The Red Sox have taken some flak for their rocky start in this young season, and I\u2019m about to pile on. It\u2019s about the pelvic thrust hit celebration. I\u2019ll say up front that I don\u2019t care about being \u201cfamily friendly\u201d or anything like that. Here are my issues with it.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not okay with female fans<\/p>\n
I have lost a large amount of enthusiasm for the 2026 team since I first saw that celebration. It\u2019s made it difficult for me to watch my beloved team.<\/p>\n
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Why do women dislike this particular display of testosterone? In case it needs explaining, I can tell you that most girls and women have surely lost count of the number of times a guy (a stranger, classmate, coworker, the friend of a friend at a party, the list goes on) has thrust his pelvis in her direction. I mean without an invitation and outside of a dance-floor context. It starts early, it\u2019s aggressive, and it\u2019s not funny.<\/p>\n
For a moment I had an idea to ask other female fans about the Red Sox hit celebration and publish their thoughts and reactions. The first person I asked said she was grateful that the hit celebration wasn\u2019t [redacted: truly obscene gesture that women are uniquely subjected to, involving two fingers and flashing tongue]. She had a point, and I dropped the idea after that.<\/p>\n
Aren\u2019t female fans entitled to more than a pathetic level of gratitude that things aren\u2019t worse? Why do women have to pay this price to watch and try to enjoy men\u2019s professional sports?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s weak<\/p>\n
It\u2019s nowhere near the same league as some of the Red Sox earlier hit (and home run) celebrations. The airplane wings celebration was unique, hilarious, and a little weird. It served as a rallying point after that turbulent flight. The monster hands and the hip shimmy were fun. There\u2019s more leeway with home run celebrations, since they\u2019re not confined to the bag, and the Sox have really showed the depth of their creativity with those. The laundry cart and Wally head are classics. Putting on the medals from the Boston Marathon and Alex Cora\u2019s 5K were meaningful and sweet celebrations. If they put their minds to it, I\u2019m sure the current team can come up with something just as great.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s unsportsmanlike<\/p>\n
In the NFL, that is. Rico Dowdle of the Carolina Panthers was given a 15-yard penalty and fined almost $15,000 in November 2025 for a similar celebration. It\u2019s unusual to find myself in alignment with the NFL, but sometimes the enemy of your enemy is your friend. Kudos to DeMarcus Lawrence of the Seattle Seahawks for trying to come up with acceptable alternatives! Here\u2019s his discussion with the referee in November 2025 about that.<\/p>\n
Note that the ref replied, \u201cAs long as you don\u2019t give me that motion [offers light pelvic thrust for clarity], I\u2019m okay with that one [the suggested alternative].\u201d<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s unoriginal<\/p>\n