Josh Norman is not a fan of the NFL’s crackdown on celebrations. He’s been penalized for “shooting an imaginary bow and arrow” and in an interview with Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier on 106.7 The Fan, spoke out against the new policies.
“I think we have a double standard as a league,” Norman said via Chris Lingebach, CBS DC. “We say want to be PG or whatever television show we’re showing, but at the same time we’re selling beer on TV shows when kids [are] watching. So it’s kind of like, well dang, if that’s the case and that’s good, why can’t we have fun within the game? I mean it’s a barbaric sport. So if you want to be a double standard, like, c’mon, man. Let’s be realistic here. You want to have things the way you want it, but then again, when it comes to us, we can’t have the things we want.”
The reality is, Norman’s right on the money. The NFL really talks out of both sides of its mouth when it comes to its product.
This may strive to be a family oriented league. The problem is that much of what occurs in games and on NFL broadcasts is not family friendly.
First of all, the game itself is violent. Players are often hurt to the point of being carted off of the field, sometimes in a stretcher. Parents are willing to let their kids see that. But a bow and arrow, or a twerk, is crossing the line?
In terms of the broadcasts, beer commercials are just one example. Many commercials use sex to sell their products. In some cases (like Viagra), sex is the product. We also see advertisements for daily betting sites, which are obviously not geared towards kids.
With that in mind, it certainly seems ridiculous that the NFL chooses to crack down on the fairly harmless actions of its players. If it’s not ridiculous, Norman is right — it’s at least a double standard.