NFL no fun for players
Mike Vaught
Issue date: 12/4/09 Section: Sports
In recent years, the National Football League has gone by another name: the No Fun League. NFL officials have been trying to clean up the league's image and in doing so may have accidentally taken the fun out of the game.
Players have a knack for coming up with some of the most outrageous celebrations. From former Saints receiver Joe Horn pulling out a cell phone to Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco dancing and putting his way across the end zone, touchdowns are a part of the entertainment value of football.
I saw a Canadian Football League game in which a player organized a game of duck, duck, goose with his teammates in the end zone. It led me to wonder how the NFL would have handled it and why the CFL doesn't seem to have a problem with it but the NFL does.
The new rules have made football less fun for the fans, but this year the No Fun League seems to be limiting the amount of fun the players can have on the field.
I have found two major examples where the NFL has stepped in and blown a seemingly innocent situation out of proportion. Earlier this season, Ochocinco was fined $20,000 for pretending to bribe a NFL ref $1 to get a play to go his way during a Bengals-Ravens game.
Ochocinco took a dollar bill from one of his coaches and made his way to the referee where he offered the dollar in exchange for the call.
On the field and on the camera it looked like it was nothing more than a joke. The referee quickly put an end to the fun, and that should have been the end of it.
Yet the No Fun League would not let the issue rest, as they proceeded to fine Ochocinco and gave him just what he wanted, more attention. This is an example of a player trying to be entertaining and pull Commissioner Roger Goodel's leg, and judging by the fine, he did just that.
The second occurrence of the NFL taking the spontaneity and fun out of the game was after a Monday night game between the Titans and Texans. After leading a resurgent Titans team to a 20-17 win, quarterback Vince Young high-fived the referee behind him and the NFL was quick to put out an official statement describing just how and why the high-five happened.
"As Boger moved toward the line of scrimmage, he started to bring his arm down. However, before he lowered his arm, Young, moving towards the referee, raised his own arm and the two exchanged what appeared to be a quick high-five."
Of course Boger did not intend to high-five Young after a job well done, but even if he was, who could blame him after all he went through last year?
It may have appeared unprofessional, but for the NFL to feel that they needed to issue a statement denouncing the high-five is ridiculous. In this case, Vince Young just got caught up in the moment and went looking to high-five the closest person he could find, who just happened to be a referee.
In both incidents, fans and media have taken sides on players' celebrations. I think each incident is just a case of players having fun playing the game.
Players have a knack for coming up with some of the most outrageous celebrations. From former Saints receiver Joe Horn pulling out a cell phone to Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco dancing and putting his way across the end zone, touchdowns are a part of the entertainment value of football.
I saw a Canadian Football League game in which a player organized a game of duck, duck, goose with his teammates in the end zone. It led me to wonder how the NFL would have handled it and why the CFL doesn't seem to have a problem with it but the NFL does.
The new rules have made football less fun for the fans, but this year the No Fun League seems to be limiting the amount of fun the players can have on the field.
I have found two major examples where the NFL has stepped in and blown a seemingly innocent situation out of proportion. Earlier this season, Ochocinco was fined $20,000 for pretending to bribe a NFL ref $1 to get a play to go his way during a Bengals-Ravens game.
Ochocinco took a dollar bill from one of his coaches and made his way to the referee where he offered the dollar in exchange for the call.
On the field and on the camera it looked like it was nothing more than a joke. The referee quickly put an end to the fun, and that should have been the end of it.
Yet the No Fun League would not let the issue rest, as they proceeded to fine Ochocinco and gave him just what he wanted, more attention. This is an example of a player trying to be entertaining and pull Commissioner Roger Goodel's leg, and judging by the fine, he did just that.
The second occurrence of the NFL taking the spontaneity and fun out of the game was after a Monday night game between the Titans and Texans. After leading a resurgent Titans team to a 20-17 win, quarterback Vince Young high-fived the referee behind him and the NFL was quick to put out an official statement describing just how and why the high-five happened.
"As Boger moved toward the line of scrimmage, he started to bring his arm down. However, before he lowered his arm, Young, moving towards the referee, raised his own arm and the two exchanged what appeared to be a quick high-five."
Of course Boger did not intend to high-five Young after a job well done, but even if he was, who could blame him after all he went through last year?
It may have appeared unprofessional, but for the NFL to feel that they needed to issue a statement denouncing the high-five is ridiculous. In this case, Vince Young just got caught up in the moment and went looking to high-five the closest person he could find, who just happened to be a referee.
In both incidents, fans and media have taken sides on players' celebrations. I think each incident is just a case of players having fun playing the game.
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