NCAA Approves New Taunting Rule for 2011, Brace Yourselves for Controversy

The NCAA recently announced its new rule changes to college football. Starting in 2011, taunting penalties will actually result in the loss of points if the penalty occurred before the points were scored. What the NCAA is hoping to prevent with this rule are incidents in which players high step into the endzone or dive with no one around them, or any other obvious shots at the opposing team. Once again, the NCAA is ignoring the basic human nature of the game of football and is poised for some major controversies when the rule is put into place.

It seems that every year there is some controversy when it comes to taunting. The reason for this is because there is no set standard for what constitutes as taunting. Referees have to try to interpret what the intent of certain celebrations is in order to determine whether it is deliberately aimed at the other team. It is the dumbest rule in the rule book, but it really only has been a minor annoyance thus far since points were rarely taken off the board. One taunting penalty in particular, however, cost Washington its game-tying drive against BYU. In 2008, Washington quarterback Jake Locker ran into the endzone with 2 seconds left to go in the game. Thinking he had just tied the game Locker threw the ball up and celebrated the dramatic comeback with his teammates. Locker was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty, the extra point was moved 15 yards back, and was then blocked by BYU who walked away with a 28-27 victory. To say the penalty had no affect on the outcome is absurd. It took away some of the momentum of Washington, it changed the extra point from a 20 yard kick to a 35 yard kick which changes the whole dynamic of the play, and it allowed BYU more time to prepare to block. If that penalty is not called I do not think BYU blocks that kick.

What's even more infuriating about that play is that Locker did nothing wrong. He was not intending to mock or taunt the other team, he was excited because he just capped an 18 play drive with a game tying touchdown! What are players expected to do in that situation? I completely understand the desire to take away taunting other teams, but when you score a big play and are excited, your first thought is not, I better place the ball gently on the ground to avoid a penalty. Players aren't thinking at all! Anyone who has ever played sports or anyone that is a fan of sports knows that feeling. When a big play happens and you just won the game, you jump around and yell and scream and half the time you don't even remember what you're saying or doing because you're not thinking about it! Ok, so Terrell Owens was thinking when he took the pen out of his sock and signed a football. Chad Ochocinco is thinking when he does everyone of his celebrations, and I understand the NCAA's desire to not let that happen in college football, but you can't watch the replay of the Washington/BYU game and tell me what Locker did was unsportsmanlike. Football is an emotional game and to try to take the emotion out of it is stupid.

The point to this rant is that now, by allowing referees to take points off the board, this will be much worse. What constitutes taunting? What I think is taunting is different than what someone else thinks is taunting. Every year there is controversy over a number of taunting penalties because the guidelines for what constitutes taunting are so vague that even celebrations that aren't aimed at the other team are flagged. Yet, we now want points taken off the board for a completely subjective rule? If a player is all alone running the ball into the endzone to win the game for his team and he lifts his free hand up in celebration, boom, penalty. You might not think this is taunting, but another referee might. If a player is so far away from everyone else that he starts to jog into the endzone, penalty. One ref may think he was slowing down as a jab to the other team. You may be telling yourself that refs aren't going to be making these calls in big situations, but that sure didn't seem to stop them from ruining the game for Washington. What this rule will do is eliminate obvious high stepping and taunting from show boaters, but it will also ruin the amazing plays of genuinely excited players. When you're about to score a touchdown to win the game at the end of regulation or in overtime, you're excited! It's only natural and its not unsportsmanlike or wrong at all. What's wrong is telling him that it's not ok to be excited. It's not ok to celebrate your amazing play because one referee may decide to ruin your game. That's what this rule does. It gives the referees the ability to ruin the game. Points are never guaranteed, ever. By allowing referees to take them off the board for such an objective call is perhaps one of the dumbest ideas in college football since the BCS.

Football is not a game that can be played without emotion. When you see players listening to music before a game, they aren't listening to "Puff the Magic Dragon" or "If You're Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands." They are listening to music to get themselves pumped up. Let these players celebrate their amazing accomplishments and plays. They shouldn't have to worry about how they look while they are running the ball into the endzone. What if a referee determined that when Cal returned the epic kickoff against Stanford in the most exciting play in college football history, that by jumping into the endzone they were actually taunting Stanford? What if a referee saw a Boise State player celebrating just before they took the ball into the endzone for the two point conversion that beat Okalhoma in one of the greatest games every played? In 2011 we will see far too many games ruined by referees and that truly will be nothing to celebrate.