Please Bore Me Like Barry Sanders

When parents fail to do a proper job of disciplining their children the job falls to others by default -- teachers, principals, coaches, law enforcement, etc. And because college football coaches have not done enough to discourage their players from taunting, the NCAA is having to take steps to do that job.

There is a measure being considered for the 2011 season that would ramp up the punishment for taunting an opponent. According to the NCAA:

If a player makes a taunting gesture to an opponent on the way to scoring a touchdown, the flag would nullify the score and penalize the offending team from the spot of the foul. Penalties for dead-ball misconduct fouls (for example, unsportsmanlike behavior after the player crosses the goal line) would continue to be assessed on the ensuing kickoff or the extra point/two point conversion attempt.

If you take into account how few infractions take points off the board, you'll see how seriously college football's major sanctioning body is treating this issue. But it never should have gotten this far.

For years coaches have failed to rein in their players for their antics on the field.They either smiled or looked the other way when their players would spike the ball after a score or choreograph a routine that would get the respect of a Broadway hoofer. Over time such indulgence became an asset for some.

Under a handful of coaches the University of Miami carved out an image for its over-the-top behavior that became the gold standard for others to emulate. But the Hurricanes are not alone.

On any given Saturday you'll see players do a flip into the endzone, strut after a quarterback sack, jump into the stands after a score, strike the Heisman Trophy pose and the list goes on and on. They do it because they want to make the highlights on ESPN and because their coaches allow it.

Some fail to police their players because they want to foster an "fun" image of their school. Others like the bravado and swagger that comes with such antics. Very few want to be seen as too strict, lest they lose a prized recruit who has already been indulged through high school.

Players have complained through the years that taunting rules take the fun out of the game -- much the same logic the 15-year-old takes when they are not allowed to break curfew. And were we to ask the players being taunted if they were having fun I would suggest the answer would be no.

When Barry Sanders was at Oklahoma State he "celebrated" his touchdowns by handing the ball to the official and jogging to the bench. Today he would be heckled for not having charisma. He would be tarnished as boring.

To all coaches who would rather be player-friendly than responsible, take a look at Sanders stats and see if you might want a few boring players.