players to stand out as individuals, besides playing well, is to put their own unique stamp on their actions on the field.  Let's face it, a lot more people are talking about Joe Horn now thant were discussing him before the phone incident, and you might see more Joe Horn jerseys get sold as a result.   

Memo to Pat McInally: if football is alienating you now because of celebrations, the game has probably passed you by and you might want to stop watching. 
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Virve
DATE: 12/18/2003 02:12:28 PM
Why just so gratitude to their teammates behind closed doors? Why not do so when it counts, when millions of people are watching?

I guess humility doesn't sell Wheaties.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: jide_cabana
DATE: 12/18/2003 11:06:43 AM
This doesn't make sense to me.  For some reason, people get the idea that showboating and thanking your teammates for their role in a play are by definition mutually exclusive.  They aren't.  I find it interesting that people who think those actions never occur together within the same person never provide any actual evidence that showboaters do not congratulate their teammates after a play, or in the locker room.   

Furthermore, the system of professional sports, media coverage and capitalism make it in these players' best interests to showboat and draw attention to themselves on the field.  

How can media figures -- who play an integral role in marketing these players with publicity and stories -- turn around and criticize them for behavior that is ultimately in the best interest of both those same figures and the players themselves?  To me, that is hypocritical. 

Sportsmanship will continue to decline (at least in the eyes of those who perceive the increase of showboating as a certain sign of declining sportsmanship) until the system changes.  And I don't see that happening anytime soon.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Virve
DATE: 12/18/2003 10:54:16 AM
You're right, standards have changed over time...in this case, what he's saying is that standards for general sportsmanship have dropped, and that's a shame. Sure, we can assume the quarterbacks know how valuable their teammates are, but when it comes down to physical actions at the conclusion of a play, the showboating sends a clearer message. That its more important to the scorer to parade and dance around for press coverage separate from his teammates than thanking them for their integral role in the play.

These days the athletes who often get the most publicitiy are the ones who get negative press. These guys are more than players in a game, they're role models, whether they chose to be or not. This is not unique to football, its a universal concept about sportsmanship. A bad winner is so much worse than a bad loser. Heaven forbid someone try to raise the standards again.

I hear you, smacktalking can be funny. But I'm just pointing out, as was McInally, that there's something to be said for a little grace.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: jide_cabana
DATE: 12/16/2003 03:47:40 PM
I have 3 points to make:

1. Yes, I agree with your assessment of what he's talking about...but I don't agree with your view.  To me, he is reminiscing about the "good old days", which were never really as good as people say they were. 

It is a different game now - one involving a great deal more than it did in the past.  Players today work even harder for even longer to become professional athletes than they ever did in the past, and risk even more harrowing injuries and lingering health problems.  They also can potentially bring in a lot of endorsement money, both for themselves and for their teams.  Thus, it makes sense that players would seek more personal glory than they sought in the past.  The system makes it in their best interests to do exactly that. 

I used to like the NBA as a kid, but now it has become so frustrating and dull that I don't watch it anymore.  If Pat doesn't like the way modern football athletes behave, tough.  He can watch something else.


2. Pat's argument is also flawed because it is based on the following premise:

**"Extreme" celebration = selfishness = disregard for teammates = disrespect to the opponent.**

There is a puzzling leap of logic going on here.  Why would anyone assume that hotdogging football athletes don't KNOW that it takes the actions of the whole team for them to make a play?  How condescending!  Of course they know.  Those that are selfish to the point that they don't pitch in to help their teammates on the field get weeded out at the pro level, and possibly beforehand.  Even supposedly 'me-first' players like Randy Moss and Terrell Owens are known to be excellent in phases of the game that do not involve them getting all the glory. 

In other words, just because a person celebrates after making a good play doesn't mean they have somehow forgotten that football is a team game.  But it's not really surprising that 'old salts' unaccustomed to such flamboyance would watch the antics of a Joe Horn and come to such conclusions.


3. ...And that's the key word in all this: g-a-m-e.  It's only a game, and games are supposed to be held in fun even when they are played for money.  I liked watching the 80s Redskins get together and do a giant high-five in the red zone, because it was fun.  They weren't trying to taunt their opponents, but the ritual added a unique flair to their game.  Yet, certain opponents would get offended by this ritual and try to disrupt it.  Most didn't, but a few did. 

Sports are fun in part because you can smack-talk your opponents.  Athletes of ALL eras engaged in that behavior; I'd be stunned if Ray Nitschke didn't.  Isn't that poor sportsmanship, too?  To me, players get away with a lot more taunting than they should.  Making a cellphone call in the end zone isn't nearly as bad as shoving your opponent's face into the turf after catching a ball over him.  But maybe that's just my opinion.    

In the end, standards change over time.  Back in the 1950's, the bigggest problems in pubic schools were talking and chewing gum in class.  Now, it's violence and suicide.  Talking in class isn't such a big deal anymore, is it?  I think in a few decades, pro sports will have shifted again...and my current liberal-sounding talk will turn into laments over what has become of the good old days.  And when stuff like this kills my love for the games, I'll know the sporting world has passed me by.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Virve
DATE: 12/16/2003 03:11:28 PM
Any individual players' success relies entirely on their teammates, and by showboating at the end of the play it makes it look like they think they made it all happen on their own. I tend to agree with him. He's talking about bringing back good sportsmanship just as much towards your own teammates as respecting your opponents. He wants to revisit a time when players got into football because they loved the sport, not the endorsements...when they had an ounce of respect for their fellow players. He explains his stance perfectly here:

It always has been the game; the understanding that for an individual to make a great play, his teammates have enabled him to do it.

I remember talking to the late, great Green Bay Packers linebacker Ray Nitschke. He was so angry at the antics displayed by some guy after making a sack. Ray said, "Look at that jerk -- he came in unblocked and is jumping around, pounding his chest as if he's actually done something. When I made an interception, I knew it was because the defensive line had put pressure on the quarterback and the defensive backs had smothered the receivers. I just got the ball because we all did our jobs.

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