CNN
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The dance popularized by President-elect Donald Trump appears to be taking the sports world by storm, with multiple U.S. athletes across the country performing the dance this weekend to celebrate.
The dance was first seen years ago during a Trump rally, where Trump responded to supporters by pumping his fist and moving it along his body. Last month, he canceled a campaign town hall and instead played more than 40 minutes of his favorite music, swaying and dancing to rally staples like Village People’s “YMCA.” When I decided to perform, the buzz became even more widespread.
And in the weeks following Trump’s historic reelection to the White House, the dance is being used to celebrate big plays, shots and victories by American athletes. It’s an unusual time for sports stars who were once a future president to publicly celebrate a president who was once a future president. Many events occurred during his first term.
The incident occurred over the weekend after Trump’s reelection, when San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, an avowed Trump supporter, celebrated a sack by dancing during the Niners’ Week 10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When it first started.
Bosa, who often shrugs his shoulders after sacks, was joined in the dance by several teammates, and when asked about the impetus, he replied, “I think you know the answer to that question.”
“Everybody wanted me to do it. I didn’t mean to do it, but the boys reminded me. It was fun,” Bosa told reporters, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. reported.
It comes just weeks after Bosa ignored his teammate’s postgame interview to voice his support for Trump in the 2024 presidential election by wearing a hat emblazoned with the slogan “Make America Great Again.” It was an incident in which he was fined $11,255 by the NFL for making political statements.
President Trump was also in attendance at UFC 309 on Saturday, with Jon Jones commemorating his heavyweight title retention by dancing before acknowledging Trump at ringside.
Mr. Jones then went to the president-elect, the two shook hands, and Mr. Jones allowed Mr. Trump to keep his heavyweight title belt.
Multiple renditions of the “Trump Dance” took place across the NFL on Sunday, with performances by Detroit Lions defensive end Za’Darius Smith, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley. all danced.
Asked by USA Today reporter Safid Deen about dancing after the game, Bowers replied: I watched a UFC fight last night, and Jon Jones was doing it. I like watching UFC, so I saw that and thought it was cool. ”
Dean said the Raiders terminated Bowers’ postgame eligibility after receiving the answer.
British golfer Charlie Hull also performed a fairway dance at the Annika event held at Pelican Golf Club in Florida on Sunday.
And on Monday in St. Louis, U.S. men’s national soccer team star Christian Pulisic did a celebratory dance after scoring the opening goal in his team’s 4-2 victory over Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals.
But Pulisic later insisted the celebration was “not a political dance”.
According to The Athletic, he added: I thought it was a very fun dance.
“This is not a political dance. It was just for fun. I enjoyed it because I saw a lot of people doing it and thought it was funny.”
Double standards?
The use of dance by athletes is a notable change from previous years, when the use of political iconography by professional athletes and women was often criticized by many.
In the past, athletes such as Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James have been criticized for their public stances on social and political issues, but the Trump dance’s surge in popularity signals a change in direction. .
And conservative columnist Scott Jennings said on CNN: It’s great that Trump is back, America is back, and we’re Republican again. ”
Conversely, Fox News contributor Jessica Tarloff said it could be a sense of double standards.
“I think we’ve moved past the ‘shut up and dribble’ of the Trump era and are now at a point where it’s great for athletes to talk about their politics,” Tarlov said on Fox News.
