Dunlap: AB Is Gonna Dance, So Quit Complaining
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - Some people, I'll tell ya.
Some people just want to be miserable, I guess.
On Sunday night against the Chiefs --- as he does just about every game he plays --- dynamic and ostentatious Steelers receiver Antonio Brown found his way into the end zone.
Twice, actually.
The first time, he kept the celebration light.
The second time, to put the Steelers ahead 22-0 late in the first quarter, Brown broke into a quick hip-gyrating dance that forced me to let out a "yeah, AB!" and then a hearty chuckle.
Know why? Because I love that guy, I love how he carries himself and has so much damn fun playing a game. Remember, it's a game --- you got that, right? A game, these guys are playing a game.
Also, I understand he's not just a world-class athlete, but a remarkable showman; the kind of I-demand-your-eyes-stay-fixed-on-me showman the NFL needs to continue to grow its product.
But some people, I'll tell ya. They just want to complain.
A quick check of my Twitter timeline and cursory pulse-check of Steelers Nation yields quite a few fans aren't real happy that Brown has a knack for getting flagged after he crosses the goal line for six.
They think he's immature.
They don't think he's a team player.
They think he's going to blow a game for the Steelers.
They think coach Mike Tomlin is letting the inmates run the asylum with Brown being the lead inmate.
And maybe the best one yet --- they think he's going to somehow ruin the innocence of their children who watch football because of his hip-thrusting ways!
I mean, I guess those 3,978,362 erectile dysfunction medication commercials during NFL telecasts won't have kids asking about sex, but AB's pelvic thrust certainly will, huh?
I can just hear it now, "Hey mom and dad, forget about those two naked people in the bathtub on that luxurious hillside or that voiceover guy saying 'erections lasting more than six hours … what about Antonio Brown propelling his hips forward? We need to talk, right?'"
I have three words for the complainy complainers who feel the need to complain about Antonio Brown's (maybe) suggestive dancing and subsequent penalties: Get over yourselves.
This is the new NFL. This showmanship is what helps drive a league so tied to beaming and strong personalities and there might not be a better mixture of a genial personality and epic talent like Brown in all the NFL.
He isn't going away.
The cameras on him aren't going away.
And he isn't going to stop being AB --- this is all what helped him drive that big fancy car and get on all those TV shows.
Celebrating in the end zone has been part of a brand-builder for Antonio Brown and he seems totally OK to have to deal with a 15-yard penalty or fine from the league as a tiny bit of collateral damage to making his trademark even bigger. In this case, to make it boom the way it has.
And from a practical standpoint, when has Antonio Brown taken a celebration penalty that has put the Steelers in a bind? One of those go-to arguments from the act-like-you've-been-there-before crowd is that Brown is eventually going to cost his team a game with his boogying after a score.
Cool story.
But guess what --- that hasn't happened.
Let's deal in reality, instead.
The reality is this isn't going away, no matter how much some protest or are put off by it.
AB is going to dance and I love it; I hope he dances just about every time he sees fit.
Here's some advice for those of you so turned off by Antonio Brown celebrating after he has a grand accomplishment in a game: Don't watch. Perhaps the new-fangled NFL isn't for you.
On Sunday at 1 p.m. --- when the Steelers play their next game --- maybe you should watch Matlock. I'm sure Matlock is on some channel, because Matlock is always on some channel.
I'll be watching the Steelers game and hoping like hell Antonio Brown gets into the end zone, because I have fun watching that guy have fun.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.
