{"id":26453,"date":"2019-12-20T19:07:01","date_gmt":"2019-12-20T19:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/12\/20\/naval-academy-hand-gestures-sophomoric-game\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:09:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:09:08","slug":"naval-academy-hand-gestures-sophomoric-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2019\/12\/20\/naval-academy-hand-gestures-sophomoric-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Naval Academy: Hand gestures \u2018sophomoric game\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two Naval Academy midshipmen who made a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/off-duty\/military-culture\/2019\/12\/15\/west-point-and-annapolis-officials-probe-possible-white-power-hand-signs-at-army-navy-game\/\" target=_blank>hand gesture<\/a> associated with white nationalists while standing in the background of a TV segment during the annual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/12\/09\/trump-to-attend-annual-army-navy-rivalry-game\/\" target=_blank>Army-Navy<\/a> football game were playing a \u201csophomoric game\u201d and were not flashing racist gestures, according to a Navy probe into the incident released Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mids made the hand sign while standing in the background during an ESPN broadcast segment during the Dec. 14 game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The involved students \u2014 whose names are redacted in the copy of the report released by the Academy \u2014 told investigators they were playing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urbandictionary.com\/define.php?term=The%20Circle%20Game\" target=_blank>\u201cthe circle game,\u201d<\/a> where one person makes the \u201cOK\u201d hand symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe premise of the game is that a person makes a circle with their pointer finger and thumb below their waist,\u201d the investigator wrote. \u201cIf someone looks at the circle, they lose and the person who made the circle gets to punch the person who looked in the arm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other \u201cvariations on the game\u201d include photobombing a photograph while displaying the gesture, according to the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/off-duty\/military-culture\/2019\/12\/15\/west-point-and-annapolis-officials-probe-possible-white-power-hand-signs-at-army-navy-game\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/49220207693_746d985507_k.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">West Point and Annapolis officials probe possible \u2018white power\u2019 hand signs at Army-Navy game<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Army and Navy academies are looking into hand signs flashed by students that can be associated with \u201cwhite power\u201d and were televised during the Army-Navy football game on Saturday, school officials said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once purely innocuous, the \u201cOK\u201d gesture in recent years became the target of an internet hoax that claimed it telegraphed \u201cwhite power,\u201d the investigator wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn light of this hoax, several prominent members of \u2018white power\u2019 and \u2018white supremacy\u2019 groups began making the gesture in public, thereby appropriating the gesture as a symbol of their movements,\u201d the investigation states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also during the \u201cGameday evolution,\u201d midshipmen and West Point cadets traded words and threw items at each other, according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis type of behavior has been observed at previous editions of the Army-Navy Gameday evolution,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The midshipmen involved told the investigator they\u2019d been playing the circle game with cadets throughout the day, and several cadets were seen making the gesture back to them, according to the investigator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMultiple individuals stated that the circle game is commonly played at the Naval Academy and in other military and civilian settings,\u201d the report states. \u201cAdditionally, when viewed in context with the other behavior displayed by both midshipmen and cadets during Gameday, it is reasonable to believe the midshipmen were playing the circle game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The midshipmen who flashed the gesture \u201cexhibited genuine shock and surprise by the entire situation and credibly stated that they were previously unaware of the racist connotation that was recently associated with the gesture,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Background checks by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncis.navy.mil\/\" target=_blank>Naval Criminal Investigative Service<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fbi.gov\/\" target=_blank>FBI<\/a> revealed no known associations with any racist or white supremacist group, the investigator wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTheir denials are supported by the statements of their friends, roommates, members of their chain of command and team captains who unanimously stated that they had never heard any of the midshipmen involved make a racial or derogatory comment and have never seen or heard about any concerning behavior,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/01\/13\/coast-guard-officer-reprimanded-for-flashing-controversial-gesture-on-msnbc\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1198952-11-20180915104619.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Coast Guard member reprimanded for flashing controversial gesture on MSNBC<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">He was upbraided in administrative letter of censure signed by Capt. John Reed, the head of Hurricane Florence response efforts in Charleston, S.C.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigator recommended no further action on the matter but wrote that ESPN events should be treated as their own \u201cevolutions\u201d and that midshipmen appearing on camera should get briefed on what is appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is no evidence that either midshipman intended to convey any type of message through the hand gesture,\u201d the report states. \u201cThe evidence indicates they intended to play a sophomoric game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are confident the hand gestures used were not intended to be racist in any way,\u201d Academy Superintendent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/navydata\/bios\/bio.asp?bioID=570\" target=_blank>Vice Adm. Sean Buck<\/a> said in a prepared statement. \u201cHowever, we are disappointed by the immature behavior of the two Fourth Class Midshipmen, and their actions will be appropriately addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also in the statement, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday \u2014 Naval Academy Class of 1985 \u2014 said he expected sailors &#8220;to conduct themselves with integrity and character at all times, and that is why we completed an immediate investigation following this incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo be clear, the Navy does not tolerate racism in any form. And while the investigation determined there was no racist intent behind these actions, our behavior must be professional at all times and not give cause for others to question our core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. We must be standard-bearers. We must be above reproach. That is what sets us apart as a fighting force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Coast Guard earlier this year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/01\/13\/coast-guard-officer-reprimanded-for-flashing-controversial-gesture-on-msnbc\/\" target=\"_blank\">formally reprimanded<\/a> a service member who flashed the gesture during a live TV interview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The midshipmen&#8217;s &#8220;OK&#8221; signs appeared in the background during an ESPN segment at last week&#8217;s Army-Navy football game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":25954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":88,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[29,116,117,15,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3487],"class_list":["post-26453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-left-column","category-middle-column","category-news","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"6UZXZ2KPGVFQTIZSYPAYCUIHTY","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/12\/20\/naval-academy-hand-gestures-sophomoric-game\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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