Do you like the "me" celebrations in sports?

The Den
21

I do understand the OP however, personally I think this is a very misconstrued concept that has changed over a long period of time. I don’t think it’s a “new” thing… I think it’s more apparent now than it was 20-30 or even 50-70 years ago.

Personal celebration has changed with society, as society changes. For example, Babe Ruth autographs are not that hard to come by. Why? Dude signed a ton of stuff and enjoyed being a celebrity. Babe Ruth was a celebrity and very much enjoyed being one. Moving forward to the 70s, Tiger Williams was what one would consider a “hot dog” in terms of celebrations…

Wacky Goal Celebration: Tiger Williams rides the stick - YouTube

Deion sanders was known for his celebrations I think… oddly enough, when the ATL Falcons popularized the “Dirty Bird” dance, that was an entire team thing. The NFL then oddly banned team celebrations but said individual celebrations were ok.

Have athletes become more focused on their individual appearance than their team appearance? Maybe, but is it really any different than it always was, we just have 24/7 coverage on players and teams all the time now.

I think for every athlete you see being a “me” celebration, you have just as many doing team celebrations, and probably some of the same ones. It’s just more magnified now. This is nothing new.

Let the kids have fun. Celebrating individual accomplishments is not an exclusion from also celebrating things as a team. And to agree with @BitterSyd, there’s a lot more things worth much more attention than this.

Edit: this was just off the top of my head. I’m sure the sports fans here can think of a million more examples throughout the years of players being what could be considered as “me” or individual/selfish celebrations. Some may be selfish, others may also have a deeper connotation we as fans aren’t aware of.

I wonder if back in the day, when Ted Lindsay advocated for a players union and then got traded to the Blackhawks, if he was considered a selfish player. Also too he famously took his stick and shotgunned the Montreal forum after they won a playoff game and had received death threats.

2 Likes
22

I’m gonna say something that will probably be controversial and you can feel free to tell me off… but the Roy Williams first down signals… while I hated them for the same reason y’all did, I also actually appreciated them because he at times seemed like the only guy who gave a damn on that team. It’s been a long time since that era, but I remember thinking at times “at least he’s still trying and still trying to get the team pumped/motivated”.

Not everyone is a great leader, great motivator, etc… but maybe he was trying to do whatever he could to help the team? We all know how incredibly dysfunctional those teams were. And I do remember when getting a first down was actually an accomplishment for our offense. So yeah, maybe his celebrations weren’t the most self aware, but at least he still played like he gave a damn even if we were down by 30.

2 Likes
23

This is a perspective I won’t argue with. It’s true that sometimes it did seem like Roy Williams and 52 other guys playing. At lease you always knew he was there because he was giving 100%.

He was also very unselfish with the media; win by 10 or lose by 30 he was always available.

(FACT CHECK:) I thought I remembered something about this and yes, turns out he won an award from the Detroit media who hand it out every year.

I’m not agreeing with your take, just not disagreeing either.

2 Likes
24

Right on… I don’t think he was a great leader and I think that came out when he went to Dallas, and maybe not the greatest teammate either. But to quote the big lebowski, in the parlance of the times, he was a 1st rd WR on a bad and completely dysfunctional team… so while yeah the first down motions looked bad from an outside perspective, at the same time maybe he was trying to motivate the team in his own way?

2 Likes
25

My pronouns are length, girth and OMG.

26

Basic psychology 101:

If a behavior in someone else bothers you then you should look within. It is a sign that you exhibit this exact behavior that you do not like in yourself. It is a very basic truth.

1 Like
27

We really don’t care to know so much about your balls.
swollen-ed-bassmaster

28

Very true, @snags is always celebrating with first down signals in his driveway every time he finishes taking out the garbage. It’s something he’s working on, the neighbors love it though, sometimes he even wears pants.

1 Like
29

LOL - They’re attacking us with the alphabet

seeing it though our own lens is one thing…how it impacts children is quite another.
Causes confusion & anxiety.

2 Likes
30

I liked the team touchdown celebrations. I thought it was dumb that the nfl banned them.

3 Likes
31

For a league that wants ratings and high scoring games, I don’t understand why they don’t let the guys have some fun when they score TD’s. If anything, you would think that would make players more marketable if they had entertaining or funny celebrations.

1 Like
32

They are afraid of alienating fans like snags who won’t watch if the players are celebrating.

Football Celebrate GIF

2 Likes
33

@BigNatty always hates on ladies soccer, but he’s clearly missing out! haha

1 Like
34

Jamaal Williams Hips Dont Lie GIF - Jamaal Williams Hips Dont Lie Jamaal Williams Touch Down - Discover & Share GIFs

Sometimes I have my neighbor help me take the trash down to the road and we do this.
Relive All of the NFL's Best Touchdown Celebrations by NFL ...

2 Likes
35

Season 9 Reaction GIF by The Office

1 Like
36

I like to do this everytime I am done taking out the trash

American Flag GIF

37

Red hair, blue shorts, and some white ass skin!

38

I don’t mind TD celebrations, done tastefully…but celebrating that you made one play? :face_with_spiral_eyes:

2 Likes
39

All thats missing is the MAGA hat. Or did it just blow off?

40

It depends how good the celebration is.

1 Like