NFL Refs Expected to Throw Lots of Flags to Promote Sportsmanship This Season

The NFL is expected to crack down on poor sportsmanship this season. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The NFL will be cracking down on poor sportsmanship during games throughout the upcoming 2025 season, so expect more flags to police the behavior.

The league is emphasizing the competition between the lines, rather than what they view as the nonsense outside of it, and will be throwing more penalty flags for any violations.

"There's no place in the game to be standing over your opponent. There's no place in the game to have violent gestures. That's not the game of football," the league said in a video released Thursday.

The NFL says sportsmanship is a point of emphasis for NFL officials this season. Flags will be thrown.

"There's no place in the game to be standing over your opponent. There's no place in the game to have violent gestures. That's not the game of football." pic.twitter.com/PtgxsaU5LR

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 21, 2025

There is sure to be plenty of reaction to this from fans across the NFL. Expect the "No Fun League" moniker to come to the surface yet again.

This will certainly be something to watch this season.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Refs Expected to Throw Lots of Flags to Promote Sportsmanship This Season.