No Fun Zone
The Football CPR resuscitation, the Pylon Putt and the Cheerleader Proposal—what do these three things have in common? Two things: They were all touchdown celebrations performed by Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Chad Johnson, and they are now all banned by the NFL.
It seems as though the NFL has had enough of Johnson and fellow touchdown specialists, such as Terrell Owens and Steve Smith, creating so-called elaborate post-touchdown antics. The league decided last week, with a vote of 29-3, to limit all touchdown celebrations to allowing only one person to spike the ball, dunk it or dance around.
What boggles my mind about this whole situation is not that the NFL decided to put the stranglehold on these creative geniuses, but that this motion was brought forth by the players themselves.
Aren’t these the same players who, when it’s time to talk contract extension, mention how this is a business—an entertainment business at that? Then why would they want to limit possibly the most entertaining aspect of the game?
I understand that football is very entertaining on its own. All you have to do is watch old footage of Barry Sanders running 60 yards around the field for a two-yard gain or watch Ray Lewis play linebacker. But just as entertaining is knowing that if and when Johnson gets into the end zone, he’s going to have something up his sleeves that will have sports fans talking for the rest of the week.
Now, I’m all for cleaning up the game of some of the more recent touchdown celebrations that have been crude and unnecessary. For example, Randy Moss’ fake moon of the Green Bay fans was, suffice it to say, obscene.
These and a few other select examples are the exception, not the rule. It’s a shame that the NFL and its Players Association can’t loosen up even a tiny bit and enjoy the performances both on the field and in the end zone. Instead, they have to deny fans the joy of seeing what these creative geniuses come up with every week.
While the NFL is putting the scissor hold on Johnson, Owens and company, Johnson promises that this new rule is not going to restrict his self-expression. He is simply going to look at the new rule, talk it over with some of his colleagues and come up with new celebrations that are within the parameters of the new legislation.
And to the powers that be of the NFL, here’s a little advice for you: If you really want to censor what goes on in the end zone after a score, let me tell you what you need to do—keep people from scoring.
If no one is getting in the end zone, no one is doing an end zone celebration and no one will pull a Sharpie out of their sock. It’s that simple.
But watch out, because then you’ll quickly become known as the No Fun League.