Sports- Football: The Routine Being Celebrated as Great Accomplishments

by Monta Hale
( INDIANA)

FeedTheViIlage.com - Arena - Sports - Football

Football Players Even Celebrate Doing their Jobs Poorly!

Today a simple tackle, run, or catch is celebrated by athletes as not only something special, but spectacular.


They react as if what they just accomplished had never been done before, as if they were some great pioneer for their sport.

You don't have to look hard or far to see muscle flexing, break dancing, and even doing flips over what athletes these days accomplish on the field of play.

I think touch down celebrations are side shows that are not needed, but I also understand that the player is celebrating the score.

Because of this, I can reluctantly over look the T.O.'s and Chad Johnson's of the athletic world who want to take out their sharpies or shake the cheerleader's pom-poms.

The touchdown celebration has spread in Football like mold does on a piece of bread until it infects the entire loaf.

It started with the defensive celebrations of sacks and turnovers, and it has morphed into celebrating tackles, hits, first-downs, and now anything and everything is celebrated as a great accomplishment.

The mundane and ordinary, if not down right terrible, is being shown off by athletes as if they had just broken new ground in their sport.

Take for instance the Pro football game that I watched on Sunday.

A defensive back makes a tackle on a receiver.

Immediately after making the tackle the defensive back springs up to his feet and begins to flex both his arms in Adonis poses to show off how tough and great his performance.

He was celebrating his great accomplishment of tackling a Wide receiver after the receiver caught the ball for a twelve yard gain and a first down!

If this player was truly great and tough shouldn't he have stopped the guy from catching the ball or at least kept him from gaining enough yardage to get a first down?




This athlete was celebrating how great he was at doing his job poorly.

Why is he celebrating?

Why is he happy?

Does he even know?

These displays of bravado are not just reserved for when teams are doing well, but even when they are losing.

Watch a game and you undoubtedly see a player from the losing team make a big hit, get a sack, or get a first down.

That losing player making this accomplishment will get up and celebrate his grand deed.

I just want to say to that player, "Uhhhhhhh, in case you haven't notice your loosing and you shouldn't be happy about it."

The problem is that todays player cares more about how they look when losing than in actually winning.

What's really bad is this attitude, thanks in part to ESPN highlights, is spilling down into the college ranks.

I watched several bowl games this year where players were flashing first down sign after runs of two yards.

Wow, two whole yards...great job...you're the first running back to get a first down EVER...I am so impressed.

The norm is players flipping head over heals into the end zone to get a touchdown and defensive players mocking the other team after making tackles.

Last time I checked, players were supposed to be able to make tackles and score touchdowns.

Kids today have growing fascination with sports stars and how they act on and off the field.

Due to this, how long until we see high school kids doing the same things the pros do.

I believe that it won't be long, if not already happening.

That is truly a sad state of affairs.

Sports used to be about the team and sportsmanship.

Being upstanding in defeat and gracious in victory.

Now it's about "look at me, see what I just did" attitudes.

It's getting to the point I almost** don't want to watch football.

**Note to wife - I said almost!!!

Why can't players today act as if they have been there, done that, and will continue to perform.

I don't recall Barry Sanders doing the moon walk after first downs.

Walter Payton never did the chicken dance after he scored.

There is not a person who knows football that would say that this made them less of a player of less noticeable.

Professional football players should play and leave the theatrics to the actors.