Abolish College Football's Celebration Penalty

There is a wide and easily detectable difference between taunting and celebrating.

The College Football Rules Committee needs to be made aware of this difference.

Last night I observed Washington Huskies’ basketball star Quincy Pondexter clap his hands and erupt with spontaneous joy when his team clinched its first road win of the season against Stanford at Maples Pavilion.

I thought back to what happened when Pondexter’s fellow Husky, football star Jake Locker, in the excitement of scoring a late touchdown against Brigham Young in 2008 on a run combining his agility and strength.

Locker delivered a spontaneous clenched fist pump as his face erupted in a smile. An official tossed a flag and, thanks to the ensuing 15-yard celebration penalty, the Huskies missed a PAT attempt and lost before the crushed home faithful 28-27.

The penalty so many of us currently decry was instituted in response to player taunting. It is one thing to seek to humiliate someone. It is completely natural, on the other hand, and fits within our human dispositions, to celebrate when we have achieved something positive.

For instance, a stockbroker closes a big sale on the telephone. He smiles, lets out a triumphal shout, and informs his colleagues. This is a demonstration of spontaneous joy over a positive achievement.

The aforementioned act is clearly distinguishable from someone hanging up the phone, delivering a loud, sarcastic laugh, then exclaiming to his colleagues, “I just closed a big six figure deal. I guess I left you pathetic jokers in the dust!”

The first instance was celebrating triumph, enjoying success. The second involved cruelly taunting fellow workers.

This distinction needs to be explained to NCAA Rules Committee members. Are football players expected to live in a vacuum that others do not occupy? Are they to be perpetually immunized from spontaneous celebration?

This question needs to be asked:

What if the Washington-BYU example with Jake Locker occurred in a national title game?