# NFL - Taunting Rule Change?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-taunting-rule-change/672761>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [October 31, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-taunting-rule-change/672761 "2013-10-31T17:02:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-taunting-rule-change/672761/21 "2013-11-01T17:05:59Z")

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> [@ReticulatingSplines](#):
>
> Or, you can just let them taunt, because who gives a fuck?

^This! If you don’t want to be taunted, don’t let them score!

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**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-taunting-rule-change/672761/22 "2013-11-01T18:28:32Z")

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> [@zoog](#):
>
> Like I said earlier, taking a TD off the board is probably too much. But I really don’t want to watch a game that has unchecked taunting and showboating, and I doubt I’m alone. We already have plenty of options if we want to watch a bunch of guys act like punks and thugs. I’d rather watch a football game. If that kind of stuff becomes part and parcel of the pro game, I’ll take my viewership to the college level.

But it’s not entirely unchecked. Tate nearly got caught prior to entering the end zone. And remember Leon Lett? You can clutch your pearls if you want, but the taunting is pretty much harmless.

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**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-taunting-rule-change/672761/23 "2013-11-01T22:23:49Z")

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> [@ReticulatingSplines](#):
>
> Or, you can just let them taunt, because who gives a fuck?

Yeah, what’s wrong with this?

First of all, if you don’t let the other guy make the play, then he won’t have an opportunity to taunt. So if you don’t like the taunting, don’t let him beat you?

Second, the last time I checked, the NFL, and all the other major sports leagues, were made up entirely of grown men, not 8-year-olds. Are their egos really so fragile? The minimum salary in the NFL $405,000…for that kind of money I think they should be able to put up with a bit of hand-waving and trash-talking. Hell, give me that kind of money and you can stand outside of my cubicle and make fun of me for 40 hours a week.

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**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-taunting-rule-change/672761/24 "2013-11-01T23:14:05Z")

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It is a terrible idea. I don’t want the referee’s judgement on whether someone was taunting to directly affect the score of the game. You can bet that somebody would get called for taunting if he ran a bit too slow, or held the ball in one hand, or something like that.

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