If you’ve ever been to an RHS Basketball game, among the exciting playing and socializing, it’s hard not to notice the loud group of Junior boys in the front of the stands, booing the opposing team. They constantly demean the other team by yelling gruesome insults about their playing ability, their playing time or the way they look. Yes, I’m sure the Junior boys see it as a joke, but in the end, isn’t that how all bullying starts? I’m not saying that these dudes are bullies, by any means, but I am saying that they are extremely unfair as well as mean in their aggressive commentary towards the other team, in an attempt to “trash talk” them. I understand being loud and encouraging when you are cheering for our own team, however the line has been crossed when you find yourself screaming at the visitors’ players. Like seriously, some of our students really need to grow up a little.
I thought it was taught in kindergarten that saying “you are the worst player on the team” and “you suck so much your coach is only playing you only for free throws”, is not cool. It’s almost like the passive-aggressive lines in Mean Girls have been turned into a read along in our own stadium. It’s really not okay to be rude to the other team, and it’s terrible sportsmanship. Especially when, no matter how good they are, the opposing players are busting their asses to win the game, just like our own team. On another level, it comes off as a desperate display of masculinity, which in reality is quite toxic.
It is our society that tells us rude comments are not acceptable to say from a young age, yet it is still taught from generation to generation in order to maintain gender roles. It’s a sick cycle that is present in our everyday lives, whether we recognize it or not. I wish for these Junior boys to accept that they are being unreasonably unkind and become more open-minded to a point that they don’t feel the need to show off their masculinity, especially in a violently verbally abusive and unnecessary way. Just a suggestion.
Graphic By: Bethany Belina
I do agree that cheering for your team in the ethical and right thing to do…BUT…the amount of character that is built as an athlete when blocking out and disregarding trash talk is one of the most valuable skills someone can acquire. Sports get chippy, fans get chippy, players do too, thats the nature of sports. If you can’t take, “You suck” or “Boo,” you need to reevaluate your decision to play sports. My best friends play basketball, and they encourage friendly tradh talk. They feed off it! It feuls the competition. What I will say is, I do not support, or condone ANYTHING that is meant to be offensive, racist, sexist, etc. Trash talk is apart of sports everywhere you go. In the real world trash talk happens every day. It’s how someone handles it, and responds to it that defines them.