In a lot of cases, we don’t know for sure – some will simply be jumping on a TikTok trend.
But some athletes have hinted about their motivations.
Jones, who cracked out the moves after beating Stipe Miocic, said: “I want to say a big, big thank you to President Donald Trump for being here. What do you guys think about my version of the Donald Trump?”
Trump reposted a video of the interaction on his Truth Social account.
Pulisic, though, was keen to point out he was not doing a “political dance” after scoring during his side’s 4-2 victory over Jamaica.
He said: “I saw everyone doing it in the NFL, I saw Jon Jones do it, and we were just having a bit of fun.
“Obviously, that’s the ‘Trump Dance’ but it was just a dance that everyone was doing.”
Meanwhile the NFL has said it won’t be cracking down on the dance, which it does not see as a political statement.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Front Office Sports there was “no issue” with the “celebratory dance”.