Do you think a celebration penalty should be called if the play is still live? The main two situations I'm thinking of are high stepping and diving into the endzone. I hate celebration after a play, but if you are so wide open that you can dive or high step for the fun of it, I say you earned the right to do what you wish. I mean if you dive too early or you trip while high stepping there is a major price to be paid.
Last year Reggie Bush dove into the endzone and kind of tumbled doing so as a celebration (It was on the cover of SI)... Most people don't know, USC was penalized 15 yards for that on the kickoff. The announcers (I don't believe) never even mentioned the penalty.
You bring up something else I have noticed lately. Announcers don't seem to mention "bad" things when they happen. It's a sad day when sports channels are censoring what they show. I remember one year in the X-Games a motorcycle jumper won the event then pulled a stunt by jumping his bike into nearby bay. ESPN refused to mention it or show a replay because he was told by officials not to do that. We are living in a world that is being increasingly sugar coated.
the ncaa added a rule this year that strictly states that a player is to be penalized if he dives into the inzone strictly for a celebration...
I think its stupid and shows no Class. No one likes a showboat. Why can't everyone be like a Marvin Harrison, score and set the ball down and run to the sidelines.
The unsporstmanlike conduct penalty for TD's has always been for the most part any attempt by the scorer to single himself out in a celebration... for a while there they were throwing flags if you ran into the endzone with a finger in the air (not that one!)...
Or like a Joe Horn, score and set the ball down, take a second to call your kids and say "hey" and then run to the sidelines. Just kidding. I usually don't like the super arrogant guys, but I've always liked Joe Horn. Don't know why, but I do.
Aside from the obvious homerism, I think with Joe it's different because, although he's a bit of a showboat on the field, he always seems to handle himself with class off the field. Most of the other people you get these stupid celebrations from (Deion, T.O.) are jacka--es of the field as well.
I think unless the celebration is direct taunting of the opponent or fans then I don't have a problem with guys diving into the end zone or doing a little celebrating. After all it's a game played by young men...let them have some fun. We all know where the line is and when it gets crossed. Like last night they threw a flag on the guy from PITT for diving into the end zone on his return of the kickoff for a TD, why throw that flag? The guy wasn't showing up or taunting anyone, he was more happy to be able to redeem himself for fumbling the opening kickoff which resulted in a Louisville TD. I remember a few year's back one of our players, I want to say Domanick Davis, broke a nice run and dove into the end zone with a guy on his heels and was flagged for celebrating...assinine!
