As a basketball player for the past 32 years, I've played on many outdoor basketball courts and indoor gyms. Trash talk has always been part of the game whether friendly or intense. It's been part of the sport since the beginning of time.
See the title of this article is about trash talk and not just finding a title for clickbait which most of you writers and journalists try to do. The majority of you have never played the game or even understand what the game of basketball entails.
Go to the inner cities of major basketball courts in America, or just watch some videos of Ballislife on social media and you'll get a full understanding of trash talk, getting in people's heads and off of their game and doing what it takes to win. Some situations get hasty from time to time and fists are balled up.
When you look at the history of the game, when men trash talk, it's just part of basketball and it's the norm. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Gary Payton, Kevin Garnett, Charles Barkley and Kobe Bryant are just a few names that we all hear and have their share of trash talking stories in their heyday. But what about the women's game?
What's happened with the women's game is, they can't be mean or ultimately competitive at what they do. You think Diana Taurasi is as great as she is without their being a competitive edge to her and her trash talking?
The headlines of LSU’s first national championship on the women's basketball team is focused on the brief trash talk of Angel Reese toward Iowa guard Caitlin Clark. The LSU women's team scored the most points in a title game with 102 points, they played their hearts out and Coach Kim Mulkey pushed this team to greatness. There wasn't enough talk of that though.
It was no big deal when Caitlin Clark trash talked Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith when she said, “You're down 15, shut up.” Hailey Van Lith handled the questions about it after the game with class and kept it moving. No one said a thing about Clark all season when she did her hand gestures and trash talk. I'm all for her doing it and getting herself going because I do it myself when I'm playing.
Trash talk is something that will always be part of the game. What you journalists, writers, sports analysts, producers and directors of sports shows need to do is one thing…focus on the games and not the smaller things. Stop focusing on clickbait for news articles and views for your networks.
What Angel Reese did was very light compared to what is done on playgrounds and gyms across America. There's too much focus on things that don't matter. You have enough cameras in these arenas to capture every single movement and expression of players and coaches to be critiqued.
Trash talk is an art, whether it's a small gesture by Angel Reese or words as deadly as Larry Bird, sometimes we have to understand that basketball is an ultimately competitive game.
Caitlin Clark has done her share of Trash talking throughout the season and I'm all for it. You just have to be able to take it when you get beat by an amazing team who had a great season.
To the fans and those who have a problem with trash talk, guess what? It's not going away, it will always be part of the game. My advice, get used to it, especially with the women's game. If you can't handle it, don't watch because trash talk is about emotion, love and passion for the game.
Stop telling athletes to have class, diligence and respect when you don't play the game, you just critique it and most of you are horrible at it. Stop trying to dim the light on a game that is competitive and fiery. Athletes are the best versions of themselves when they step in between those lines. It's their escape for the time they're on that court.
To those who have something to say, stop using social media, your camera phones and outlets to make it about you. I've had my share of battles on the court, sometimes your trash talk can be used against you, it's part of the game and you live to compete another day….
