Off Topic: Time To Ban The Celebratory Football Head Slap

The football season is in full swing at all levels. If one could not locate a football game on television this weekend – live or otherwise – they simply weren’t trying.  On the college level, there were actually some compelling contests amidst all the 55-3 coffer-filling mismatches, but for some reason those marquee games are not what really caught my attention.

Pass The Acetaminophen, Please

I was flipping channels during the early (12 Noon Eastern Time) onslaught of college football games on Saturday while recuperating from spending about 90 minutes shooting (and mostly missing) some mid-range jumpers at a nearby park. I can’t remember the teams involved in this particular contest, but I stopped flipping long enough to witness a wide receiver score a touchdown on a long catch and run. His young, exuberant teammates chased him down in the end zone and proceeded to celebrate his accomplishment by pounding the hell out of him, including at least five or six whacks upside his helmet from various angles. One guy looked like he was swinging a tennis racket until his hand made contact with his teammate’s helmet – about a 90-degree swing.

No Harm Intended, But…

I don’t know the statistics on this, but I’d guess the percentage of college football players who’ve suffered at least one concussion since they started playing the sport is staggering – to the point of being more of an expectation than a mere occupational hazard. If this young man had never suffered a concussion before, it’s hard to imagine him not having at least the slightest of brain movements during this celebration, even though there was no malice intended.

The Celebratory Head Slap Must Be Banned At All Levels

This topic is certainly not new. There have been many studies and documentaries regarding the long-term neurological effects of having suffered multiple concussions, and the sport has taken steps – including equipment upgrades and rule changes – to provide a safer environment for its athletes. 40 years ago, the National Football League banned the head slap – popularized by former Rams’ defensive lineman Deacon Jones – during game play. There must be a way to ban the celebratory head slap after a play is over, and it should be done at all levels.

If this type of celebration is prevalent at the higher levels of the sport, it’s surely being emulated at the youth level as well.

Hit Him In The Shoulder Pads, Give a Fist Bump

The next time you watch a college football game, watch what happens after a touchdown, big defensive hit, or a crucial special teams play. The play maker gets chased down by his energetic 18-to-22 year-old teammates – understandably elated at seeing the hard work pay off – and greeted with a series of physically-communicated “attaboys”, including head butts (another dangerous maneuver), leaping air bumps and slaps to the helmet. The head slaps from the 300-pound lineman look especially painful.

Sometimes, even the coaches get involved.

Football by its very collision-based nature will never eliminate all head injuries, but to reduce those types of injuries, every effort should be made to determine and act on the causes when they are obvious. It would add yet another rule to an already over-regulated sport, but may help improve the quality of life for some of the sport’s participants once their playing days are over.

It’s worth a try.