Under Review: Should the NFL continue to crack down on on-field celebrations?

Many people lately have been complaining when it comes to players being penalized for celebrations after certain plays in the NFL. There has been a lot of criticism towards NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for cracking down on on-field celebrations. You might even hear people jokingly refer to the NFL as the “No Fun League.”

However, I believe that players getting penalized for celebrations is a good thing. It is these players’ jobs to play football. They get paid millions of dollars to do so. So I do not see a problem with them having to act professionally. Even if it’s a touchdown, the players should act professionally. The player who gets a touchdown should hand the ball to the ref and celebrate on the sidelines, not on the football field. You do not see an accountant dancing around after he files a tax return. So why should NFL players celebrate after scoring a touchdown?

I also believe that the NFL could do more when it comes to players celebrating. I am not only talking about touchdowns. I am sick and tired of seeing defensive linemen celebrate after getting a sack on first down. In the grand scheme of things it is not even that big of a play, especially if the offense happens to get a first down after that, but this guy is still dancing around on the field acting like he just won the Super Bowl.

Refs rarely call penalties for excessive celebration after a sack. In what other sport do you see players celebrating after every play? There isn’t another sport. In baseball players don’t do celebration dances when a pitcher ends the inning. In hockey a player does not dance around after scoring a goal.  A basketball player doesn’t dance around after hitting a three point shot. So why should a defensive player be able to dance around after a sack?

He should just go back to the huddle and high five his teammates. These players never act like they have been there before. It is almost like every time a player gets a touchdown or sack, they need to act like it’s the first time in their career they ever did that when in reality it is actually there job to do so. Is it too much to ask of these players to act professionally when they are getting paid millions of dollars to play a game?