Excessive Celebration Rule Has to Go in College Football

The college sports broadcasters are still talking about last week’s ridiculous excessive celebration call against Washington which literally cost the Huskies the game against Brigham Young. This week another excessive celebration call was called against Penn State because a player flipped the ball lightly after scoring a touchdown, and although it was not a game-ending penalty, this penalty call was nonetheless asinine.

While it is true that PossessionPoints.com focuses only on NFL, we felt the need to talk about the stupid rules that affect players who may or may not go on to the NFL. These are college kids playing a physical and emotional sport. Have we become so encrusted in political correctness that celebrating an accomplishment such as a touchdown is considered unsportsmanlike? In both instances, neither team that was penalized threw their scores in the face of their competition. They hugged their teammates in excitement and then quickly moved off the field. Yes, both players from both teams did flip the ball up in the air, but not at any opposing player or at any official.

If this rule is to stand, what is next? If a college baseball or softball player hits a grand slam, should teammates not be allowed to greet their player at home plate and acknowledge this accomplishment? How about soccer goals? Should teammates just pretend a goal didn’t take place because it might hurt the opposing team’s feelings?

Well, if that’s the case, let’s move the arrogance of celebrating a job well done into the academic world. Let’s do away with Dean’s Lists and awards at graduation. Surely, the graduates who do not achieve high academic grades will feel badly because they will not be recognized for their lackluster academic performance. I guess if you follow the thinking of the NCAA rule makers, recognition of any achievement might emotionally cripple the lives of those who don’t share in the same success.

Coaches go over the rights and wrongs of celebration with their players every year. I do not know of one college program that teaches their players to purposely flaunt their goals and scores in the faces of their opposition. Sportsmanship has always been a key part of college athletics and few programs have fallen short of showing respect to their competition. This excessive celebration rule is another example of how too many regulations ruin a good thing. The NCAA’s rule and willingness of the officials to over- enforce this rule dishonors the players and the games and their accomplishments.

Do away with this rule and let the players have the excitement of the game back.