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Celebration penalty costs Mass. HS State title
Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:00 pm
by PurpleMustReign
http://espn.go.com/boston/story/_/id/73 ... team-title
BOSTON -- A Massachusetts high school lost a state championship game because a player raised his arm in triumph as he ran for what would have been a go-ahead touchdown, and Boston mayor Thomas Menino doesn't like it.
The penalty for the gesture by Cathedral High School quarterback Matthew Owens in Saturday's Division 4A Super Bowl led to the losing team wondering if the referee's decision could be challenged. The state association said Wednesday that it could not.
"I think sometimes these rules are written by frustrated athletes," Menino said from Cathedral, according to Wednesday's Boston Herald. "They never participated in a sport, and they don't know what it is to be excited. You play in a football game, you run for a touchdown, and you do something special."
Blue Hills Regional Technical School athletic director Ed Catabia told The Boston Globe on Sunday that the referee made "a great call, the right call."
"We try and play by the rules, and the rule is 'no celebrating,' " he said.
There is a video on a link. What a disgusting story this is. That referee should be shot dead. This is a great example of what is wrong with the world nowadays. I feel so bad for that team, and the player. Pathetic.
Re: Celebration penalty costs Mass. HS State title
Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 10:32 pm
by vikeinmontana
if i was the ref....no way i would have thrown the flag. that said....THIS is sports today. fans are allowed to talk trash, scream their heads off, chest bump, high five, go nuts, etc. every time "their" team scores.....but the PLAYERS busting their #### off year round trying to get bigger, faster, stronger are expected to not have any fun or show any emotion. it's just getting ridiculous....and sadly, it'll only get worse.
Re: Celebration penalty costs Mass. HS State title
Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 9:54 am
by Cliff
That penalty was stupid.
Those kinds of penalties are to stop players from going overboard ... not for that kind of situation. The refs are supposed to know that.
The conversation in the video is worthless. Two guys trying their best to argue with each other when the actually agree.
Nobody wants to watch a sport wherein the players never celebrate anything where they just lifelessly walk on the off the field in between plays.
Re: Celebration penalty costs Mass. HS State title
Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 12:16 pm
by purple guy
That was a horrible call IMO. They actually read the entire rule that was supposedly broken on ESPN First Take yesterday. It said the celebration had to be "excessive". That was far from excessive, Im wondering if the ref had a bias, no other way on earth that gets called IMO.
Re: Celebration penalty costs Mass. HS State title
Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 2:18 pm
by GoldenBear91
vikeinmontana wrote:if i was the ref....no way i would have thrown the flag. that said....THIS is sports today. fans are allowed to talk trash, scream their heads off, chest bump, high five, go nuts, etc. every time "their" team scores.....but the PLAYERS busting their #### off year round trying to get bigger, faster, stronger are expected to not have any fun or show any emotion. it's just getting ridiculous....and sadly, it'll only get worse.
agreed!
Re: Celebration penalty costs Mass. HS State title
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 2:04 am
by Juice
I guess I'm the only one who has no problem with the ref throwing the flag. He raised his arm at the 25 yard line with 3 players within 5 yards of him. I'd say starting to celebrate at the 25 yard line is pretty excessive. Excited or not you know you can't do that.
Re: Celebration penalty costs Mass. HS State title
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 5:53 pm
by glg
Juice wrote:I guess I'm the only one who has no problem with the ref throwing the flag. He raised his arm at the 25 yard line with 3 players within 5 yards of him. I'd say starting to celebrate at the 25 yard line is pretty excessive. Excited or not you know you can't do that.
Did you watch the video? He was in the clear, the 3 players within 5 yards were not going to catch him. As celebrations go, this was really minor.
Re: Celebration penalty costs Mass. HS State title
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 5:55 pm
by vikeinmontana
Juice wrote:I guess I'm the only one who has no problem with the ref throwing the flag. He raised his arm at the 25 yard line with 3 players within 5 yards of him. I'd say starting to celebrate at the 25 yard line is pretty excessive. Excited or not you know you can't do that.
i have a problem with the entire mindset of sports today....not just this one penalty. how many fans do you suppose were in the stands raising their hands? how many were clapping? how many were yelling and high fiving? same goes for every stadium across the country when "your" team scores a touchdown. yet the PLAYER who busts his #### day in and day out to be in the position to score a td is supposed to pretend he's in church and quietly run to the sideline. it's completely backwards. this game is supposed to be fun....and not just for the fans. but maybe....for the actual players too. as long as you're not getting in the face of your opponent and trying to get in a fight.....i say let these guys celebrate. just like the entitled fans can for doing nothing more than buying a ticket and having a favorite team....