Football and America

Two things happened this weekend which put American society in context for me.  Incredibly, both occurred in the world of football, one on Saturday in the college game and one on Sunday in the NFL.

On Saturday, Georgia trailed the #4 LSU Tigers by 5 points.  A tremendous pass and catch led to a Georgia touchdown with 1:09 to play.  Unfortunately, the ensuing celebration led to a flag that ultimately put LSU on the Georgia 37 yard line after the kickoff.  LSU scored the game-winner a few plays later.  The play and the celebration are captured here.

On Sunday, the Ravens were victimized by two questionable roughing the passer calls, extending drives that led to 14 New England Patriot points.  The most controversial of those calls is captured here.

So what does this tell us about America?  Let's take a look at Georgia first.  The underdog scored a HUGE touchdown to go ahead of the #4 team in the country.  Taking a look at the tape, it is almost impossible to discern the action the receiver took to "bring attention to himself."  Well, here is my question: why shouldn't he draw attention to himself?  No LSU players were in sight.  The kid made a great catch.  Georgia capped a huge comeback.  We WANT him to celebrate.  We want those kids to celebrate. 

Well, out in American society, celebration gets a flag as well.  We have been taught to hide our emotions so we do not offend anyone.  We have been taught to hide our wealth and our successes so we do not hurt the feelings of those who have less.  We have been told that celebration is equated with taunting.  Shhh...we're all supposed to have the same, so no one feels left out or left behind.  Why are we patronizing the "have-nots"?

The Ravens, of course, have a decent gripe...Tom Brady gets protected with, at best, a very liberal interpretation of the rules.  The Ravens' hard work is penalized, and the Patriots go on to win (okay, let's forget the Clayton drop).  And so it is in American society today...be careful what you say, be careful how you say it, be careful how it appears, be careful how it sounds.  You may injure someone's feelings.  Worse yet, America, you may goad him or her into action.

America was once the home of the American dream, home of the "bootstraps."  America was the land where others came to celebrate their diversity, celebrate their successes, and celebrate their hard work without penalty.  And we can be that again...