NFL: Bring the fun back to football
A player makes a one handed catch, breaks a few tackles or scores the go ahead touchdown with two minutes left in the fourth quarter. He then stands up spins the ball on the ground and does a little dance next to it to celebrate. A few years ago, this was completely ok. Then it became a 15 yard penalty. Now, it is a penalty costing the team 15 yards and the player thousands of dollars.
While I understand that Roger Goodell and the National Football League (NFL) are trying to prevent inappropriate content from being exposed to viewers, they seem to have taken it too far. Now, players are not allowed to spin the ball on the ground, dance in the end zone, or even wear creative equipment.
The real problems occur when these policies prevent players from honoring loved ones or supporting causes they believe in. In the past few seasons, players have been fined for wearing equipment that was meant to support breast cancer awareness, domestic abuse and mental health.
Additionally, Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive lineman Cameron Heyward was fined for wearing eye black honoring his late father. Fellow Steelers teammate Antonio Brown is routinely fined or threatened with fines or ejections for wearing cleats to honor certain people, such as Jose Fernandez, Kimbo Slice and Arnold Palmer.
Not only does this make the NFL less fun, but it shows that the NFL really does not care about the causes it claims to support. Now, with the NFL ratings dropping and officials trying to figure out the cause, this is one of the direct factors.
What I would suggest is a specific policy outlining certain causes that can and can’t be supported or certain celebrations that can and can’t be used, with assigned committees that work on adding or subtracting from these lists throughout the years.
Aside from rule changes to the actual game, multiple rules have been put in place that take away some of the attitude, flare and fun that has characterized football for years. So while I understand the need for uniformity and the prevention of obscene material, the NFL needs to slow down and figure out how to keep the fans and players happy with the game they always loved.
