End of Game Punch

[bisonlj]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Nah, we'd be in the locker room before the ball was retrieved.

It's not the act that the ball is raised, it's the referee declaring the game ended (1-1-8). I can do that without a football in my hand. Most of the time, my umpire holds the ball up.

Some official is near the ball in this case though and he can raise the ball as well. It's probably more of a ritual and tradition than anything. I'm sure very few people even notice we do it.