I’ve never been one to really enjoy professional football.  I was never really interested in the sport, or even entertained by it.  Sure, I’ll watch it from time to time — I suppose I’m a casual fan, but I certainly don’t follow it quite like I do with baseball.  But the showboating that runs throughout professional football, today, is absolutely ridiculous.

Now there’s showboating in every sport.  There’s always some character dancing, and celebrating, when it’s not at all necessary.  Essentially all this does is redefine a game from being a team sport to an individual sport.  It happens in football, and it certainly happens in baseball, too.  Manny Ramirez celebrating a home-run while his team is down several runs against Cleveland is a perfect baseball showboating example.

I understand the celebrating when a huge play is made — a bottom of the 9th, two out, game-winning home-run, a monstrous sack in the 4th quarter on the 4th down, or a last second three pointer to win the game.  Hell, a huge play is pure justification to celebrate.

As I was watching the first few minutes of today’s Giants-Bears game, I realized that football showboating is totally out of control.  I believe it was 2nd down when Eli handed the ball off to Derrick Ward for a 2 yard run.  He was tackled by someone, on Chicago, I’m unfamiliar with, so I apologize not knowing the player’s name.  When this player got up off of Ward, he began pounding his chest and walking as if he just saved the world or something.  On 3rd down, Eli tried to pass, but had no open receivers — he ran up the middle, but was tackled.  I believe a gain of three was made.  Again, the player who tackled Manning began to celebrate when he got up.

Hello!  Great, you made a tackle.  If you were unaware before, well here’s a little memo — IT’S YOUR FUCKING JOB TO TACKLE THE OFFENSE-MAN WITH THE BALL.   The plays you stopped weren’t game changing.  The plays you stopped weren’t game winning, either.  Fuck, it was the first-goddamn-quarter of the game.  You look like a complete moron dancing and pounding your chest after every single play.  It’s not needed when a) it’s not a huge play and b) it’s not a game-saving or game-winning play.   So, until then, just play hard and do your job.  And when a huge play does occur because of you, then, by all means, celebrate.  But jesus christ, the first quarter?  You’ve got to be kidding me.

And this is one of the reasons why I still cannot stand much of professional football.