Storyline: On Thursday Antonio Brown was asked by the media about his fines. He brushed it off, telling ESPN, “it’s nothing to a boss.”
From high-fives to jumping for joy to dabbing, every athlete expresses their feelings of success differently — whether it’s LeBron James’ “silencer” after finishing a dominating play or a soccer player running and sliding on their knees after a goal. It’s part of sports.
Dancing has become a popular expression when it comes to celebrating in sports. However, lately there seems to be a stigma associated with it.
Courtesy: USAToday
Take what happened during the most recent NBA Playoffs. Thunder guard, Russel Westbrook, had a pre-game dance ritual. Before tip off he would dance to the music blasting in the arena, usually with a teammate. Lots of people looked forward to it. Well, almost everyone….
The Mavericks’ Charlie Villanueva was neither impressed nor amused. He stood in front of Westbrook while he danced. Westbrook was seen pushing him aside. Villanueva was interrupting Westbrook’s pre-game routine.
When asked about his actions Villanueva said: ”If you want to go dancing and stuff like that, go to a nightclub, go to a club and dance. Go to ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and be a dancer. You want to battle and dance, we can battle, but not in a basketball game. Plus, they were in my way, too, so I wasn’t necessarily interrupting their dance.”
But the sport with the most controversy–by far–is The National Football League. The NFL has been strict about “excessive celebration” and “unsportsmanlike conduct” offenses. Some professional football players’ roister is seen by the League as unprofessional and not following NFL protocol.
For years NFL athletes have been getting fined left, right, and centre for celebrating their hard work. Here are several examples.
In 2008, Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield pretended the goal post was a fire pole after returning a blocked field foal for a touchdown during a game against New Orleans. The damage? $10,000.
In 2014, New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham was fined $30,000 for dunking the football through the goal posts twice during a preseason game. Why? The league feared that he might actually “move the posts if he hit the structure hard enough.”
Antonio Brown (84) after scoring against the Indianapolis Colts (photo, Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown is another player whose actions on the field have been hurting his bank account. He’s no rookie when it comes to getting fined.
Last December the NFL fined him over $11,000 for an end zone celebration during Pittsburgh’s 45-10 win over the Colts. Brown returned a punt from the 29-yard line late in the fourth quarter and attempted to stick onto the goalpost. He then hit his whip with teammates who were celebrating with him. He was penalized on the play for unsportsmanlike penalty.
But of the many examples, the one that takes the cake is what happened during last week’s Monday Night Football. That combo of Brown’s action and the NFL’s reaction has led many fans to refer to the NFL as the “No Fun League.”
Midway through the third quarter Brown put his hands on his knees, hip-thrusting, which yes, is twerking–or as he refers to it–“Boomin’.” It was Brown’s way of celebrating his second touchdown of the night against the Washington Redskins. And, on top of that, Brown was docked for wearing baby blue cleats decorated with his number, 84, in white. Those shoes violate the League’s uniform protocol.
Antionio Brown twerking after scoring a TD against Washington (photo, The Sporting News)
A first-time unsportsmanlike conduct offence can get you charged a $12,154 fine, but this was not Brown’s first offense. According to CBS Sports, Brown was either fined $9,115 for taunting or $12,154 for unsportsmanlike conduct toward an opponent.
It seems ridiculous to get fined such a large amount of money for something that seems so natural–celebrating. Face it. Most of us have done a little dance after doing something special. Don’t lie to yourself. I know you have!
Commentators and reporters laughed when Antonio Brown had his moment of twerking–as did millions of others, who either watched it live or viewed the clip later.
While every player needs to be aware of protocol and penalties, there’s another angle on this story: Lighten up, NFL!
On Thursday Brown was asked by the media about his fines. He brushed it off, telling ESPN, “it’s nothing to a boss.” As NFL.com put it: “His pockets might be a little lighter this week, but a year after leading the league in receiving, his stock has never been higher. We’re primed for more touchdowns, more dancing, more ‘get off my lawn’ responses and most importantly, more entertainment.”
There’s more fun in the future, NFL!
