Saw this a few days ago, and felt like I needed to weigh in on these proposed rule changes by the NCAA Rules Committee. Read the article (it's not very long), and then read the commentary below.

I understand the reason for these proposed rule changes by the NCAA.

Really, I do.

Obviously I have no beef with the concussion rulings; those are extremely important measures that are primarily in place to protect the athletes from life-threatening injury. My alma mater - the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - does a ton of concussion research every year, and only recently have the NFL and the NCAA started to really pay attention. These changes are long overdue and I commend the NCAA for taking concussions more seriously.

However, I don't agree with the changes regarding taunting or celebrations at all. College athletes are 17-23 year old men who like to go out in their spare time, drink, party, and engage in various forms of debauchery when they're not in class or not at practice. In a game-time environment, especially for games on big stages (national championships, major bowl games, heated conference battles, and especially emotional rivalry contests), keeping your emotions in check is very difficult to do.

But overall, despite some people saying that these kinds of antics are unnecessary or bad for the game, I personally love it when a team or player is willing to take the 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty (which exists purely for this reason) to make themselves look like idiots.

I can't get enough of it.

It's like watching a train wreck. Or a monster truck rally. Or a frat guy arm wrestle a biker. You know what's going to happen...but you can't turn away. And you want to watch it over...and over...and over again.

Look at these clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z59Fdco4Yuo (Georgia runs onto the field after going up 7-0 on Florida in 2007)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dylEaycn5Qc&feature=PlayList&p=382B1C63C11151D0&index=8 (Start at 1:58, taken from ESPN's documentary "The U")

Can you honestly tell me that those are not entertaining to watch? Or at the very least, interesting? The ESPN documentary "The U" - which coincidentally, if you haven't watched it...get off your ass and watch it because it's fantastic - was one of the most interesting and entertaining things to watch purely from the standpoint that you were watching a bunch of amateur athletes push the boundaries of amateurism - both on and off the field.

It seems as though the NCAA is purposefully trying to take everything fun out of the game, including and certainly not limited to any amount of personal expression, be that a Bible verse on eye black or the beginnings of a sure touchdown celebration at the 15 yard line. Robbing college athletes of the fun and exciting passion they play with is exactly what will ruin the sport...and where's the fun in that?

I'm all for governing college football and keeping it "family-friendly". The NCAA is concerned for a variety of reasons - competitive equality, game delays, bad publicity, and potential injuries to name a few - at the antics of some players and teams, but let's be honest - this is EXACTLY why the 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty exists. The NCAA has already caught a TON of flack for this, especially in the wake of this incident:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap6Kn0dkbyY&feature=related (Washington and BYU, 2008)

Why open yourself up for more criticism? To protect the sanctity of the game? To "maintain the game's image"? To "reflect the ideals of the NCAA"?

What ideals are those? The quest to make every NCAA athlete an emotionless robot? The desire to eliminate any potential opportunities for the NCAA to look bad? The stubborn adherence by the NCAA to antiquated and impossible standards?

Like it or not, college football - and college sports in general - thrive on raw, pure, unadulterated emotion. And when adults get in the way, that emotion is lost. Let these amateur athletes represent themselves the way they want to.

College sports will be better for it.