Bryce Harper throat slash, explained: The story behind Phillies star’s controversial celebration

By | October 16, 2023
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The Phillies already have their big team celebration. When players get a hit, they begin a juggling celebration, which has picked up plenty of attention.

But Bryce Harper also adds his own unique celebration to the mix. When he celebrates, he makes a throat-slashing motion, which has often drawn the ire of those watching the games.

Given Harper’s success in the playoffs — he has three home runs this postseason and 14 in 42 postseason games total — it is safe to assume fans will continue to see that celebration pop up a bit more often in the NLCS when the Phillies look to beat the Diamondbacks and advance to the World Series for the second straight year.

Where does the celebration have its start? Here’s what you need to know.

MORE: Why Phillies players celebrate hits by juggling

How did Bryce Harper throat slash start?

There is not a clear origin from when the throat slash celebration began, though it appears it might date back to the start of the season. There is footage of him doing it for more than just home runs, having done the throat slash after several hits this season, including his first of the 2023 campaign, when he hit a double against the Dodgers.

Throughout the season, he has used it not just as a celebration for home runs, but also for other hits. He used the celebration in a series against the Rockies.

The celebration appears to be a modification of another Phillies’ celebration, which was to signal a simple thumbs up at teammates. Harper starts with the throat slash with his thumb, then directs the thumbs up at his teammates.

Harper should consider himself lucky to be playing in MLB rather than the NFL. The NFL banned the throat-slash celebration back in 1999, according to The New York Times, constituting it as an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. There are no penalties in MLB like there are in football, outside fines from the league office, and to this point, there is no reporting the standout slugger has been fined by MLB for the celebration.

Bryce Harper throat slash reactions

Harper has been doing the throat-slash celebration all season, but it reached the peak of its national attention in the NLDS, when he hit two home runs against Atlanta in Game 3 of the NLDS and did the gesture as he crossed home plate.

The celebration being on the big stage of the MLB postseason meant that it drew more attention — and thus more ire. The Braves’ radio broadcast called out the gesture, saying that it was not “what anybody wants to see.”

“[Harper] again gave the throat-slashing sign, which, given today’s climate around the world, I’m not sure that’s quite appropriate or what anybody wants to see,” Joe Simpson said on the broadcast.

ESPN reporter Ed Werder also called out the celebration and requested Harper end it, appearing to give the same reasoning as Simpson by saying that it is in pour taste given today’s environment.

It should be no surprise the rest of the sports world is polarized by the celebration. There are plenty who compare the comments of Rob Thomson back in September when he called out Ronald Acuna Jr.’s celebration, saying “I like our guys to act like they’ve been here before,” while others have said the Braves have been soft to complain about the gesture, with some comparing it to the much-maligned Tomahawk Chop in the Braves’ stadium.

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