The Influence of the NFL

During class, we discussed the NFL - its rules, its penalty system, and its influence on kids. The part that I found most interesting was the spillover effect it had on other players in the NFL and of other ages. I especially found the question that Mr. Bolos posed on his blog post interesting. He asked: "Finally, I guess I wonder what you think about the impact of football on young people who play the game and how the NFL doe(s) or does not influence the kids playing at the high school level, for example."

To answer his question, I think that the NFL has a large impact on high-school football. This is especially apparent in two examples that I can remember. Cam Newton, the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, does a touchdown celebration where he acts as if he rips off the shirt from his chest. He does this every time he scores a touchdown, and never gets in trouble for it. However, Jalan McClendon, a high-school quarterback, did the same exact celebration during one of his games, because of how much he looked up to Newton. The celebrations were the same, but the consequences were not. McClendon got ejected from that game because the high school thought it was disrespectful.

Similarly, a well-known football star is Tim Tebow. He also has a coined touchdown celebration called “Tebow-ing” where he kneels over and looks like he is praying. Many young kids, and even adults, mimic this by tebow-ing at any time they deem necessary. Some high-school students at Riverhead High School were suspended for a hallway tebowing session.

Both examples indicate that actions that NFL stars take are often copied by high-schoolers who look up to them. The pattern indicates that the actions the pros take have no consequences, while the kids often do get penalized. Why do you think this is true? Should pros be more careful about their celebrations, or should they continue to do what they do?