Look at Me! Look at Me! . . . sports celebrations
This is a subject that draws my ire like nothing else, except child molesters.
It seems to have begun in 1965 when New York Giants rookie wide receiver, Homer Jones, caught his first NFL touchdown pass against the Philadelphia Eagles – and immediately threw the ball to the ground. The spike was born and begat the Gatorade shower and other celebration antics, most of which are intended to draw personal attention to the individual.
The Gatorade shower began as a whim in 1985. In the closing moments of a NY Giant win over the Redskins, Giants nose tackle Jim Burt grabbed a cooler of Gatorade and doused coach Bill Parcells. Everyone who saw it froze. They didn’t know whether to laugh or run. But when Parcells responded with a broad smile, it made it OK to do. That season Parcells got the shower after every Giant win.
This is a harmless expression of joy over a hard-fought win. It is a Team thing. Everyone knows football is a team sport, unlike spiking the ball in the end zone to draw all the attention to the individual.
OK here I go. Any personal action done to draw the focus to an individual player after a completed play, of any kind, is an insult to the game, especially at the NFL level.
Players practice catching passes every day. Defensive players practice sacking the opposing quarterback every day. They are paid to sack quarterbacks and catch passes. Why celebrate something that is expected and one is paid – handsomely, I might add – to do? It’s their job. Every great play also requires the proper performance of other team members.
When Homer Jones caught his first NFL touchdown pass, it was made possible by 10 other teammates. The center/quarterback exchange was perfect. The fake to the running back was good enough to momentarily freeze at least one linebacker. Five offensive linemen handled the pass rush by defenders. The QB delivered the ball to the receiver. The receiver caught the ball, which he is paid to do. So why would he draw attention to himself as if he was the only player involved in this TD? If I were one of those linemen whose pass protection was perfect, I might be tempted to have some strong words for the “showboat” making the catch.
My least favorite player of all time is Terrell Owens. Owens caught a touchdown pass for the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football in 2002 and pulled a Sharpie out of his sock to sign the ball. A premeditated act to draw attention to himself.
In a game against the Falcons, Owens spat in the face of Falcon cornerback DeAngelo Hall after a play. Owens’ act did get him a $35,000 fine. After the game Hall said, "I lost all respect for the guy. That's like the number one sin in the National Football League. That's something that you don't do, is spit in another grown man's face."
Owens first made headlines for the wrong reason during the 2000 season, when he twice ran to midfield and staged a touchdown celebration on the Dallas star. The first celebration sparked a retaliatory mimic by Emmitt Smith, the second a hit from Cowboys safety George Teague. The Niners fined Owens a game's pay and he was held out of the team's next game, although he remained on the active roster and was not technically suspended.
Owens first made headlines for the wrong reason during the 2000 season, when he twice ran to midfield and staged a touchdown celebration on the Dallas star. The first celebration sparked a retaliatory mimic by Emmitt Smith, the second a hit from Cowboys safety George Teague. The Niners fined Owens a game's pay and he was held out of the team's next game, although he remained on the active roster and was not technically suspended.
OchoCinco, formerly known as Chad Johnson, once dropped to his knee and pretended to propose to a Bengals cheerleader. Another time he two-stepped an Irish jig. Look at me! Look at me! This isn’t what the game is about.
But folks say this is the “Me” generation.
