No, the ‘Trump Dance’ Does Not Violate NFL Rules, League Sources Say

As athletes around the world have been taking up President Trump’s signature shimmy dance as a lighthearted celebration of a successful play, the question arises — will the dance land them in hot water with their sports leagues? According to sources for the National Football League, which is notoriously strict when it comes to players making political statements during interviews, the so-called “Trump dance” is “not an issue.” “While the NFL has addressed celebrations in the past, my understanding is that they only take action against those deemed excessive or inappropriate,” sports reporter Jordan Schultz said, citing NFL sources. “The Trump dance is good with the league office.” Football players in the past have been fined for showcasing a “violent act” as a means of celebration, such as contorting their hand to look like a gun. Speculation regarding the permissibility of the Trump dance began to mount after the Las Vegas Raiders reportedly shut down a post-game interview after their tight end, Brock Bowers, was asked about doing the dance. Any trace of the interview appears to have been buried. The fist-pump dance, which Trump has been busting out since the beginning of his 2020 campaign, has taken the sports industry by storm in the wake of the 45th president’s electoral victory. The gambol was first taken up the weekend after the election by San Francisco 49ers defensive end, Nick Bosa, while he celebrated his team’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mr. Bosa, who has publicly pitched his support for Trump, when asked about what inspired his new moves, responded: “I think you know the answer to that question.” Just a few weeks prior, Mr. Bosa was fined more than $11,000 for wearing a Make America Great Hat while crashing a teammate’s postgame interview, a move which violated the NFL’s rules regarding political statements on the field. Since then, slews of athletes have picked up the jig, with a notable display from UFC heavyweight, Jon Jones, who, upon defending his title during a fight on Saturday, gleefully busted out the moves in front of Trump who watched the match from the front row. The trend has even popped up overseas, with players from an English soccer club, Barnsley, stopping to celebrate a triumphant goal with Trump’s signature shimmy. Political pundits have taken the popularity of the dance as an indication that it’s “cool” to be a Republican again. A GOP congressman, Byron Donalds, shared a video compilation of athletes and celebrities copying Trump’s dance, adding the message, “Make American Fun Again.” In another post he wrote, “Joy and vibes are here to stay.” Others, however, have compared the dance to the political displays from athletes during the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. The protests, which often included athletes taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem, divided the country and raised questions about the place of politics in sports. Former 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, who became one of the faces of the protest movement, took significant heat for his activism both from those inside the league and by the fans. After he failed to secure a contract from a single NFL team in 2017, Mr. Kaepernick accused the league of colluding to blackball his football career.

No, the ‘Trump Dance’ Does Not Violate NFL Rules, League Sources Say

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