# NCAA Stupid Celebration Rule **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 8, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026 "2011-10-08T20:44:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026/41 "2011-10-10T12:29:40Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > It’s not the duration, _it’s the attitude_. “You’re my bitches now!” So now we’re relying on the refs to be mind-readers. “He clearly had an attitude of superiority for the .56 seconds that his arms were spread, therefore, penalty.” > [@](#): > > It was a meaningless score (third TD in the first quarter) and it was intended to humiliate the other team. Ugly. The score was meaningless because it was in the first quarter? Is there some rule that you don’t score as often as you can because it’s unsporting to be better than your opponent now? Come on. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026/42 "2011-10-10T12:39:37Z")
Good rule. It’s clearly needed to force these young men to play gentlemanly and sportsmanlike. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026/43 "2011-10-10T13:57:08Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > So now we’re relying on the refs to be mind-readers. “He clearly had an attitude of superiority for the .56 seconds that his arms were spread, therefore, penalty.” > > The score was meaningless because it was in the first quarter? Is there some rule that you don’t score as often as you can because it’s unsporting to be better than your opponent now? Come on. I said nothing about not scoring. It was meaningless as it was early in the game and it was already a blow-out in the making. The score was not a game changer or winning a major championship. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026/44 "2011-10-10T19:19:22Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Sorry to double post, but it just doesn’t make any sense. Say the offense has the ball at their own 10. QB is scrambling around, and an offensive lineman just nails a defender. QB makes the throw and the WR is running for the touchdown. > > Scenario A: > > The OL looks at the player on the ground, screams we’re gonna win MFer and does a little dance. All before the WR scores. The ref sees it, throws the flag, and calls him for unsportsmanlike conduct. Result? Ball comes out of the endzone and is placed on the 5. > > Scenario B: > > The OL looks at the player on the ground, screams we’re gonna win MFer and does a little dance. The ref sees it, throws the flag, and calls him for unsportsmanlike conduct. But this time the OL had waited for the player to score. Result? Touchdown and a 15 yard penalty on the extra point. > > What’s the takeaway here? If you want to taunt and celebrate, just wait until after the player scores. Celebrating is fine. Taunting never has any place on the field for any reason. In the immortal words of Bear Bryant “When you get to the endzone, act like you’ve been there before”. Same goes before you get there. If it costs you a TD and embarrasses you on national tv, all the better. You can bet #15 wil keep his arms tucked in until after he has scored the next chance he gets. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026/45 "2011-10-10T21:04:55Z")
It was clearly taunting. The rule is stupid. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026/46 "2011-12-08T03:38:47Z")
So this essentially happened in a high school state championship game. I haven’t seen the specific details, but as “time wound down” the QB was running for a go ahead TD. He put his hand up in celebration around the 25, was flagged, and the TD negated. They ended up losing 16-14, but I’m not sure what happened after the play or how much time was left. ESPN has a video: > **[Celebration penalty on TD costs HS team title](https://www.espn.com/boston/story/_/id/7327275/celebration-penalty-td-costs-cathedral-high-school-team-title)** > > A Massachusetts high school lost a state championship game because a player raised his arm in triumph as he ran for what would have been a go-ahead touchdown. So, are ya’ll happy about this? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026/47 "2011-12-08T03:55:19Z")
> [@treis](#): > > So this essentially happened in a high school state championship game. I haven’t seen the specific details, but as “time wound down” the QB was running for a go ahead TD. He put his hand up in celebration around the 25, was flagged, and the TD negated. They ended up losing 16-14, but I’m not sure what happened after the play or how much time was left. ESPN has a video: > > [Celebration penalty on TD costs Cathedral High School team title - ESPN](http://espn.go.com/boston/story/_/id/7327275/celebration-penalty-td-costs-cathedral-high-school-team-title) > > So, are ya’ll happy about this? Celebrating before the line is taunting. There were several defensive players nearby and it was clearly an “in your face, I beat you” gesture. The kid just learned a valuable lesson. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026/48 "2011-12-08T17:48:01Z")
> [@treis](#): > > So, are ya’ll happy about this? It has nothing to do with the NCAA, but leaving that aside - I never liked the idea of taking points off the board, not that I liked players doing backflips into the endzone very much either. Either way this looks like an overzealous call to me. The celebration could have been premature, but he briefly raises his fist after seeing he was going to score the championship-winning TD. I don’t think raising your fist in celebration is the same as taunting the other team. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026/49 "2011-12-08T18:13:50Z")
I don’t know if this has anything to do with what happened, but the LSU punter who got penalized was from Australia, and might not have been familiar with US football codes of conduct. Even in Aussie Rules, which is about ten miles tougher than US football will ever be, a bit of celebration like that would be shrugged off with a post-game pint; nobody would ever think “I would get the same penalty for that as if I’d grabbed a guy’s facemask and tried to recreate that scene in _The Exorcist_.” ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026/50 "2011-12-08T18:23:57Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It has nothing to do with the NCAA, but leaving that aside - I never liked the idea of taking points off the board, not that I liked players doing backflips into the endzone very much either. Either way this looks like an overzealous call to me. The celebration could have been premature, but he briefly raises his fist after seeing he was going to score the championship-winning TD. I don’t think raising your fist in celebration is the same as taunting the other team. It’s Maine, so they use modified NCAA rules (timing differences and safety changes largely) instead of the NFHS rulebook that the rest of the country uses (except Texas, which also uses modified NCAA). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026/51 "2011-12-09T00:32:07Z")
Massachusetts, not Maine. MIAA rules apply. The call made the difference in the state championship game, too. [But it stands.](http://www.thebostonchannel.com/mostpopular/29951120/detail.html) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026/52 "2011-12-11T16:26:52Z")
> [@treis](#): > > So this essentially happened in a high school state championship game. I haven’t seen the specific details, but as “time wound down” the QB was running for a go ahead TD. He put his hand up in celebration around the 25, was flagged, and the TD negated. They ended up losing 16-14, but I’m not sure what happened after the play or how much time was left. ESPN has a video: > > [Celebration penalty on TD costs Cathedral High School team title - ESPN](http://espn.go.com/boston/story/_/id/7327275/celebration-penalty-td-costs-cathedral-high-school-team-title) > > So, are ya’ll happy about this? yes. those little shitstains get their egos fluffed enough just because they play a game; the least they can do is not be assholes about it. > [@tumbleddown](#): > > So now we’re relying on the refs to be mind-readers. “He clearly had an attitude of superiority for the .56 seconds that his arms were spread, therefore, penalty.” well, he wasn’t going to generate any lift by doing that, so I’m wondering just what alternative conclusion the refs would be able to come to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-stupid-celebration-rule/599026.md?page=2)