Before each regular season begins, NFL officiating determines what’ll be its point of emphasis for Week 1 and beyond. This year it appears the league will crack down on poor sportsmanship.
Leading up to the 2024 season, the NFL made illegal formation a point of emphasis. The Baltimore Ravens were hit with this 5-yard penalty several times during their Week 1 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, with two-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley being penalized on the second play of the game.
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While there’s no question NFL officiating will continue to monitor the usual infractions, such as offsides and pass interference, the point of emphasis will be on 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalties.
NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said officiating will crack down on violent gestures. Back in April, he said the league is up 133% on violent gestures and up 52% on sexual taunting.
“Some of the things that we’ve seen, there’s just no place in the game for it,” Vincent said. “There’s no place in this game to be standing over your opponent. There’s no place in the game to have violent gestures. That’s not the game of football.”
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 16: Game officials huddle during the first half between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Atlanta Falcons at Allegiant Stadium on December 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
Fans aren’t happy with this warning from NFL officiating.
“Having to tell grown men to control their emotions and control their celebrations in a high speed, highly violent game like football is silly. Don’t wanna get shown up and embarrassed? Stop them. Taunting penalties are the softest in all sports,” one fan said.
“Not a single person on the planet is negatively effected by a football player standing over his opponent,” a second fan wrote.
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“This is nonsense. These are professional athletes playing a man’s game. Worry less about players, talking s**t to each other, and more about getting calls correct. Fans don’t want their team getting screwed because you can’t define what a catch is. Worry about that,” another fan argued.
While we understand why fans are frustrated, we can’t blame the NFL for its latest point of emphasis. They don’t want young viewers to be subjected to poor sportsmanship and questionable gestures.
Do we think players should always be penalized for taunting? Probably not, but violent and sexual gestures have no place in the NFL.
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The 2025 NFL season will begin on Sept. 4 when the Dallas Cowboys face the Philadelphia Eagles.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.