It is time again for me to vent and add another item to my “Things That Tick Me Off” list. Today’s gripe is excessive celebration. I started thinking about this recently as the father to two fencers. In attending fencing competitions, I have been shocked by the practice of some to scream after scoring a point. I will return to that practice is a second. Then I saw this click of Pete Weber winning his fifth PBA U.S. open title — screaming at the crowd. I realize that this is (hopefully) an unguarded moment of someone caught in the euphoria of his win. However, it raised again for me the concept of excessive celebration in football (my favorite sport) and the need for such a rule in fencing (below). I believe all sports should have rules like the NFL’s, but fencing (with so many young players) should make it a priority to establish a rule against screaming celebrations as shown below.
While often criticized, I have long supported the rule against excessive celebration (though I think it is enforced at times in a capricious fashion). The NFL rules states:
TAUNTING
(c) The use of baiting or taunting acts or words that engender ill will between teams.
(d) Individual players involved in prolonged or excessive celebrations. Players are prohibited from engaging in any celebrations while on the ground. A celebration shall be deemed excessive or prolonged if a player continues to celebrate after a warning from an official.
(e) Two-or-more players engage in prolonged, excessive, premeditated, or choreographed celebrations.
(f) Possession or use of foreign or extraneous object(s) that are not part of the uniform during the game on the field or the sideline, or using the ball as a prop.
This is a rule that distinguishes football from some other sports and teaches an important lesson to young people about good sportsmanship, in my view.
I have been thinking about this rule because of witnessing screaming among young and old fencers alike. The screaming below remains thankfully a minority, but not a small minority. I realize how intensive fencing is as a sport with rapid burst of energy. However, I find it incredibly rude and inconsiderate to the other player. This is not the only intense sport, but I have never seen this as a common practice. The national and international fencing associations should address the practice, as did the NFL, and make it clear that fencers are expected to show good sportsmanlike and refrain from screaming celebrations. Saying that “it has always been this way” is hardly an excuse. In my view, allowing these displays reinforces an arrogant and egotistic element to the sport as well as a disregard for the feelings of an opposing fencer.
“It is bowling. He did not just climb Mt. Everest. He did not just do a 360 degree dunk. What an idiot.” -rafflaw
lol. Thanks for that, rafflaw.
I agree with Prof. Turley that these fencers outbursts are beyond reasonableness, but the bowler is just stupid. It is bowling. He did not just climb Mt. Everest. He did not just do a 360 degree dunk. What an idiot.
speaking of idiots, the young man in eniobob’s video is luck to be alive.
idealist707 1, March 22, 2012 at 11:35 am
JT,
Fencing, is that the poor man’s yachting?
================================
No, it is where you sit when you are not sure of the next play. 😉
they’re
Prep school fencers are getting rowdy; the Republic is doomed. That bowler’s out burst ( with his stupid bad-ass shades ) was hilarious. I think these types of of out burst should only be allowed in sports where they’ll inherently funny (syncronized swimming, chess, Dugeons and Dragons, curling, competitive ball room dancing, or any other “sport” were one can be drunk or out of shape and still effectively compete)
JT,
Fencing, is that the poor man’s yachting?
Or the winter alternative to polo? Smile.
Just to be fair to the ladies. Any daughters? And what do they play?
Geeba Geeba—-great.
As for fairness, in a sport like tennis and fencing, noise during play or celebrations after points negatively effect the opponent—-and should be punishable, by loss of point. That’ll fix it quickly.
It may be that folks are just corrupted by the media and the commercial hype. It also, if we consider parents at child sports, the parents venting their frustrations accumulated from many sources..
My own experience as a little leaguer we’ll forget about. NO parent’s were screaming, etc in 1949.
Wish we could skip the BB grus collapse so often used in tennis today.
And grunts should be rewarded by point loss.
Those fencing screams are disgusting.
Consider for a moment soccer which is a very low scoring game. The players are always very very happy when they make a goal and there is always celebration on the field. However, now if the player takes his shirt off in celebration, the disrobing player almost always gets a yellow card.
Perhaps this is similar to the NFL taunting rule…not really sure.
So, someday I hope to be in a position to tick you off to no end…. (also to take fencing lessons….) 🙂
Not having any contact with fencing I was very surprised by this. I had the impression that it was a classy sport with a long history steeped in tradition. But alas it appears that this crap is seeping into every part of our society after all.
Similarly, bowling I hadn’t seen any of for a long time. I do know that Weber is a long time veteran and this ridiculous behavior is relatively recent. I do wonder if it has indeed been encouraged by the powers that be in the sport, as stated by Frankly. What a joke.
This society has apparently lost all remnants of any class.
Always irritates me with parents constant feedback during games. Example: youth baseball. After every pitch someone or several parents may utter “Good eye, nice swing, don’t swing at that one, ” and so one including the highly irritating “swing batter!”. Instead of just proceeding with the game every action is a judgement. Kids feel like every action has a judgement attached to this marvelous game. Parents: once the game is on please just shut the heck up when a kid’s at the plate! They feel all alone out there as it is. Don’t put them under a microscope. Let them play. Almost none of them will ever play pro ball so ease up.
I don’t know if you would call this a sport ,but the Victor did not let out a scream although it would have been appropriate:
Is bowling a sport?
“…act like you’ve been there before.” – Vince Lombardi
As far as I know neither John Riggins nor Walter Payton ever had an end-zone celebration.
Dredd….
Lol….. Ya think…..
Mespo,
Now was that really what mae was referring to….
I like restraint, if it doesn’t go too far.
~Mae West
Sadly, Mr. Weber is a bit of an ass. Having seen his performances in the past as well as the one you mentioned that was not a moment of excessive exuberance – it was the mark of an ass. He is encouraged in this by the new owners of the PBA who think if it worked for the WWE it should work for them.
The taunting and excessive celebrations that take place in sports diminish the sport and the participants.
This kind of behavior is done by selfish people who tend to think that the game is all about them.
The screaming does seem egotistic. Looking at some of the clips, the audience for the bouts seems to be of a “fingers of one hand” scale at most.
Perhaps the winner is attempting to compensate for the indifference of others. The organisers should provide canned applause machines.
Anyone for tennis?