Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – As sporting celebrations go, it doesn’t quite have the charm of Roger Milla’s hip-wiggling shimmy with a corner flag at the 1990 World Cup or the imperious swagger of Usain Bolt’s iconic lightning pose. But a dance move inspired by Donald Trump’s stilted on-stage boogieing has rapidly become the celebration of choice across the US sporting world. From the blood-soaked Ultimate Fighting Championship to the hard-hitting National Football League and the reliably decorous world of the LPGA Tour golf, athletes across North America have succumbed to the viral Trump dance craze in the past week.
On Monday, United States soccer star Christian Pulisic became the latest exponent of what might be called ‘the Donald’, rushing to the sideline with several team-mates to mimic the US President-elect’s signature, fist-pumping shuffle after scoring his team’s opening goal in a 4-2 win over Jamaica. Another prominent example came at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, when mixed martial arts fighter Jon Jones knocked out Stipe Miocic. With Trump just a few feet away at ringside, Jones quickly broke out an unmistakeable hip-swinging rendition of the Republican leader’s dance before presenting Trump with his heavyweight belt.
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There have been countless other examples across the NFL and collegiate gridiron. The San Francisco 49ers’ Nick Bosa — who drew criticism for crashing a postgame interview wearing a “Make America Great Again” baseball cap shortly before the US election on November 5 — was one of the first NFL players to do the dance after sacking an opponent on November 10. “All the guys wanted me to do it,” Bosa told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I wasn’t even going to do it, but the boys reminded me. And it was fun.” Bosa was coy however when asked who his dance had been inspired by. “I think you know the answer to that question,” he told the paper.
On the most recent NFL Sunday, several players adopted the celebration. Among them was Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, who busted out the Trump moves after scoring a touchdown in his team’s defeat to the Miami Dolphins. Bowers said the move was prompted by UFC fighter Jones’ celebration on Saturday night. “I’ve seen everyone do it,” Bowers said. “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.” US media reports said Raiders team officials abruptly shut down Bowers’ availability following the comments.
Meanwhile, in Florida on Sunday, the Trump dance had even reached women’s golf. England’s Charley Hull jokingly performed the move as she walked down the fairway in her final round duel with Nelly Korda at the Annika tournament at Pelican Golf Club. Former US international soccer player and television pundit Alexi Lalas couldn’t hide his delight after Pulisic got in on the act. “Pulisic scores. Pulisic does the Trump dance. We’re winning the World Cup…bigly,” he wrote on X.
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