Recently, Minnesota Vikings receiver Randy Moss caught some bad press for an end zone celebration that was deemed unsportsmanlike. After catching a fourth-quarter touchdown pass in the NFC wildcard game Jan. 9, Moss pretended to moon fans of the division rival Green Bay Packers.

The celebration netted Moss a $10,000 fine and another wave of criticism for a player who is no stranger to controversy. It suffices to say that Moss is a selfish person whose history indicates a lack of empathy for other people.

This history notwithstanding, people need to lighten up and remember that football is an inherently rough sport. Players often retire pretty banged up after only a dozen years in the league. Underneath those piles of players fighting for loose balls, players pull hair, knee and punch each other. Football is at its best rough — at its worst, violent.

The uproar over Moss’s touchdown celebration is not proportional to the act itself, relative to other aspects of the game. Consider the Washington Redskins or Kansas City Chiefs franchises. Imagine if these race-based themes were made a little more obvious, and a new team were formed in its spirit — The Chicago Blackskins, for example — whose memorabilia and fan traditions center around racial stereotypes.

In comparison to such bigotry, the outrage over Moss’s endzone behavior is unwarranted and makes a compelling statement about our society.

With these things in mind, people need to lighten up about sports celebrations and recognize them for the entertaining displays they are. We would like to see the return of the “Icky Shuffle” and other creative acts that add to the dynamic of sports competition. Sports celebrations should, in fact, be a fully funded priority. We need something creative and original to mix it up, and the halftime shows don’t cut the mustard.

Such end zone celebrations serve to increase rivalries between teams, such as between NFC Central Vikings and Packers.

Imagine if some of the traditions before and during Cyclone football games were banned for being “mean.” Lighten up! we say. It’s all part of the game — and that’s all it really is — a game.

Athletes are people, too. Most people like to celebrate after succeeding in something important to them, and this desire is surely amplified at the professional sports level. Celebrations are a natural occurrence in sporting competition, so let’s not lose perspective.

Football players are adults and can handle a little celebration and rivalry. We, as fans, should be able to as well.