Yep, I'm going to do it. I'm going to bring up Richard Sherman.
You see, his much-discussed post-game rant following the NFC championship game got me thinking: when did the NFL become so boring?
Seems like an odd question from someone who spends hours each week watching film and drawing up plays. Most of the time, it would appear that - on the contrary - I'm exceptionally entertained. And I do enjoy the tape. The Xs and Os are the most enjoyable part of the game for me. Football is an incredibly intricate chess match at high speed. I love that part.
But the truth is, on Sundays (and Mondays...and Thursdays...), I can't help but notice that something is missing.
And when Richard Sherman had his...moment...after winning the NFC Championship game, I knew what that something was. The NFL isn't nearly as fun as it used to be.
The problem begins somewhere back in time, with the players who were also just regular folks - dockworkers, miners, plumbers. They played football on Sundays for a few extra bucks, but also because it was enjoyable. And it ends with 24-hour sports news cycles, bloated salaries, and, worst of all, bans on (and associated fines for) taunting, touchdown celebrations, and all other forms of fun.
You see, the problem is that the NFL takes itself too seriously.
It's a business, everybody says. These athletes need to act like professionals, pundits proclaim. But you know what? That's ridiculous. The NFL is not an office building. The players don't sit in cubicles. They're not dressed in khakis and shirts and ties, they're not taking calls or writing proposals, and they're not placing orders at Staples.
In fact, this is exactly why America loves professional football - because it's absolutely nothing like the corporate world. In fact, it may be the furthest thing from our regular lives to which we have unfettered access.
So why does the NFL insist on enforcing stiff, corporate rules on a game? Because in spite of the NFL's power-hungry rhetoric, that's all that football is - a game.
I watch football to be entertained, and I don't want the players to be corporate stiffs. I want them to be entertainers! I may have disliked him at the time, but I miss Chad Johnson's choreographed touchdown celebrations. I know I disliked him at the time, but I miss T.O. stomping on the Dallas star.
Better yet, who remembers this Bart Scott post-game interview? For obvious reasons, it resurfaced after Sherman's rant. And you know what? The league needs more of this, not less.
The NFL doesn't need to be the WWE (though promos are always welcome), but it also shouldn't be Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, either.
