NCAA Tempting Fate With New Taunting Rule

The good thing about writing a weekly column is that I have time to review the news of the week and reflect on it before commenting.

The worst feeling, though, is when you’ve written what you think is a solid piece, and then news happens after you’ve hit “send.”

Because the NCAA decided last week that college football players weren’t being good enough sports and that starting in 2011, if a team taunts the opposition on the way to the end zone, the taunting team will lose the touchdown and be penalized from the spot of the foul.

Yep. It doesn’t even have to be the player that is about to score; it could be a teammate up field who taunts.

No touchdown.

Seems a bit extreme, doesn’t it?

Considering some of the recent instances of overzealous officiating (especially last season in the SEC), are we really sure that we want to give the officials even more latitude in exercising subjective judgment?

Do we really want to give these guys that kind of control?

I know I don’t.

Hell, at this point I barely want to give most college football officials the power to call holding.

While I am a believer in instant replay because it can help make sure that the right calls are made most of the time, I think on some level it has contributed to the declining nature of officiating. Calls are not made with confidence anymore, and I think that some officials are either relying on replay to bail them out or trying not to make an embarrassing call.

But I don’t solely want to rag on officials. I think the NCAA itself shouldn’t even have considered this rule.

To me, it’s too subjective as far as what can be considered taunting in some circumstances. ESPN’s Bruce Feldman drew attention to a play by Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate last season. To most eyes, it looks like a tame touchdown catch.

But to Dave Parry, the coordinator of officials, it would have been taunting. No TD.

Again, are you kidding me with this?

I can understand wanting to encourage sportsmanship; the academic in me can see that.

But this is sports we’re talking about. And some of these acts are really celebrations. Sure, they might cross the line a little bit, but the penalty on the ensuing kickoff was enough.

Taking points off the board because of an emotional outburst by young men with adrenaline pumping through their systems is borderline ridiculous.

And if it costs someone a BCS bid in 2011, you can bet that this rule will go away just like that.