Tapping, twirling and “T” signs: Sports replays have a language all their own

These days, every moment of a major sporting event can be dissected in high definition, and officials and referees are spending more and more time staring at a television screen to review close-up events.

This has also led to a type of sign language unique to the world of sports.

There’s the ubiquitous finger twirling at NBA games when someone thinks their team has been wronged. In the NFL, it’s a red flag of defiance thrown by coaches and often imitated by fans.

It’s not just an American phenomenon: there’s the rectangular box drawn in the air that is everywhere in international football for VAR (video assistant referee). In cricket, some players may make a “T” sign with their hands, signaling that they want a DRS (Decision Review System) replay. Then the referee draws a rectangular box in the air, similar to that of football.

Major League Baseball now has a new entry in the lexicon: a few pats on the head.

The automated ball-strike challenge system is now an official part of MLB games, with cameras tracking every pitch and judging whether it crossed home plate into the strike zone. Human referees still call every pitch, but each team has the opportunity to challenge two calls per game.

When a batter, pitcher or catcher feels that a ball call has been missed, they may tap their head repeatedly and also verbally confirm that they wish to take on a challenge. It hasn’t taken long for fans to become familiar with the lingo, patting themselves on the head when they think there’s a bad decision.

“Everybody knows now what it means to touch the top of your hat,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said with a laugh. “It’s really spread quickly. I think it’s a good thing – everyone wants the calls to be good.”

Sometimes hand signals can be seen as a sign of disrespect.

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Taylor Walls was ejected from a regular-season game last season after disagreeing with a call, tapping his helmet repeatedly while arguing with the umpire. ABS was used in 2025 spring training on an experimental basis, but was not allowed in regular season games.

Walls maintained it was an innocent gesture. Home plate umpire Nic Lentz disagreed and sent Walls to the clubhouse early.

Lovullo said he doesn’t expect many misunderstandings in the future.

“There’s also the verbal command, so that should help,” he said.

In many sports, increasing video review procedures have created new strategies for overcoming challenges. Often, it’s quick nonverbal cues that make the process work.

Many NBA teams have an assistant coach or bench staff member who has a tablet and can view the broadcast and quickly review plays. Players sometimes make emotional decisions in the heat of the moment – ​​twirling their finger in the air when they think their team should take on a challenge. (Spoiler alert: Players always think they’re right.)

But the last word comes from the bench.

For the New York Knicks, assistant coach Jordan Brink is the man who advises head coach Mike Brown.

“If he does that (nodding his head up and down), then you do this (twirling his finger). If he does that (shaking his head side to side), then you just say ‘Hmm…’ and you have to tell your players sorry,” Brown said.

Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said “you really have to control yourself” because replays are usually emotional situations. Los Angeles Clippers coach Ty Lue had no idea how the finger turn became the NBA’s go-to symbol for review, but, in his typical deadpan way, said its prevalence can sometimes be annoying.

“I’m tired of looking at this. Let’s take a look at this,” Lue said, drawing laughter from reporters. “Now they do it at the university too, everyone does it.”

MLB now has a pair of replay review signals. Managers can request a review of off-safety calls and other decisions by placing their hands over their ears, mimicking umpires putting on headsets to discuss plays with the MLB replay center. That and the ABS headbutt have taken over at a time when some of baseball’s long-standing hand signals are disappearing. For more than a century, catchers called pitches with their fingers, sometimes relying on an elaborate sequence of signs to prevent the opposing team from determining the next pitch.

That all started to change after the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal, which came to light in 2020. There is now a system called PitchCom that can relay pitch calls and field positioning decisions without hand signals.

“Before, you would get signals from the dugout to watch for a bunt or a delayed steal, but now all you have to do is press a few buttons,” Lovullo said.

But the low-tech system of hand signals in sports is still relevant. In a strange juxtaposition, the high-tech world of video replay is one of the main reasons for this.

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AP Pro Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney, AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy and AP Freelance Writer Dan Greenspan contributed to this story.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB