Mark Madden Hot Take: NFL taunting is stupid, not fun

The NFL plans to crack down on taunting.

Only 10 flags were thrown for taunting last season. It was the league’s least-penalized infraction.

It would be better if the NFL kept T.J. Watt from being held on every snap. Perhaps Watt circumvents that by refusing to play.

Taunting has defenders, amazingly. But nothing good comes from taunting. Matters can escalate. Physical retaliation can occur.

Taunting isn’t the scourge of football. But it’s nothing to be defended, preserved and encouraged. It’s not fun. It’s stupid and mean-spirited.

You’d have to be twisted and immature (or a Barstool Sports fan) to think taunting is a good thing.

Just play football. The result is what matters, not humiliating your opponent.

Make it taunt-for-tat. If you get taunted and it’s not a penalty, OK. But you should get a free swing at whoever taunted you. No flag for that, either.

Like Mike Tyson said, “Social media made y’all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it.”

A football field isn’t Twitter. Pay the piper.

What kind of person thinks humiliating a foe comes under the heading of “fun?”

Not that some NFL players don’t deserve it.

It’s amazing that some think Roger Goodell has been anything besides the best commissioner in all of pro sports.

Petty debates like this one and bigger issues like Colin Kaepernick’s informal blackball and the frequent misbehavior of participants put Goodell in a bad light.

But the owners employ Goodell and are overjoyed.

The NFL is the biggest sports league in America, has insane revenues fueled by crazy TV contracts and has the players’ union under its thumb via a one-sided CBA.

Goodell is a miracle worker. Any small embarrassments are buried under an avalanche of money.