NCAA Cracking Down on Taunting Touchdowns in 2011

This past week, the NCAA endorsed a proposal by the rules committee on college football that players who taunt players of the opposing team as they are running for a touchdown should be penalized for taunting by nullifying the touchdown. I'm surprised this wasn't already a rule by now being that they are already throwing flags for taunting after things such as a sack, reception or interception.

This may not be popular with most fans, but I agree with the ruling. Student-athletes need to learn respect for their opponents and for the game. People will say that things like trash talking and taunting gives the players a psychological edge over their opponent. They say "If you can back it up, what's wrong with it". If you are breaking away to score an easy touchdown. The fact that you scored the TD is enough of an edge against your opponent anyway. If your team is the more talented and better team, you don't need any more competitive edge than that. Therefore, a psychological edge (taunting, trash talking, etc.) is unnecessary. Besides, remember Leon Lett in the 1993 Super Bowl? If he'd tucked the ball away like he should have, he would have scored, but he had to tease the Bills and Don Bebe made him pay. Yeah, the Cowboys won big, but what if the game had been closer and the play was a deciding factor.

Besides, I'm a purist. I still feel if you don't have respect for your opponent, then you don't have respect for the game itself. The game is bigger than you. It's not about you, it's about your team, the opposing team, and the game of football. I agree with the University of Oregon Athletic Director and former Ducks Football Coach Mike Belloti. this is what he had to say: "Our committee firmly believes in the team concept of college football,” Said Belloti, who chairs the committee. "Taunting and prolonged individual acts have no place in our game, and our officials have generally handled these rules well. This is just another step in maintaining our game’s image and reflecting the ideals of the NCAA overall.”

Before it can be on the books in time for the 2011 season, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel must approve the new rule. I have a pretty good feeling that they will give it the go ahead. If the NCAA approves the rule change, look for it to be inserted into the rule book for High School Football as well. There is probably even more instances of taunting at that level. You can put the blame on the University of Maimi Hurricane teams of the late 80s and early 90s for these new unsportsman like rules, They were the ones who started all of the "celebration demonstrations" and taunting of opposing players and teams. Before the beginning of the 1992 College Football Season, the NCAA produced a video showing examples of taunting and unsportsman like conduct. Just about all of those examples involved Miami players. I like the rule, but I welcome your opinion. Feel free to post your comment. Some information in this post was obtained from the NCAA web site www.ncaa.org.