Mar 2 2011
Penalties in Sports: Soft or Something Else going on?
Had to get this off my Floppy chest…
We all know how soft the NFL is when it comes to giving out 15 yard penalties.
Let’s quickly go over the ridiculous ways in which the NFL penalizes a Player/Team on top of all the arbitrary holding/pass interference calls.
IF a Player…
- Leads with their helmet (one rule that I am not completely against if it truly protects an opposing player. But it gets ridiculous, I mean what is the helmet for?)
- Hits a player even half a yard out of bounds
- Hits a quarterback after the ball is thrown, regardless of ones’ momentum or how hard one even hits the QB.
- If one touches a kicker or punter after the ball is kicked
- Celebrates “excessively or with a group.” The only way a player would not get penalized after he scores is if he were to personally hand the ball to the ref, he just better make sure the ref doesn’t drop it.
- SPIKES a Football…this has been a trademark NFL celebration since the AFL days!This to me is INSANE? No wonder the NFL has the nickname the “No Fun League” (NFL).
- Taunts fans or a sideline, whatever that means. Oh the kids at home might get gang/violent thoughts if they see such an action
I mean out of all sports NFL players are probably the most aggressive athletes. How the hell are you going to entrap their emotions during competition. Let them f*cking play.
Check out this video: The ref is just waiting to throw a flag…
Why should we care?
Because these penalties AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF GAMES!
A 15 yard penalty in football can give a team field position to kick a game winning field goal, or give a team a free first down to keep a drive a live. Penalities that are actually ensued for the safety of players are fine. But why give a team a free first down if the opposing team has barely touched their quarterback or rather penalize a player for spiking a football after he scored?
Why even call such a penalty? What is the justification of it? Are celebration penalties suppose to be protecting the kids at home from what, Not celebrating.
Why is barely bumping a QB after he throws a free first down and 15 yards. Yes if he gets lite up, OK, but if he gets bumped and FLOPS why throw a flag? Look at this….BTW the music will freak you out so just mute your ISH…
WOW that was really a “roughing of the passer”
Why affect the game when the safety of the QB was not actually in jeopardy on that particular play? As fans we deserve an answer or a change.
In the NBA it is even worst. Refs give out technical fouls like snickers bars on Halloween. Lets look at why technical fouls are given out in the first place?
- The NBA claims that technical fouls are given out to protect the integrity of the game. Let’s check this video out…
Now whatever was said, who knows. But it is a competitive game. Let the guys play damnn….Nothing crazy happened. Ron Artest didn’t run into the stands again.
ALL these new technical foul rules do one thing: PUT MORE CONTROL OF GAMES IN THE HANDS OF REFEREES…
We see the NBA going in the exact same direction as the NFL; as this off season the NBA made it a point of emphasis to make sure players stay quiet, and by quiet, that is EXTREMELY QUIET.
Check out this technical foul on fatboy Kendrick Perkins
- The NBA will give out a technical foul for anything said by a player in regards to contesting a call, a foul, or even if they ask a ref what they had for dinner last night. It has gotten to a point where NBA players can not say one word throughout an entire game. It is ridiculous and flat out stupid.
- The NBA claims that the reason technical fouls are imposed amongst player and refs are in order to protect the welfare of refs from being abused by players. My response: do fans actually give a shit? They make enough money as it is, let them deal with the one word complaint. As a fan I can live with a ref who makes 6 figures a year being pissed for 5 seconds, but I can’t live if my team loses a playoff game by 2 points over a bullshit technical foul.
- Didn’t we learn anything from Tim Donaghy and his manipulation of games? Tim Donaghy would have a field day in the current NBA, where he would have covered at least 99.9999% of his bets.
Something needs to be done because as the years go on and on, both leagues will continue to incorporate more and more penalties. And more and more games will not be won by the best team.
If an action has no negative impact on the fans or the “integrity of the game”, like a TD celebration, why the f*ck should we penalize teams and fans.
This is what the NFL and NBA should do: Fine players for actions that call for a “soft or TD celebratory” 15 yard penalty or a “soft” technical foul (not ones where players curse or go in the stands like Artest). Send those players a huge fine like 50,000 dollars, and sooner or later they’ll get the message. But don’t impose 15 yard penalties or a “free point” and the ball ,for actions that change outcomes of games and in the case of “excessive celebrations” fans actually enjoy seeing.
Referees are on the field/court to make sure the rules of the game are being followed. A player arguing a call or a group celebration is in no way corrupting or have anything to do with the “rules” of the game?
It makes us fans think: what is really going on these leagues? I’ll tell you what: both leagues want more control. They want refs to have more control of how they (NFL/NBA) want the games to be played. Corporate control and money is all that heads of teams and leagues care about. They could honestly care less about (you) the fans or players. Think about the ruling this morning: Players won in favor of the League in regards to $4 billions dollars that the NFL hide from players. Check out the article on ESPN you floppy bastards….LINK IS HERE.
At the end of the day it is all about MONEY. Sad to think that games being played are more about money and control, than having fun and enjoying the competition. But I guess that’s the way the cookie crumbles (Jim Carrey Voice).