Jadyn McQuillar
November 8, 2024
Trash talking is a prominent well-known thing at Carver E&S sports games which can be said in a joking banter or frustrated manner. It doesn't differ in any sport, any season the players always manage to trash talk to their opponents.
When school starts up for Carver E&S it is known that sports season is a major hype because the thrill and excitement of games get the athletes and the supporters going. Carver athletes tend to trash talk, some taunting to their opponents to intimidate them and throw them off their game. If you go to a basketball game you’d typically hear trash talk from the players saying anything as a small remark to get in their opposing teams head to make them miss a shot. The purpose of trash talking is to have a psychological advantage over the opponents. Fareed Brown, a basketball player on Carver E&S varsity team, knows from experience what to say and not say when trash talking.
“Don’t say anything personal, you could trash talk because it’s always fun behind it," Brown said.
Trash talk doesn’t limit to just basketball, even though if you've been to many sports games you normally hear trash talk at basketball games more than any other sports. In question referees, Christine McCafferty and Warren Gillis, agree that basketball is one of the main sports that trash talk.
“Probably basketball. Basketball has more trash talk. You find that in basketball because it's a lot more physical play.”
There is also trash talk in other sports. Some sports don’t compare to the trash talk in basketball but track and field has some trash talk here and there. Iswat Balogun-Salami, a track athlete at Carver E&S, has some words to attest.
“Track people trash talk a lot, especially on the bleachers, like they make sounds that get through people’s heads when they’re running" Balogun-Salami said.
Some sports don’t have as much trash as others. Like for instance, volleyball. Volleyball players don’t tend to trash talk as much as basketball and track. Savannah Yancey, a volleyball player on Carver E&S varsity team, knows the rules of volleyball trash talk.
“When the person is serving, you can't make noise, or that’s bad sportsmanship, and the ref will give the other team a point. You can cheer for your team no matter how loud, but just be mindful not to be too loud when a play is happening."
Now that you know what sports commonly partake in trash talk. The question is: are there limits to trash talk? Everyone may not know the limits of trash talk but Gillis a well experienced referee knows the do’s and don’ts of trash talking.
“You can’t say any curse words. You can’t say any racial slurs and stuff on the lines of that. Certain slang that kids use that we hear about, we stop the kids from saying that.”
There are also certain penalties when it comes to trash talking. And certain people that are excluded from trash talking.
“If it's serious enough at first, you might give somebody a warning, and if they continue you can get thrown out of the game” “If you get suspended or throw you out one of these games you are subject to being suspended for your next game.” “When coaches trash talk, not only do we give them a red card, which is a serious infraction, you hold up the red card, they have to sit down. They’re not allowed to stand and the other team gets a point and they lose the serve.”
Although trash talk is pretty common in Carver E&S sports, there can always be fun behind it. It's encoded in American sports DNA to trash talk! But certain ways going about trash talking can draw the line where there can be restrictions put in place. You can see in games when there's a heated moment trash talk is conversed but you never know the consequences that come with it.
“Trash talk is not always bad talk.”