Example: LSU - Georgia game last Saturday (Oct. 3). Hair trigger officiating at its worst, which arguably cost Georgia the game. Even the SEC headquarters proclaims so.
Link - SEC says Georgia got raw deal on celebration call: http://home.knology.net/news/read.php?id=17516733&ps=1013&srce=newsclass&action=5&lang=en<=UNLCSHNWU00L5UNEWS
Yep Al. I’m an LSU fan and I thought both of the celebration calls were bogus. On the other hand, Georgia did have the opportunity to stop LSU from scoring a touchdown, which they did not. Had LSU won by a field goal, I would not have been pleased with the win. After the TD, I’m ok with it. I believe that the rule against gesturing to the crowd is ignorant, especially when it’s a home crowd, and there is no obscenity involved. What’s wrong with firing up the home crowd? If you can’t do that, you may as well play SEC games in OSU’s Buckeye Stadium, and vice versa.
“MisngNOLA”, I have no love for either LSU or Georgia, but those “unsportsmanlike conduct” calls really grate me. The really big problem is those calls are totally objective – “excessive celebration” is anything a ref says it is. After making a possible game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the game against a formable rival, are all the players suppose to just shrug their shoulders, say “That’s nice,” and wander back to the sideline?
I will be the first to admit that in the past celebrations were beginning to get out of hand. (Heck, sometimes they involved enough choreography to rival a Broadway show and were as impromptu as a rocket launch.) A penalty for excessive celebration – in and of itself – is not uncalled for. But pumping the air surrounded by your teammates after a big score is not excessive in my book.
I think Alabama_Al meant to say that the ‘excessive celebration’ calls are totally subjective, not objective. But since we all know what he meant to say, his entire comment is 100% correct. When a call requires a subjective interpertation of a rule, you have a bad rule. If the refs get to decide what is and what is not an infraction, they’re going to start being offered lots of money to make a favorable call for one side or the other. Most will do the right thing. Some will not.
Alabama Al about 15 years ago
Example: LSU - Georgia game last Saturday (Oct. 3). Hair trigger officiating at its worst, which arguably cost Georgia the game. Even the SEC headquarters proclaims so.
Link - SEC says Georgia got raw deal on celebration call: http://home.knology.net/news/read.php?id=17516733&ps=1013&srce=newsclass&action=5&lang=en<=UNLCSHNWU00L5UNEWS
MisngNOLA about 15 years ago
Yep Al. I’m an LSU fan and I thought both of the celebration calls were bogus. On the other hand, Georgia did have the opportunity to stop LSU from scoring a touchdown, which they did not. Had LSU won by a field goal, I would not have been pleased with the win. After the TD, I’m ok with it. I believe that the rule against gesturing to the crowd is ignorant, especially when it’s a home crowd, and there is no obscenity involved. What’s wrong with firing up the home crowd? If you can’t do that, you may as well play SEC games in OSU’s Buckeye Stadium, and vice versa.
Alabama Al about 15 years ago
“MisngNOLA”, I have no love for either LSU or Georgia, but those “unsportsmanlike conduct” calls really grate me. The really big problem is those calls are totally objective – “excessive celebration” is anything a ref says it is. After making a possible game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the game against a formable rival, are all the players suppose to just shrug their shoulders, say “That’s nice,” and wander back to the sideline?
I will be the first to admit that in the past celebrations were beginning to get out of hand. (Heck, sometimes they involved enough choreography to rival a Broadway show and were as impromptu as a rocket launch.) A penalty for excessive celebration – in and of itself – is not uncalled for. But pumping the air surrounded by your teammates after a big score is not excessive in my book.
Sandfan about 15 years ago
I think Alabama_Al meant to say that the ‘excessive celebration’ calls are totally subjective, not objective. But since we all know what he meant to say, his entire comment is 100% correct. When a call requires a subjective interpertation of a rule, you have a bad rule. If the refs get to decide what is and what is not an infraction, they’re going to start being offered lots of money to make a favorable call for one side or the other. Most will do the right thing. Some will not.
Alabama Al about 15 years ago
Like I said, “subjective”.