Sports column: There’s no shame in celebrating

By Jon Gluskin

What is it with touchdown celebrations today?

It seems like never before have so many celebrations been making headlines. This season, there have been many good – and many bad.

Not a week this season goes by where Terrell Owens doesn’t do something he probably shouldn’t. Not to mention a certain pom-poms routine with the 49ers cheerleaders and the famous Sharpie incident years ago.

This season alone, he’s done sit-ups after a touchdown. He’s ripped a random guy’s sign off the wall. He’s flexed his muscles.

Just Monday night, Owens scored three times. We all know what that means – three celebrations.

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Once he pretended he was on ice skates (at least I think that’s what he was doing). Once he did a two-hand slam dunk over the goalpost. Once he brought back lovely memories in Texas Stadium when he ran into the middle of the field on the Cowboys’ star and struck a pose. He stayed in the end zone this time around, but went to the star and made an eerily similar pose.

The biggest fiasco surrounding him was when he had the gall to even mock the dance of Ray Lewis.

I’m trying to figure out what this guy was thinking – in a fight, my money is on Ray 10 times out of 10. When Owens caught the go-ahead score in Week 8 against the Ravens, Owens did his best impersonation of Lewis’ self-expression.

Owens gyrated his body, contorting it in every which way.

I’m sure you could guess what was coming next week.

Steelers vs. the Eagles. Hines Ward finds the end zone, so what does he do? He puts the ball down, puts one foot on it and starts flapping his arms like an eagle.

This was a familiar sight for Owens. He sported the same celebration after scoring in Week 1. All Owens could do was grin on the sidelines.

Where’s the creativity? I want more.

You’d think in this day and age, these egomaniacal athletes could think of something new to captivate the hearts of America.

Last year had some good celebrations – Joe Horn whipping out a cell phone he placed in the padding on the goalpost. Chad Johnson “posing” for teammate Peter Warrick’s camera, and then later in the season scoring and holding up a pre-made sign asking the NFL to please not fine him.

Those were clever; those were creative; those were awesome.

We need more of those this year. In the NFL today, players celebrate for making a thirty-yard catch, even if it’s not for a touchdown.

Even quarterbacks dance.

Daunte Culpepper “gets his roll on” after he puts six on the board. Donovan McNabb pretends to be Michael Jackson.

I say, if you’re going to put your manhood on the line, make it good. Do something that’s going to shock the world.

Terrell Davis had it. His “Mile-High Salute” was a classic. Jamal Anderson’s “Dirty Bird?” Legendary.

I’m ready for some more celebrations like that.

I can’t stand people who say celebrations are bad. There’s nothing wrong with them. We engross ourselves in hours of football to be entertained, so why can’t the players entertain us?

I’m hoping that from here on out things pick up and we see some new celebrations and not just mockeries of old ones.

Owens can be the leader of the pack. Nobody knows what goes on in that man’s mind. I’m sure he’s got celebration upon celebration hidden somewhere. Maybe he could run to a concession stand and buy a hot dog for the defender he just burned.

Maybe Randy Moss could climb up the goalpost like Spiderman.

Maybe David Terrell could build a statue of himself in the end zone.

That is, if he ever finds it.

Jon Gluskin is a junior in communications. He can be reached at [email protected].