Unnecessary Celebration

Baseball

In today's game on the diamond, sluggers fill the need to follow their shots out of the ball park before ever circling the bases. Every time Barry Bonds hit a home run, during his path to the home run record, he felt the need to glorify his achievement to the opposing pitcher and team by standing at home plate with both arms in the air, as to physically say it was good. This is not sportsmanship. Now, little leaguers are doing the same thing every time they knock one out of the park. Further evidence that sportsmanship is disappearing, Alex Rodriguez felt the need to shout at an opposing player moments before he was about to make a routine out on a pop-fly. 

Football

This is probably the worst of all the leagues. Players like T.O., Chad Johnson, and L.T. feel the need to showcase their acting talents. L.T. is known as one of the most respected players on and off the gridiron, but yet he strikes a pose every time he enters the endzone and has, on more than one occasion, be less than civil to fellow teammates. The worst and most offensive player in the league is Shawne "Lights Out" Merriman. He insists on performing a "dance" after every sack or tackle he makes. Veterans and the coaching staff of the Chargers have told him to lay off his routine since is causing nothing but problems for the other defensive players. His need to extol his actions to the rest of the world. What message is this sending to a younger generation that sees the way he acts and the money he is paid while doing it?

Basketball

Of all the major sports leagues, the NBA has to be the most promising. Their are not multiple fights every night, they do not dance out of control after every shot, and the players generally appreciate the ability of the player they are matched up against. That being said, there is one player that declines to show sportsmanship. Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks is known to many as the "The Jet." He sticks his arms out like plane wings and pretends to "fly" after making a big shot. There is no need for this. His peers, Kobe, Nash, Iverson, and Kidd don't feel the need to make a fool out of themselves, so why does Terry? Gilbert Arenas has made several game winning shots, many of them circus shots, and he always just walks away and lets his shot do the talking. Why is this so hard of a concept for Jason "The Jet" Terry to comprehend?   

To hear talk of past players like Barry Sanders and Jerry Rice, who just handed the ball to ref after scoring, and seeing the actions of many current athletes who let their play do the talking for them, makes one wonder where certain athletes get it from?