New Zealand coach has some comments about US celebrations and choreographed dances after goals and wins. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olymp...aphy-annoys-zealand-coach-164229134--oly.html I have no problems with goal celebrations or wins that are kept in check. It is a happy moment. However...I have voiced my annoyance at Pia jumping up and down when we score against a Central American team after already leading 13-0. It shows disrespect to the game and your opponent. Maybe the US should wait till they win the Gold then do their routine. But for now doing all that over-the-top stuff is unneccesary and IMO disrespectful and I don't blame other coaches with getting annoyed. You don't see anone else doing it. Just my opinion. What do you guys think?
I have no problem with any of the goal celebrations I've seen so far this Olympics. Some have been fun & lighthearted. Some have been emotional & obviously joyful. The US is not the only team to celebrate goals together. Lots of teams across time have celebrated goals. It's part of the sport. The NZ coach's complaints sound more like sour grapes to me. The cartwheel celebration in honor of the US gymnastics gold medal winners.
Sounds like sour grapes to me as well. I think the girls are having fun and enjoying themselves and if that's the case then go for it. Sure if you are the team who just conceded the goal it can be upsetting (ex: the US team remembered Norways goal celebration in the 95 WWC and used it for fuel for years to come) but it's part of the game. Until FIFA says something then I think it's fine. Honestly I think it's pretty fun and funny to watch
This is pretty funny from a guy who's team does the Haka whenever they can, including this Olympics in the Cameroon match. FIFA won't let the men do it because it is too provocative. Celebrations are nothing new and the USA didn't invent them. Perhaps the most famous was Norway's conga line when they beat the USA in 1995, which motivated the 91ers. They figured out the best way to stop celebrations is to beat the other guy. Sweden has their stupid little dance: Brasil has their Samba version: But I guess ther is nothing more provocative that Rapinoe holding up a happy birthday message, doing a team celebration to get the keeper involved on her birthday, or doing in-your-face cartwheels. Really?
The group hugs, and the big smiles, and congrats to the player scoring the goal are fine. I can definitely do without some of the celebrations I've seen lately. Honestly, I thought the worm thing was juvenile.
Not arrogant although I think some have been over the top. New Zealand has no room to complain though.
I don't have any problem with goal celebrations, I think they just add some humor in the game due to the fact the US try to make them as cheesy as possible. Like everyone else has said, girls just wanna have fun!!
Walter Payton after scoring a touchdown just handed the ball back to the referee. No dancing, no shuffle, no showing up the opponent. - act like you've been there before. - now that's class.
The cartweels were absolutely hilarious. The act like you have been there before mentality is good for sports where scoring is a common thing. In soccer, goals are relatively rare events so a creative celebration helps to keep things light and memorable. There would be no complaints if some of these other teams were as good as USWNT. If I recall correctly Japan was celebrating like they had won a 100 million in the lotto after barely escaping with PK in the 2011 WWC. No one said anything to them. If other sides want the celebrations to stop then don't let us score.
I love celebrations in any sport, as long as there's no taunting of the opponent (mocking celebrations excluded). If you don't want to see the other team celebrate, don't let them score.
I think the NZ coach probably thinks that USA (and probably himself too) knew that they got NZ in the bag, so any celebrations is a "ha-ha, I'm beating you" taunt because USA is #1. However, with what happened during the 2011 WC qualifiers, I doubt USA would overlook any opponent, regardless of ranking, so I do think USA is just having fun and really celebrating the fact that they got a goal.
hahahaha Thanks for the pic, Cliveworshipper. I'd missed that the NZ team did the Haka. The NZ coach needs to stfu w/ his complaints about cartwheels.
Perhaps the NZ coach's comment is just one colony supporting another. (I know, I'm a little out of date.) Great trash talking by the Canuck and Kiwi coaches. It's win-win for me. I want the USA to win, but I like Canada too. Three University of Portland friends on the field together makes me happy!
No team should apologize for the way they choose to celebrate a goal or a win even if they're taunting to opponents, it's part of the game. If you don't want it to happen, then don't lose.
I don't like taunting on this stage. Maybe if you're playing a team owned by cancerous taurine pusher it might be funny to mime spitting the drink out, but I don't like taunting during International events.
Well, sitruc. How would you define taunting? Where is the line between a meaningful celebration and taunting?
As a spectator, i see nothing wrong with it even if it's done at the expense of the team i'm supporting. Like i said, if you don't want to be taunted, don't allow the opponent to score or win.
I hate that saying "if you don't want.....then don't let them score, if you don't want....then win the game", etc. Stupid saying in my book. Maybe call me "Old School" if you want, but I say win with class and dignity.
But as others have mentioned all teams have some sort of celebration that seems like taunting (including NZ), so why just concnetrate on the US.
I mean all those that do it. Not just US. That's just my opinion. It makes my skin crawl when I see NFL players taunting and doing dances and all that other bullsh_t. Back in the day Walter Payton never did it. Gayle Sayers never did it. Jim Brown never did it, etc., etc. I guess it's a new world of "Hey look at me, I'm on youtube!"
It's only new world if every player back in the day did what Peyton did. But they didn't Peyton and Sayers were noteworthy in their lack of celebrations b/c most others did celebrate.
I have no problems with celebrations. I simply don't like taunting. I don't think that needs to be in the Olympics. I'm not including all celebrations as taunting though. Likewise, I don't know how some of you are choosing to define taunting. I think of taunting as more negative than celebratory. I would have a problem with someone doing an airplane into a couple of players. I may be on the fence with a simulated pick play celebration though.