SEATTLE, November 2, 2026 — The Chicago Bears had just beaten the Seattle Seahawks 34–17 on Monday Night Football. The defense had delivered another strong performance, D’Andre Swift had scored three rushing touchdowns, and the team was heading home with a 6–2 record.

In the locker room, the players were waiting for another highlight. Not a replay of the winning drive. Not a touchdown celebration from the field. They wanted their head coach to dance.

Ben Johnson obliged, again performing the awkwardly enthusiastic Stanky Leg routine that had become part of the Bears’ victory celebrations. What started weeks earlier as an improvised moment was now something his players actively anticipated.

By the next day, the joke had traveled even further. ABC7 Chicago was asking viewers to submit their own versions of the dance for possible appearances on television after future Bears wins.

The Night the Stanky Leg Became a Bears Tradition

The dance first drew widespread attention after Chicago defeated Philadelphia 27–7 on September 28, 2026, at Soldier Field.

Johnson entered the locker room following the win and found players looking for a celebration. He broke into a version of the Stanky Leg, drawing laughter and applause.

The routine was hardly choreographed. The Bears coach later described it as a spontaneous reaction when he realized his players were waiting for something.

There was something particularly funny about the contrast. Johnson is known for his intense preparation and detailed approach to offense. The locker room version of the coach was willing to look ridiculous if it meant sharing the moment with his players.

Good. Better. Best. The Chant Behind the Celebration

The Stanky Leg is the visual joke, but Good, Better, Best is the tradition that gives the celebration its structure.

Johnson’s connection to the chant reaches back to his high school football years at A.C. Reynolds in Asheville, North Carolina. His former coach Bobby Poss used the message as a rallying cry after wins.

Johnson carried that language into the NFL, where the phrase became a recognizable part of Chicago’s locker-room culture.

In September 2026, he explained that bringing back the chant was intentional. The underlying message was about improvement: continue raising the standard instead of settling after a successful performance.

The dance adds a different emotional register. The chant is structured and motivational. The Stanky Leg is loose, improvised and funny. Together they show two sides of Johnson’s relationship with his players.

Seattle Made the Joke Bigger

Monday’s win was significant on its own terms. Chicago defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks on the road and improved to 6–2. D’Andre Swift finished with three rushing touchdowns.

The result strengthened the Bears’ early-season position and provided another occasion for the postgame ritual that fans had begun looking forward to.

The team’s official website published Johnson’s locker-room speech after the win. NBC Chicago reported that his players eagerly encouraged the dance before celebrating his performance.

When a Football Coach’s Dance Becomes a Citywide Meme

The cultural reach of the Stanky Leg became especially clear on November 3, when ABC7 Chicago invited viewers to send in videos of themselves performing the dance.

The station encouraged submissions from families, children, coworkers and Bears fans, with plans to feature selected performances after victories.

That was a meaningful change in the life of the joke. A locker-room celebration had become something supporters could imitate themselves.

Memes tend to travel further when participation is easy. Johnson’s dance works because it does not require athletic precision or professional choreography. Its appeal comes from the fact that the coach appears to be enjoying himself.

The reference also connects football celebrations to an older piece of dance culture. The Stanky Leg became widely recognizable through the GS Boyz’s 2008 song and the dance associated with it.

Why the Good Better Best Stanky Leg Shirt Works

The Good Better Best Ben Johnson Shirt brings both parts of the celebration into one illustration.

Its retro orange sunburst gives the central figure the energy of an old sports poster. Ben Johnson appears mid-dance, wearing a cap and casual coaching attire, with one leg raised.

The large collegiate lettering carries the Good, Better, Best message, while the sneakers contain the visual punchline: STANKY on one shoe and LEG on the other.

GOOD BETTER BEST — STANKY LEG

The motivational locker-room chant meets the dance Chicago’s players keep asking their coach to perform.

Explore the Bears celebration graphic →

The design is effective because it gives different levels of recognition to different viewers. Someone familiar with Johnson’s coaching style sees the Good, Better, Best message first. Someone following the viral videos notices the dancing pose and shoes.

Both references point toward the same larger story: the relationship between Chicago’s improving football team and a coach whose postgame personality has become part of its identity.

Chicago Is Learning to Celebrate Differently

For years, Chicago football discourse has often been defined by questions about quarterback development, offensive consistency and whether the Bears could sustain success.

A 6–2 start does not settle every question about the season. But it gives fans reasons to celebrate, and those celebrations increasingly arrive with their own recurring images and phrases.

Johnson’s dance is one of them. It has become recognizable enough to connect the team, the players, local television and fans who want to join the joke.

The wider Chicago Bears collection places that moment alongside other designs referencing team traditions and fan culture. The NFL collection shows how similar moments become visual memories across professional football.

For artwork focused specifically on the head coach, explore the Ben Johnson product search on Ellie Shirt.

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