10 Sports Celebrations That Went Horribly Wrong

April 24, 2012 - 2:11 pm by Chris Yuscavage TWITTER

When Metta World Peace threw down a thunderous dunk over Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka during Sunday night's Los Angeles Lakers win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, we knew we'd be seeing highlights of it all day yesterday. But, what we didn't know was that we'd be seeing it over and over (and over!) again, not because of the actual dunk, but because of the celebration afterwards. Whether you think the player formerly known as Ron Artest did it on purpose or not, World Peace's celebration involved him cocking his elbow back, running by Thunder guard James Harden, and unloading a vicious elbow to the back of his head. For doing it, he earned a Flagrant 2 foul, an immediate ejection from the game, the scorn of millions of NBA fans, and, of course, a pending suspension from the league.

It's safe to say that that was not what World Peace intended after he threw down his dunk. He probably had visions of the No. 1 spot on ESPN's SportsCenter dancing around in his head. But, believe it or not, these kinds of celebratory fails happen more often than you'd probably think. And, to prove it, we put together a list of 10 Sports Celebrations That Went Horribly Wrong. After what he pulled on Sunday night, World Peace is in some pretty bad company with a bunch of other guys who made the highlight reels for all the wrong reasons.—Chris Yuscavage

10 SPORTS CELEBRATIONS THAT WENT HORRIBLY WRONG

SPORTS CELEBRATION 1

The Athlete: Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson What He Was Celebrating: A touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football in September 2008 Where It Went Wrong: Jackson caught a bomb from Donovan McNabb, scored an easy touchdown, and even did a ridiculous touchdown dance. But, instant replay showed that he actually threw the ball backwards before he crossed the goal line (what an idiot!). So, Dallas challenged the call and it was ruled a fumble at the one-yard line. The Eagles eventually scored. But, sadly, fantasy football owners with Jackson on their squad did not. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

SPORTS CELEBRATION 2

The Athlete: Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Leon Lett What He Was Celebrating: A fumble recovery against the Buffalo Bills during Super Bowl XXVII in January 1993 Where It Went Wrong: Lett picked up the fumble and started racing towards the end zone. However, before he scored, he started showboating and he eventually got chased down by Buffalo's Don Beebe. He then fumbled the ball and turned it right back over to the Bills. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

SPORTS CELEBRATION 3

The Athletes: The entire University of Georgia Bulldogs football team What They Were Celebrating: A touchdown against the University of Florida Gators in October 2007 Where It Went Wrong: To try and get his players fired up, Bulldogs coach Mark Richt had the entire team go out to celebrate a one-yard Knowshon Moreno TD run. It resulted in an excessive celebration penalty that topped every other excessive celebration penalty in the history of football. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

SPORTS CELEBRATION 4

The Athlete: Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Dwayne Rudd What He Was Celebrating: A game-ending sack against the Kansas City Chiefs in September 2002 Where It Went Wrong: Rudd took his helmet off to celebrate the sack—or what he thought was a sack—and missed Chiefs QB Trent Green flip the ball to a Chiefs lineman, who ran the ball 28 yards down the field to the Browns 25-yard line. Then, the referees hit Rudd with a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct for taking off his helmet. That set the Chiefs up for an easy 30-yard field goal to win the game by a point. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

SPORTS CELEBRATION 5

The Athlete: Los Angeles Angels first baseman Kendrys Morales What He Was Celebrating: A game-winning grand slam against the Seattle Mariners in May 2010 Where It Went Wrong: After rounding the bases, Morales jumped on home plate with all of his teammates surrounding him. But, he landed awkwardly, broke his leg, and had to be carted off the field. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

SPORTS CELEBRATION 6

The Athlete: Gus Frerotte What He Was Celebrating: A touchdown against the New York Giants in November 1997 Where It Went Wrong: Although Frerotte wasn't terribly athletic, the touchdown was impressive. The celebration, which included him running headfirst into a padded wall, was not. He ended up having to be taken to the hospital with a sprained neck. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

SPORTS CELEBRATION 7

The Athlete: Racing Club de Ferrol midfielder Rafa Casanova What He Was Celebrating: A goal in March 2011 Where It Went Wrong: Soccer celebrations go wrong all the time. In this particular case, Casanova was celebrating when a teammate accidentally clocked him in the face…and forced him to be taken out on a stretcher. Ouch. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

SPORTS CELEBRATION 8

The Athlete: Golfer Thomas Levet What He Was Celebrating: Winning the French Open in July 2011 Where It Went Wrong: To celebrate his victory, Levet decided to jump into a lake. He ended up breaking his leg during the jump and had to miss the British Open—a much bigger tournament than the French Open—the following week. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

SPORTS CELEBRATION 9

The Athlete: Ohio State University wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. What He Was Celebrating: A touchdown against the University of Florida Gators during the BCS National Championship Game in January 2007 Where It Went Wrong: He scored a touchdown on the opening kickoff, celebrated the touchdown with a bunch of teammates, and proceeded to sprain his foot while doing it. As a result, that was the only play he participated in all night. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

SPORTS CELEBRATION 10

The Athlete: Arizona Cardinals kicker Martin Gramatica What He Was Celebrating: A field goal against the New York Giants in December 2001 Where It Went Wrong: Worst. Sports. Celebration. Ever. SMH. After nailing a routine field goal against the Giants in a regular season game, Gramatica started running and jumping all over the field as if he'd hit a kick to win the Super Bowl. While landing on one of his jumps, he tore his ACL and was sidelined for the rest of the year. Let this be a lesson to athletes everywhere: Celebrate at your own risk! [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

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