Opinion: Are Taunting Penalties Ruining NFL Football?

2021 has seen the comeback of the controversial taunting penalties that seem to be ruining the NFL.

Taunting penalties have seemed to dominate the NFL this season.

According to the NFL rulebook, the taunting rule is permitted when “baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams” occurs. If a player is hit with this penalty, it is referred to as unsportsmanlike conduct and costs his team 15 yards. A player can even be penalized tens of thousands of dollars for getting one called against him. But are the taunting rules effective, or are they making everything much worse?

The yellow flags are thrown without hesitation the moment a player so much as glances at the opposing team and acts in a celebratory manner. There's no rhyme or reason as to which celebrations are deemed okay and which are viewed as wrong. It seems to depend solely on the referee in charge or even which teams are playing-- yes, the bias is real. How can the league dictate how a player chooses to boast on the field? This is where there seems to be a large gray area.

The league claims that this is to stop any sort of ill will or tension between teams. Let's face it: if there's ill will between teams, it was probably there before any taunting took place. That's how rivalries work: two teams are in close proximity or always play big games against each other. Even if the alleged taunting does cause animosity between teams, it's a matter that should be worked out between the teams themselves without referees getting involved. Any ill will as a result of taunting usually doesn't last beyond the one game it occurs in, anyway. 

The argument can also be made that it's an abuse of power in some instances. If the referee doesn't like the way a player so much as looks at him going off the field, he can penalize the entire team. 

There are certain times when penalizing these behaviors does seem reasonable, such as when any acts or gestures are greatly offensive or wish some sort of harm on someone else. If it's something that would never be shown on a television show, then it definitely doesn't belong on the football field. Other than that, everything should be fair game. If a player is sprinting down the field towards the end zone and no defender is within 20 yards of him, he should turn around and wave-- it's not like they were going to catch him, anyway. 

Not only are the constant penalties controversial, frustrating and interruptive, they have also decided the outcomes of some NFL games this season. On Nov. 8, an extremely questionable taunting penalty changed the outcome of a Monday Night Football matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bears linebacker Cassius March had a huge sack against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to bring up a fourth down. 

He celebrated for a moment by himself, but as he was running to the sideline, referee Tony Corrente seemed to hip-check him. As soon as the slight contact was made, the yellow flag went flying. Surprisingly, Corrente penalized him for something off-the-wall: apparently, March glanced at the Steelers bench for a few moments before retreating with his own team. That was enough to warrant the taunting call in Corrente's eyes. The fourth-down was nulled, and the Steelers went on to win 29-27.

That's not the only controversial taunting call that has been made this season, but it's certainly one of the biggest. The main problem with the penalty is the fact that it is set in emotions rather than facts and established rules. What constitutes taunting is always evolving with no clear reason. Since the NFL is so set on stopping controversy and arguments between teams, maybe it should take a step back and look at how some of their rules have made everything much worse.