More than a few athletes, both past and present, weren't shy about supporting former U.S. President Donald Trump after he survived an assassination attempt earlier in July. Are the St. Louis Cardinals taking that support to a new level?
A Cardinals celebration that many speculate is inspired by Trump's defiant reaction to the shooting, which injured his ear, started to gain attention in a highly-charged presidential election year.
The Cardinals had plenty of reasons to celebrate over the weekend, as they scored nine runs in the second game of a doubleheader against the Braves on Saturday and won the series with a 6-2 victory Sunday.
Cardinals players claim the celebration has nothing to do with Trump, and is instead an inside joke. Here's the real reason behind the gesture.
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Cardinals celebration, explained
Cardinals outfielder Alec Burleson caught the attention of many when he put up a fist and covered his ear while rounding the bases after hitting his 18th home run of the season, and he wasn't alone. The Cardinals' dugout followed suit, mimicking Burleson's gesture.
Is this a Trump home run celebration by the Cardinals? pic.twitter.com/f2XrQr0q3u
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 21, 2024
Burleson's teammates, however, deny that the celebration was in any way connected to Trump. Instead, Matt Carpenter told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the celebration is a reference to Burleson's time as a rapper in college.
Burleson went by the name "Biscuit" as a rapper and is supposedly the Cardinals' biggest music enthusiast in the clubhouse. Carpenter explained that the celebration is meant to mimic a DJ, which starts to make sense when you consider the hand over the hear could represent headphones.
"It's an inside joke ... Definitely not a political statement," Carpenter said, "I think that's a little off-base here."
Carpenter claimed the celebration started weeks before Trump was shot in an attempted assassination. The former president, bleeding from his right ear, stood up after the shooter was killed and put his fist up in the air, chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!" The visual similarities to the Cardinals' celebration quickly prompted speculation that the two were connected.
Anyone looking for an actual Trump-inspired celebration doesn't have to look far, though. Rays infielder Taylor Walls left little doubt with his celebration at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, putting up his first and mouthing, "Fight! Fight!" just as Trump did after the shooting in Butler, Pa.
Taylor Walls did the Trump "Fight! Fight!" after this double pic.twitter.com/8K5ovTEIQh
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 21, 2024
Walls' celebration is much more on the nose, a pretty obvious tribute to the moment at Trump's Pennsylvania rally that was captured by photographers in instantly iconic images, becoming a rallying cry for his supporters.
It might not take long to find out whether the Cardinals' celebration will continue. Burleson has five home runs in his last 10 games during what's been a breakout season for the 25-year-old, so more dingers are likely ahead.
