NFL Celebration Rule Changes Not A Slam Dunk

As most NFL fans will know by now, the League Office has recently established a rule prohibiting touchdown celebrations involving dunking over the goal posts. Despite understandable reasons for the rule change (read: Jimmy Graham's celebration in Atlanta that bent the goal posts causing a delay of game) this move continues to fuel the "No Fun League" moniker the League has

Jimmy Graham bends
goal posts in Atlanta

gained in recent years. Knee-jerk reaction. That's what many are calling the change, and given some of the NFL's recent decisions in terms of on-field behavior that's an accurate description. Especially when you consider the circumstance of Jimmy Graham's dunk that many believe the rule is based on. The slight tilt was most likely a result of Graham  suspending his body weight on the posts. Clearly this type of two handed jam represents the exception, not the rule in the spectrum of dunk celebrations in the NFL. 

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the rule change is the NFL's continuing tendency to ignore the desires of its fans in regards to the evolution of the game. Changes involving player safety are something that, though some may lament the disappearance of bone-crushing hits, many fans can understand, if not agree with. However, the progressive tightening of the NFL's belt in terms of celebration has been going on for some time. The days of ritual team celebrations, the "Fun Bunch" Redskins of the 1980s being one of my personal favorites, are long gone. Heck, even using another player, or cheerleader for that matter, in a

Slim chance of that.
Sorry Chad.

celebration will invoke a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. And that's not too say there isn't a point at which celebration becomes too excessive. Most people would agree with the ban on outside props used in touchdown celebrations (a la the Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens celebrations of the early 2000s). Yet I, for one, can't help but feel that part of the fabric of the game is being torn asunder with the insistence to remove the individualism players could once display on the field. Football is a game driven by passion. And it shows in all aspects of the game, from on the field trash talk, to the press conferences. Fundamentally, the League Office is attempting to bottle up this passion. In the grand scheme of things this rule change won't have a perceivable impact on the way fans enjoy the game. However, I can't help but to imagine what kind of iconic moments we may miss out on because of it.