Movement that first appeared during the campaign
Ceremony in NFL and UFC
The dance moves (pictured) that President-elect Donald Trump showed during his campaign rally were replicated throughout the American sports world.
Athletes in various sports in the United States used the Trump dance as a ceremony during games over the weekend. When it comes to expressing political messages in sports, the temperature has changed significantly compared to when the issue of black human rights was raised in the past. CNN reported on the 21st, “This dance first appeared during Trump’s campaign a few years ago,” and “Trump entertained his supporters by pumping his fists and shaking his body to the upbeat song.”
In a game held immediately after Trump’s re-election, Nick Bosa of the National Football League (NFL) of San Francisco performed this dance with his teammates after knocking down a quarterback in a game against Tampa Bay. “My teammates wanted me to do this dance,” Bosa said.
At the UFC 309 event held last weekend, with Trump in attendance, heavyweight champion Jon Jones performed the Trump dance after winning the match. Afterwards, Jones approached Trump at ringside, shook his hand, and handed him his championship belt. In the NFL game that followed, Za’Darius Smith (Detroit Lions), Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders), and Calvin Ridley (Tennessee Titans) performed the Trump dance after a touchdown. “I watched the UFC fight yesterday and saw Jon Jones do this dance and it was so cool that I wanted to try it,” Bowers said after the fight.
Christian Pulisic of the U.S. national team expressed his joy with this dance after scoring a goal in the North, Central, American and Caribbean Football Confederation Nations League quarterfinals held in St. Louis on the 19th. “This dance has no political meaning,” he told reporters after the game. “I just did it for fun,” he explained. “I saw many players in the NFL doing this dance, and it looked fun, so I followed suit.”
CNN said, “Athletes’ use of Trump’s dance as a ceremony reflects a different political trend than in the past,” and added, “In the past, athletes such as Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James received a lot of criticism when they made political remarks, but this time, Trump “Dance is spreading in the sports world without much criticism.”
Conservative columnist Scott Jennings said on CNN, “Why not? “Trump is back, and America is back,” he said. “Now it’s cool to be a Republican again.” Jessica Tarlov, a Fox News contributor, said, “It seems like we are now living in an era where it is welcomed for athletes to make political statements,” adding, “It is a clear difference from the past attitude of ‘just be quiet and exercise.’” It is also evident in sports that the atmosphere of American society has clearly changed.
