[GOP_Party_Animal]

You're likely right, as I said before, he could have been taunting and showing all that he was "number one". I just find it odd that a chaplain would so totally discount the possibility that an athlete would give a gesture of praise upon his victory. Even if it's a gesture that does not get the seal of approval from the catacombs.

[xzins]

No, it’s not that I don’t think a gesture of praise should be forbidden. At best, he chose a lousy gesture that is universally viewed as raising the “we’re #1 sign”.

Had it been a sign of the cross, then I’d be on this like white on rice.

Nonetheless, I’ve conceded to freeper P-Marlowe that religious rights take precedent.

My experience and my gut says he’s gaming the system. I acknowledge it’s a dumb system and a dumb rule within limits. Besides being a distraction, celebrations in track are generally also a difficulty because you really want your runners staying in their lanes immediately afterwards. Even with electronic timing, you want to make sure the equipment functioned and that you don’t need to revert to the manual backup.