by Personalized celebrations have become an indelible part of football, so when Tommy DeVito, the New York Giants’ third-string quarterback, threw one of his first touchdowns in November, he raised a right hand and put his index finger together. and the thumb in an Italian style. gesture that means, roughly, “What do you want?”
People noticed.
A few weeks later, as DeVito led the Giants to a thrilling 24-22 victory over the Green Bay Packers at home, thousands of fans joined in by pinching their fingers and waving the backs of their hands toward the field. The gesture was heralded in sports. transmissionsadapted for sweatshirts and noted in sports pages all the way to Italy. DeVito explained that the gesture was natural, citing the “old Italians” who, “when they talk, they start doing this. “It’s just a little credit to them.”
DeVito’s moment in the spotlight brought some excitement to a disappointing Giants team, even if he is finishing the season, which concludes Sunday, as a backup quarterback once again. His moment, and his characteristic gesture, also filled some Italian-American observers, including me, with no little ambivalence, even embarrassment. While some fans were proud to see an Italian kid (raised in New Jersey, no less) taking center stage, others were embarrassed by the resurgent popularity of old-school stereotypes, given that Italian-American culture can easily become warped. quickly into clichés, recalling the excesses of mediocre gangster movies and “Jersey Shore.” He grimaced as I watched the gesture explode all over social media, especially in an endless procession of TikTok videos and Instagram reels featuring a Louis Prima. song. My apprehension was not tempered by the fact that DeVito’s agent, who is also Italian-American, attended games dressed floridly in a pinstripe suit and black fedora. Before the end of the season, the sudden star quarterback was drawing criticism for enjoying the spotlight too enthusiastically.
It is both a truism and a truth that Italians speak with their hands, a trait that most likely developed as a way to facilitate communication in a country where dialects can differ from one town to another. Most of these hand gestures have specific meanings that are recognized throughout Italy, as well as by Italian Americans. Since then I realized that these gestures, in their evolution of meaning, are not just a stereotypical throwback or simply a secret language. They exemplify the vitality of my culture and are proof of the vibrant resilience of our experience.
