Have you ever seen a football player score a big touchdown and celebrate by chucking the ball deep into the stands? Yeah me too, but what you might not have known is that throw will cost them between $7,000 and $12,000 dollars.
When an NFL player throws a football into the stands when celebrating he will be fined $7000. If the player commits this act of throwing the ball into the stands for a second time he will be charged $12000.
In order to receive the larger fine, a player will only need one fine for this action throughout his entire career.
Meaning it doesn’t matter how recently the player has committed the act. In the NFL’s eyes a repeat offender is a repeat offender.
Why Are Players Fined For Throwing Balls Into The Stands?
Now that you know the fines associated with this action you may be wondering why exactly this costs so much money.
The reasoning for this fine is quite simple, fan safety. When a player throws a ball into the stands he is effectively starting a game of jackpot between 60,000 fans.
Since these fans are going to be salivating for a chance to catch a touchdown ball things can get a bit dangerous. Not to mention most NFL fans are known to have a couple of beverages throughout the tailgate and the game itself.
The potential injuries that can occur when these fans fight for the ball is what concerns the NFL. Since the NFL is somewhat responsible for what happens to these fans in their stadium they are looking to keep injuries at a minimum.
Otherwise, the NFL may find itself in a lawsuit regarding injured fans at the stadium.
Critics of this stance point to other sports in which receiving a ball at the game is quite common. Baseball fans in particular are known for bringing their glove to the game in hopes of catching a home run ball.
That being said even the MLB knows it must confiscate a baseball bat if it finds its way into the stands.
Additionally, other sports such as soccer also do not allow fans to hang onto the ball if they catch it in the crowd. This is also done for safety reasons.
Can A Player Hand A Ball To a Fan?
Yes, players are able to hand footballs to fans after scoring a touchdown. These players will not receive a $7000 or $12000 fine for this action.
This action is often done by quarterback Cam Newton as he has become known to hand out footballs to children in the stands.
The reason handing balls to fans is legal and not throwing balls into the stands is because of safety. Handing a ball to a fan is a fairly straightforward process as no other fan is going to interfere.
When a ball is thrown into the stands it is almost a guarantee that multiple fans will attempt to secure the ball potential causing injuries.
Where Does The Money Go From These Fines?
The good news about this fine money is that it goes towards former NFL players that need assistance.
The NFL and NFLPA work together in order to determine which foundations should receive this fine money each year.
Each year an average of four million dollars is given out to these ex NFL players from money earned by fines throughout the NFL season.
How much do NFL footballs cost?
One question fans often have when they see football players throwing balls into the stands is how much do those balls cost.
Some fans believe that the reason football players are not allowed to throw away balls is due to how much it costs the NFL.
In my opinion, this is simply not the case, though these footballs cost a bit of money it is a drop in the bucket of the NFL’s revenue.
When purchasing an NFL football from a retail store it cost $150.It is safe to say the NFL gets them cheaper as one would imagine they order them in bulk.
One hundred and fifty dollars is next to nothing for any NFL team or the league itself. The fine for throwing the ball into the stands for the first time is enough to buy 46 NFL football at retail price.
If it is your second infraction that fine is worth 80 NFL footballs at retail price.
Players are fined for throwing the balls into the crowd at football games but this is due to safety not the cost of losing the football.
