No Fun League at it again?

[ice grillin you]

reason # 872 why i will never take the owners side in anything

[Geowhizzer]

NFL | League cutting down on sideline traffic
Wed, 29 Mar 2006 05:38:37 -0800

Mike O'Hara, of the Detroit News, reports local television affiliates were removed from the sidelines under a policy adopted Tuesday, March 28, by the NFL owners. They no longer will be allowed on the sidelines during games, which prevents them from shooting footage to show on news and highlight shows.

I'm sure official NFL footage will be available, though.  For purchase, of course.

[henchmanUK]

Brilliantly sarcastic opening line.

JIM LITKE: NFL really is the 'No Fun League'
By JIM LITKE, AP Sports Columnist
Last Updated 11:02 pm PST Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Few things have contributed more to the ruin of society than excessive end-zone celebrations. That's why the NFL never sleeps. Not for long, anyway.

"We've allowed those things to creep back," Rich McKay, general manager of the Atlanta Falcons and co-chairman of the competition committee, said at the start of the league meetings this week. "They are not necessary and should not be allowed."

We let athletes cry all they want these days in sports, and the camera never flinches. Adam Morrison's tearful jag at the end of the Gonzaga game ran on long enough, in fact, to become part of a national debate about manliness. Yet nobody at the NCAA began wringing their hands about whether the next generation of juvenile stars will insist on tucking Kleenex into their socks - just in case.

Then again, a lack of testosterone has never been the NFL's problem. Just the opposite. What keeps its guardians up at night instead is too much laughter. Especially the kind that, like a pretzel, cruelly twists itself into a taunt, the kind a few of its current stars spend hours in front of a mirror perfecting.

"That's the in-your-face, the lack of sportsmanship, the lack of respect for your game," said Titans coach Jeff Fisher, a committee co-chairman.

"Two or three years ago, they were being flagged and we almost eliminated them. I think we take responsibility. The officiating department and the committee have allowed them to creep back. We're going to make that once again a point of emphasis."

So much so that the owners passed a revised set of rules Wednesday setting out further what players can and cannot do after scoring a touchdown. Like it's worked so well in the past.

In: Spiking, dunking or spinning the ball; and dancing.

Out (and subject to a 15-yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff, and possible fines): Prolonged celebrations; celebrating on the ground; celebrating with props of any kind - balls, pylons, towels, signs, cell phones or cheerleaders; and co-celebrants, excepting fans taking part in a "Lambeau Leap."

To commemorate what are about to become the good old days, ESPN put together their list of the 10 best TD celebrations and all it proved is that like art, everybody has an opinion. But that's why people in the enforcement business say enforcing a law is a lot trickier than writing it, and this one is vague to begin with.

Banning props is a good first step, since it takes most - but not all - endorsements out of the equation early. Reserving the right to levy fines is not bad, either, but some guys will calculate what the exposure is worth and pay them happily.

Bengals receiver Chad Johnson did push-ups after one TD and made like Tiger Woods sinking a big putt after another, even throwing in a fist pump at the end. When the Cincinnati Enquirer asked whether any of the new rules would hamper his performances this season, neither the penalties nor the fines appeared to worry him. Johnson took it as a challenge to his artistic integrity.

"How can this bother someone as creative as me?" he said, and then a moment later, added, "Tell the competition committee that Chad said you can't cover 85, and there's no way you can stop him from entertaining."

If the NFL wanted to do this the right way, it would hire a panel of celebrity judges for every game to review the celebrations and score them, a la "American Idol." There would be markdowns for a lack of originality, rhythm, taste, etc., and the potential for both penalty yards and fines doubled and even tripled.

Now that's entertainment - not to mention fair - and it has spin-off possibilities.

But since it's also not an option at the moment, the zebras on the front lines who have to decide what's excessive will need some practical direction. The league isn't providing much. McKay cracked up some listeners when asked to clarify the celebrating-on-the-ground rule.

"If they go to the ground to score and feel compelled to do something," he yelled, "get up!"

To which we'd only add two suggestions:

Don't prejudge guys like Johnson, T.O. and Steve Smith just because they have reputations; a double standard is worse than none at all. Anything longer than 10 seconds is definitely too long.

---

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke@ap.org

[PhillyPhreak54]

Eagles were only one of the three teams to vote against the celebration rule.

Eagles
Dallas
Tampa Bay

It passed 29-3

[Wingspan]

i'm surprised the eagles voted against it.

pinkston must have some special dances planned.