CFN Weekly Affirmation
That link has a HUGE section about celebration penalties. It's the last huge section under "Sports and the Absence of Adult Leadership."
Below is part of Chris Fowler's article via espn.com about the start of the 2008 season.
Linky
Fear The Zebras
I am not an alarmist and don't get too worked up about things that may not materialize. But I do fear this:
Officials will be flag-happy this season, enforcing the rules committee's new initiative on post-play celebrations. Tapes were shipped this summer to all officiating crews, showing examples of grievous sins like somersaults into the end zone, high stepping and various other quick displays of emotion that threaten to undermine the fabric of the game (and society in general). Or so they'd have us believe.
Officials were told they must flag these things.
Look, I know things can (and have) gotten out of hand at times. We've seen celebrations so elaborate and premeditated that they embarrass the sport. Throat-slashing and taunting must be penalized. But let's not let all the fun and emotion be drained out of the sport to satisfy an overly conservative bunch on the rules committee.
If these guys were in charge of the Olympics, they would have run out on the pool deck and stripped Michael Phelps of his gold medal in the relays for excessive celebration. Usain Bolt? They might have banned him for life and sent him back to Jamaica in a rowboat after his display in the stretch of the 100 meters. Now Bolt's antics might have been a bit much, but he had just stamped himself the fastest man ever. I can forgive him.
Some of the examples of "unsportsmanlike conduct" contained on the tape are quick and fairly mild. Do they "draw attention to oneself," as the rule states? Sure. Big deal. It's an emotional game. It's hard to play. Score a touchdown or make a sack, you should be allowed to enjoy yourself for a couple seconds.
Is a guy's diving across the goal line after a long run really so awful?
Again, I won't overreact until I see how this crackdown on celebrations plays out. But for players in the SEC, where more leeway has been given than in the more buttoned-up Big Ten, an adjustment will have to be made.
