The Language of Sports...Trash-Talking??

It is difficult to talk about a topic such as the language of sports and not touch upon the growth, prevalence and even the acceptance of trash-talking in sports. It has in recent years risen to an admired and reviled practice depending on the observer. Trash-talking is defined as the practice of boasting or insulting an opponent during a game. Many sports, especially at the youth and high-school levels, have formal rules discouraging and penalizing trash-talking with so-called "no taunting" rules.

Proponents of trash-talking see it as basically a harmless device to give players a mental or psychological edge over their opponents. It's the "getting in his head" method used to throw an opponent off his game. Some players and coaches accept it as not only an effective form of gamesmanship, but a little bit of showmanship as well.

Opponents feel that it has led to a progressive decline in the level of sportsmanship in particular and a general decrease in civility in society at large. Philosophically, it has become a battle of old-school vs. new-wave.

Another divide among coaches, players and spectators is the question of "does trash-talking even work"? Is it effective? Some think that it is a mere temporary distraction and that playing the game well is the best way to get in opponents heads and negatively change their game.

Others feel that it can rock an opponent, especially when you get them down in the score. By contrast, a team that relies on trash-talking as a psychological method has nothing to fall back on when they are behind; the opponent merely has to point at the scoreboard.

Historically, the practice seems to have evolved from the rise of Muhammad Ali from a counter-culture, anti-establishment figure to a popular iconic figure. Winning certainly helped bring about acceptance and many athletes tolerate the practice as part of the competitive atmosphere with the logic that "it's OK if you can back it up".

It is interesting that some point to the biblical story of David slaying Goliath as an example of one of the first trash-talkers. Before his battle, David is documented to have "taunted" his opponent with the warning "I will strike you down and cut off your head".

I don't believe that this was the example that ushered in more widespread social acceptance of the practice--any more than the success Ali, Reggie Jackson or any other athlete--but it is still more acceptable in some sports than others.

Sports like baseball and hockey have a self-policing mechanism in place to deal with players who step too far off the sportsmanship reservation. In individual sports or sports where contact is discouraged to a greater degree, the burden falls to the rule-makers and enforcers to decide the level of sportsmanship that will be tolerated.

It's definitely been a phenomenon that has grown across the sports landscape over the last generation. Time will tell where it goes in the future.

LANGUAGE - Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. - Ephesians 4:29