Today’s athletes, from the pros to the preps, are not shy about calling attention to themselves. Seemingly every touchdown is followed by an end zone celebration, and baseball players now regularly pull off outrageous bat flips immediately after hitting a home run. Chest thumps, dancing, and countless other attention-seeking behaviors have become the norm, and you do not even need to score a touchdown or hit a home run in order to call attention to yourself, as increasingly more athletes do these things after rather trivial plays (i.e. making a routine tackle). Long gone are the days of NFL Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders simply handing the ball to the referee following a touchdown, replaced by today’s athletes who seem to feel that there can never be enough attention paid to them! And that’s not all, these new celebrations are not limited to pro athletes, as increasingly more kids in youth sports are emulating their heroes and mimicking the same behaviors — for better or for worse.
Old school, new school
While today’s younger sports fans may be fans of over-the-top bat flips and chorus line productions that follow touchdowns, older sports fans often cringe and long for the days of humility. Mickey Mantle ran out home runs with his head down, and Pete Rose used to sprint to first base — after being walked! Today, players routinely stand at home plate and admire their home runs, eventually starting their trot while continuing to call attention to themselves as they circle the bases. Aside from the differences older and younger fans have about these newer changes, what other factors come into play with today’s young athletes who often emulate their heroes and their respective histrionics?
- Sportsmanship. When athletes showboat they run the risk of being penalized by means of a technical foul, or worse yet, thrown out of the game entirely.
- Team building & chemistry. It is difficult for coaches to instill discipline, especially to younger players, when other players regularly do things to call attention to themselves (and away from the team).
- Coachability. Many coaches struggle trying to coach players who play with a “me” attitude over “we.”
- Opponent assistance (“bulletin board” material). There is nothing better for an opposing team than to have bulletin board material from the other team by means of showboating, cockiness, and other attention-seeking behaviors.
It is important to note that while pointing out how much more enthusiastic sports have become by means of player behaviors, showing emotion in sports is not a bad thing! More traditional sport fans (read: older) still embrace the feelings of a walk-off home run, or an electrifying touchdown run, but they tend to prefer that the celebrations the follow be more respectful of the opponent, and the game itself. They are not “right” in their views, nor are today’s fans wrong for enjoying wild celebrations — it is merely a contrast in how much things have changed over the years.
Final thoughts
Do crazy celebrations add to the sport experience? Should players draw attention to themselves so regularly, and over seemingly routine plays? Do these newer ways of seeking attention add, or take away from the game? While an argument can be made that previous generations of players may have been too modest, an argument can also be made that today’s players tend to lean into moments (regardless of the actual play) where they can grab the spotlight and soak in the moment by means of self-attention. What we do know is that on-field celebrations may entertain fans, but also bring challenges for coaches when it comes to sportsmanship and team dynamics.
drstankovich.com
