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Leagues and Governing Bodies

Dirty Dancing? NFL Criticized For Officials Strictly Enforcing Celebration Penalties

Celebration penalties in the NFL are "up sharply this season" as the league is "essentially asking officials to pay extra attention to enforcing the existing rules," according to Victor Mather of the N.Y. TIMES. The league said it has not changed its rules, but has made excessive celebration a “point of emphasis." That has "meant that the flags, and fines, are flying." NFL Senior VP/Officiating Dean Blandino said whether dancing draws a foul "depends on the nature of the dance." He said, “When it’s sexually suggestive, that’s a penalty." He added that a celebration in general crosses the line "if it’s choreographed, if it’s excessive, if it’s prolonged." Blandino said that he "thought letting colorful celebrations slide could lead to a slippery slope." Blandino: “Believe me, if we let this go it will continue to build and players will continue to try to outdo each other. It leads to altercations.” He said that he "did not expect the torrent of penalties to continue." More Blandino: “Fouls go up initially, and then as the players start to regulate their behavior and they understand where the bar is, we start to see the foul numbers go down." But Mather notes despite trying to "stamp out the more flamboyant celebrations, the NFL has not been especially hesitant to promote them on social media" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/18). In Boston, Christopher Gasper writes the NFL is "trying to legislate emotional responses and regulate expression," and the league also is "repressing its players’ personalities." Gasper: "Stop limiting players’ freedom of expression and our entertainment. The NFL has a product worth celebrating. It should act like it" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/18). The Arizona Republic's Dan Bickley tweeted, "The NFL should stop cracking down on celebrations and start dealing with flag-happy referees" (TWITTER.com, 10/17).

ISSUES AT HAND: In Atlanta, Michael Cunningham writes "bad football has hurt the NFL’s image more than the off-field controversies." Thursday and Monday nights have "featured weak teams playing unsightly games," and Sunday night games that "typically feature the best matchups have been sullied by missing marquee quarterbacks." Games also are "becoming longer" and there is "often confusion surrounding what appear to be arbitrary interpretation and application of many rules" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 10/18). ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert notes last night's Jets-Cardinals "MNF" game "saw a total of 23 penalty flags," which "helped convey an inescapable sense of atrocious football on a national stage in a season clouded by an unexpected drop in television ratings." It was a "poor quality of football ... a level so low that ESPN announcer Sean McDonough felt compelled to acknowledge the obvious." McDonough: "The way this game has been officiated is not something that anyone wants to watch." Analyst Jon Gruden added, "Tough game to watch, with all the penalties" (ESPN.com, 10/18). 

QUESTION OF AUTHORITY: Seifert noted several actions this season by both teams and individuals represent an "unprecedented rebellion against NFL authority from almost every facet of its realm." The public display in recent years has "been both stark and damaging." The Browns and Eagles actions on Sunday were not the work of "merely a few social media interns getting cute." If it were, the Browns and Eagles then "would have deleted the tweets immediately." Instead, as of early yesterday morning, they had been "either retweeted or liked nearly 15,000 times." The "collective audacity of NFL employees implies a lack of respect for its authority and -- worse -- a distrust in the way it operates." It "feeds a public notion that the league is a bungling business, not one that stands atop the economic food chain in the sports industry, and invites an erosion of its corporate reputation." Seifert: "When your business is under consistent criticism from its own members, and when they are aggrieved or cavalier enough to broadcast it in a way that mocks the league's centralized authority, it's time to pay attention" (ESPN.com, 10/17). In West Palm Beach, Ryan DiPentima writes the NFL has "often been referred to as the 'No Fun League'" and the new media restriction policy on in-game highlights "seems like a definitive step toward furthering that moniker." It "will be interesting to see how far teams are willing to push the envelope in the coming weeks" (PALM BEACH POST, 10/18). 

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