China Has Its Own Football League, And Their Celebrations Put The NFL’s To Shame
You haven’t seen the worm until you’ve seen it performed by Chinese football players.
While the NFL is pushing back against any player bold enough to enjoy themselves during a game, it looks like the on-field parties and celebrations have moved eastward to the Chinese Arena Football League, where choreographed celebrations seem to be as much a part of the game as blocking and tackling.
The league may be in its inaugural season but as the below highlights from its championship game demonstrate, they’re already busting out dance moves the likes of which we’ve never seen
The China Bowl saw the Beijing Lions take down the Qingdao Clipper on a game-ending field goal, 35-34 in a game that featured eight lead changes. The game was relatively low-scoring by arena football standards, but that didn’t keep the players from making the most of their big plays.
It might seem a little counterintuitive to some that a Chinese league is goffing off so much, but to some extent you could chalk it up to the flight of western players to the CAFL, enjoying a fresh start and a little more latitude to treat the game like, well, a game. Of the 120 players in the league, 60 of them are American, and 43 of those 60 have American AFL experience.
The teams in the inaugural season represent Beijing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. But enough about the league, let’s get back to the real story: goofy, overly-organized celebrations. Below is just a smattering of what the China Bowl brought its viewers.
The Worm:
The, uh, Methodically-Executed Systematic Knockout of Teammates Followed by a Towel-Whip:
And this, which will remain a mystery lost to the ages:
So if the NFL doesn’t soften its stance on celebrations, don’t forget you can always take refuge in the CAFL, which should return in six months or so.