Are the NFL's Celebration Rules Racist?

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Are the NFL's Celebration Rules Racist?​

Touchdown celebrations go back for decades. Frank Gifford and Paul Hornung threw balls into the stands when they scored. In 1965, Homer Jones gave us the spike. In 1974, the Houston Oilers drafted Billy "White Shoes" Johnson. He was 5'9" from D-III Widner University, and when he scored, he liked to dance. After returning a punt for a touchdown, he did an odd version of the "funky chicken" to the delight of fans. Dancing wasn't done at that time in the NFL. "White Shoes" thought he was going to get a tongue lashing when he want to the sideline, but head coach Bum Phillips was OK with it. "You keep scoring and you can dance all you want," Phillips reportedly said when Billy returned to the sideline. Players started coming up with more entertaining ways to celebrate a score. In 1982, the "Fun Bunch" of the Washington Redskins would get together in a circle and high-five each other. Mark Gastineau made the "Sack Dance" famous.

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Are the NFL's Celebration Rules Racist?​

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Every celebration could be considered prolonged and excessive. The great thing about people is we have a tendency to simply ignore bad rules. The 1984 rule was largely ignored by players; it's a good thing, too, or we might have never gotten to see the "Icky Shuffle." Growing weary of expressed happiness, the NFL instituted a rule in 1984 prohibiting "any prolonged, excessive, or premeditated celebration by individual players or a group of players.

LeRoy Butler, in 1993, gave us the "Lambeau Leap," From the "Mile High Salute" to the "Dirty Bird," we all have fun with celebrations, so why in the world does the NFL hate them so much?

 

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Terrell Owens is one reason.Terrell Owens' antics are now legendary. To list them would be redundant. Chad Ocho Cinco is public enemy No. 2 in the NFL's eyes. The league office couldn't even see the humor in a sign that said "Please don't fine me again!". What about the uproar that Randy Moss' mock moon caused? You would have thought he whipped out his you-know-what and waved it at the cheerleading squad for all the fuss people were making. Do these guys have anything in common? Can we confront the pink elephant in the room and talk about racism for a minute? Post-World War II NFL owners didn't see it fit to hire a black head coach until Art Shell was signed to coach the Oakland Raiders by Al Davis in 1989. For a long time, it was thought that African Americans didn't have the mental capacity to handle the complexities of the quarterback position. Despite all scientific evidence to the contrary, African Americans were steered away from this position until the late 1980s. Some would argue this practice continues today. Is it possible that the owners are imposing their cultural ideals on the league? Their history suggests a less-than-open-minded view.

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NFL referees penalize Black players for celebrating far more than white players​

When Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Moore was penalized for excitedly removing his helmet after catching a game-tying Hail Mary pass in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter against Atlanta two weeks ago, it was unfortunate on a number of levels. The 15-yard penalty led to a missed extra point attempt and ultimately a loss in overtime. The referees got it wrong and never should have flagged Moore, who was outside the end zone when he took off his helmet. And perhaps most disturbing, the penalty was part of a pattern in which Black players in the NFL are disproportionately penalized for “excessive” celebrations.

An Andscape examination of data on unsportsmanlike conduct penalties found that since 2018, 19 out of 21 — 90% — of the flags for celebrating have gone against Black players, who along with biracial athletes make up 68% of NFL rosters. Only 9% of the calls were on white players, who are 25% of the league. Those percentages are almost unchanged from a study done a decade ago, five years before the NFL loosened its rules on celebrations. That study of two years’ worth of flags from 2010-2011 found that 92% of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after touchdowns were levied against Black players.

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Study Looks at Bias in Celebration Penalty Calls​

A Kansas City Chiefs cornerback returns an interception 58 yards for a touchdown, then flexes his biceps in the end zone with one foot resting on the ball. A Seattle wide receiver makes a throat-slashing gesture after catching a 52-yard pass for a score. A running back for Green Bay lies on his back in the end zone and waves his legs and arms to mime a snow angel after an 80-yard scoring catch. After an 18-yard touchdown catch on Jan. 1, a Buffalo receiver exposes an undershirt that has “Happy New Year” written on it. Each of these touchdown celebrations last season resulted in a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. But they had one other commonality: The fouls were called on black players.

They randomly assigned 44 men and women, who were nonblack and qualified as familiar with football after answering a pretest question, to read one of several accounts of a fictional N.F.L. play, each with details that varied slightly. In one version, a wide receiver named Malik Johnson makes a spectacular fingertip catch and sprints into the end zone. Then he spikes the ball in front of a defender named Jake Biermann, goes into his signature touchdown dance, flexes his muscles and waits for a reaction from the crowd. In a second version, everything is the same, except the wide receiver is Jake Biermann and the defender is Malik Johnson.

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This poll will close: Jan 23, 2024. Your vote will be publicly visible.​