I wrote this really good political post and the WordPress app on my phone locked up and deleted it. So I’m going to half-ass a post about something unrelated to politics: College Football.
Did anyone else happen to catch the Air Force at Navy game on Saturday? What a great game! I’m a die hard Notre Dame fan myself, but as an Air Force vet, I can’t help but to love the service academies’ teams.
If you missed the game, Air Force dominated Navy in the first half, going ahead by three scores at half-time. Well, Navy came back and had a spectacular 2nd half with their incredible option offense; and after securing an onside kick at the end of the 4th, they marched down the field and tied the game up, sending it to overtime.
Well, here’s what inspired this half-ass post. Navy scored a touchdown in overtime, but the player ran to the home crowd filled with Navy vets and servicemen and gave a few of them a high five. This prompted a yellow flag to go flying for excessive celebration, a 15 yard penalty that was assessed on the P.A.T.
The extra distance resulted in Navy missing the point after and putting up only 6 points. Air Force responded by scoring 7, ending the game with a victory.
As great as this game was, the ending really doesn’t sit well with me. I really don’t understand why celebrating is a penalty as long as it isn’t anything embarrassing to your school, your opponents, or anybody else. I mean, you can high-five your teammates in the end zone in front of the opposing team, why not your fans when most of the cameras are off you?
Is it so bad to show your appreciation for your team’s fans? Even when you’re a service academy!?
Ultimately, the rules are the rules and Navy broke them by sharing the high fives. (I feel bad for those fans, now that I think about it). But sometimes, the rules go too far and start having negative consequences on the game.
This is one of those times, in my humble opinion.
FYI: I am going to the Notre Dame v. Air Force game later this week on Saturday. I’ll be rooting for Notre Dame, but also wearing my Air Force squadron ball cap and combat boots. Notre Dame has a really great tradition of supporting their service academy opponents. It’s one of the things that former Coach Charlie Weis really built on a lot and something that all schools should be doing.
