The NFL reportedly won’t punish or restrict players from performing a viral dance that has been popularized by President Elect Donald Trump.
Such is life in 2024.
The question of whether performing the celebratory dance is permissible by the league has been raised in recent weeks as multiple players have performed it in the wake of Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. Yet despite acts like Nick Bosa — who performed the dance after recording a sack against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week — crashing a nationally televised postgame interview wearing a Make America Great Again hat being punished, the Trump dance remains allowable, according to Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy.
“There’s no issue with a celebratory dance such as what took place yesterday or the previous week with the 49ers on November 10,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told FOS. “It’s up to the networks to cover them as they see fit.”
Asked Brock Bowers about his Trump TD celly: “I’ve seen everyone do it. I watched the UFC fight last night and Jon Jones did it. I like watching UFC so I saw it, and thought it was cool.”
Raiders PR ended his postgame availability after my question.
— Safid Deen 💯💯💯💯 (@Safid_Deen) November 17, 2024
Although Trump’s signature shimmy had initially gone viral in the leadup to the Nov. 5 election, it’s taken over the sports world in recent days. In addition to Bosa last week, NFL players including Calvin Ridley, Za’Darius Smith and Brock Bowers performed the dance in celebration this past weekend, while UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones busted it out with Trump sitting ringside following his victory over Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, as did U.S. men’s soccer captain Christian Pulisic after scoring a goal against Jamaica.
Jon Jones did the Trump dance after knocking down and beating Stipe Miocic 😭 pic.twitter.com/Bv719AjIf0
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) November 17, 2024
USMNT Captain Christian Pulisic scored and immediately did the Trump dance 🕺 pic.twitter.com/jMyfvE8T3J
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) November 19, 2024
Despite its previous attempts to appear apolitical, the popularity of the Trump dance coupled with the incoming administration put the NFL in a tough spot. Ultimately, the league opted for the path of least resistance — something it hasn’t always done at the intersection of sports and politics.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.