Yes. I’ve just told you, my anonymous reader, that you’re absolutely awful. I am more superior in every way, and you have no chance of becoming greater than myself. How does that translate to you? Would you get pissed off and come at me with the intentions to show me just how great you are or would you get emotional and let my words lay dormant within?
Trash-talking, or expressing one’s low opinion, is pretty disrespectful. I mean, it’s a dreadful display of one’s own confidence and ability to be better than someone else or to belittle them to a pulp. For those reasons, I am all for it. Why not be overconfident in your abilities while you’re trying to dominate your opponents? That’s the idea in sports right? To crush your competition. Sadly nowadays everything must be honorable; nothing can incite a fire in the opponent’s team. Take the NFL for example. A football player gets an immediate penalty for “over celebrating” in the end zone after a touchdown when the team just outplayed their opponents and earned that. Dancing the smallest amount of belittle that could be done and it’s been practically banned from the NFL. Why is that?
An interview with a professional E-Sports player, Doublelift, from Team SoloMid in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), explores the relation between Doublelift’s personality back in 2013 and now. He talks about him being well known for his trash talk and the ability to do so because he was winning with the team that he played for, but became hush until this year since he was losing and not making much progress in the splits towards the championship. He states that the LCS was getting too boring from a players stand point and was failing to really put on a good show, as he brought up viewership status of plateauing rather than increasing.
Even from a professional player’s stand point, the game can get too boring to even want to play for just the championship. Doublelift brings up the point for putting something on the line. As if your confidence and pride is tiered and written on a pink slip, like car ownership. Looking at how he sees things, I can understand that trash talking adds a little more incentive to the game. A competitive match becomes a lot more personal when someone’s confidence is on the line and the opponent’s integrity is tested. The idea of being pressed to prove something raises the stakes for the players, but also the fans that watch. A well founded rivalry towards a team can create a higher following and a much needed rise in viewership for both teams involved. Those hardcore fans and the underdog lovers both can benefit by rooting for their team even harder to “earn” their right to either defend their team or aggress the offenders.
I personally think trash-talking is hilarious. I put my confidence in my play all the time when I play games competitively and whether I win or lose, I have a better time doing so. Yes, I do feel like an absolute ass when I trash talk in just a casual match; however, I’m competitive and want to get that same fire from my opponents, so why not ignite the flame? It should be accepted and given back to me 100 percent. Make me eat my words. There is definitely a purpose to it all: To get into the minds of your opponents, exploit their sensitive nature and take advantage of their mistakes. After all, it's only talking nonsense for the heat of the match and well...it makes things more entertaining.
