Trash or Class?

[zDom]

In another thread, this comment was made:

Trash talking sells tickets.

That IS the justification, isn't it? Doesn't make it right or good for society, though, IMO. What do you all think?

I guess I long for the day when sportsmanship and character were valued in sports.

 

[Andrew Green]

No, not good, but it does sell. And not just in sports.

Politics is far more trash talking then even pro-wrestling, at least around election time.

The news is always full of negatives, sensationalized if possible.

Action hero's are now pretty, well, bad. 24 comes to mind, The shield as well.

There is even that terror alert thing coming out of the White House, the one that never drops to the low levels cause that wouldn't be good business. Yet we still got a higher chance of being struck by lightning then killed in a terrorist attack (in North America, not in Iraq)

And let's not forget the tradtional styles, there is a lot of trash talking there. MMA fighters often get along fine after the fight and sometimes even admit to just putting on a show. But the archives on every martial arts site shows tons of infighting in just about every style. Who's the rightful inheritor and such nonsense.

In MMA it's not that bad, fighters are generally respectful towards each other after the fight, there are exceptions of course, but most of the time. But, they know what puts food on there table, and part of that is getting people to want to see there fights, and that means creating drama around it.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

It unfortunately is all about the Drama now a day's!

 

[Flying Crane]

What is your view on "trash talking" and professional sports?
There’s no harm in trash talking.
Trash talking is a necessary evil to “sell” sports.
Pro athletes should be role models. Trash talk is bad for sports, bad for society



Hmmm... I'm having a hard time voting.

I think the first choice exhibits what is probably a prevalent attitude among the masses, but I personally disagree with it. I think it illustrates stupidity, arrogance, and ignorance, and I would hate to think that our nation as a whole is willing to embrace that from anybody.

The second is probably true, but I think it is a commentary on the devolution or our society. We see other examples in much of daytime TV, Ricki Lake and whatnot where people air their dirty laundry on TV for the world to see. It's embarrassingly stupid and stupidly embarrassing.

For the third choice, I don't know if I agree that pro athletes need to be role models. They are human too and are prone to having their own good and bad points, including vices. But I do agree that the trash talking is juvenile and casts the talkers in a very poor light.

Personally, I think the trash talking is sort of a symptom of some deep cultural malaise or societal rot that is lying under the surface and just might come out someday in some truly horrific form, the likes of which we haven't seen yet. Many nations have collapsed in the past, and much of the cause lies with societal and political corruption that eroded the foundations of the nation. When the average individual honestly feels he has no moral obligation, or other connection to his fellow people, and the pursuit of small pieces of green paper becomes all consuming, we can rest assured that the rot and corruption run deep.

Maybe trash talking in sports is just a surface symptom of the the greater corruption going on underneath...

 

[Andrew Green]

Maybe trash talking in sports is just a surface symptom of the the greater corruption going on underneath...

Indeed it is.

And when Jerry Springer starts commentating on sporting events, we are toast as a society

Pro-wrestling learnt long ago that there are two types of popular fighters. Guys that everyone wants to see get beat up, and the guys they want to see beat them up. Now this weekend we got a main event that shows that quite nicely, just about everyone wants to see Randy beat up Tim.

 

[CoryKS]

People used to buy tickets to watch the geek bite the head off a chicken at the circus too. Probably still would, if it were legal. Athletes who trash-talk are sideshow freaks, IMO. While it may be entertaining to watch them run their sucks, it's more impressive to watch them do their job professionally. Why? Because it takes discipline, and is therefore more challenging. Behaving like a child is a lot easier than behaving like an adult.

 

[jdinca]

I think trash talking has become a big part of our societies interaction and not for the better. I don't mind it when people are goofing around with each other. The firehouse is case in point. It starts early in the day and goes late but it's never serious and therein lays the difference. Too many people use it to voice disagreement, clouding the very issue being discussed.

 

[Touch Of Death]

What is a game of Ping Pong without trash talking your opponent? It just wouldn't be the same.
Sean

 

[Blindside]

Right, tell me y'all don't like listening to Muhammad Ali's interviews? The only reason professional sports people get paid is because we'll pay to watch them. Its entertainment people, and its even more entertaining to watch a "mouth" get shut down.

 

[Andrew Green]

Right, tell me y'all don't like listening to Muhammad Ali's interviews? The only reason professional sports people get paid is because we'll pay to watch them. Its entertainment people, and its even more entertaining to watch a "mouth" get shut down.

Exactly, it's entertainment. Entertainment doesn't need to be healthy, it needs to be entertaining. As long as everyone can seperate the two, no problems

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Aren't we getting a little too much like the Ancient Romans? Before long unarmed contests werent enough, then came the weighted, spiked gloves, and then that was too tame and it had to be gladiators, then that was too tame and it had to be thousands of gladiators, slaves and wild beasts in the arena for days until no one was left.....all to prevent people from....gods forbid.....being BORED! :O:O

All of these "Reality Shows" and drama queen programs with all the gruesome and violent results should just be renamed "Idiots Trying To Kill Themselves."

I mean come on, can you really imagine yourself writing that letter to your station?

"Dear station...I'm BORED. "Idiots Trying To Kill Themselves IV" Just didn't hack it. That lawn mover vasectomy clip was *SOOO* 5 years ago. Please make crap that will shock and horrify me, or I will no longer support your station

Joe Muffinhead

Grab Butt, Idaho

 

[Blindside]

Aren't we getting a little too much like the Ancient Romans? Before long unarmed contests werent enough, then came the weighted, spiked gloves, and then that was too tame and it had to be gladiators, then that was too tame and it had to be thousands of gladiators, slaves and wild beasts in the arena for days until no one was left.....all to prevent people from....gods forbid.....being BORED! :O:O

You are linking trash talking with the downfall of Rome??? Bit of a stretch dontcha think? Besides this is only one example of trash-talking, people do it in every sport just to get in the other guys head, and it often doesn't make the news because no one is mike. You think linemen don't talk to each other right before the snap?

Lamont

 

[Andy Moynihan]

You are linking trash talking with the downfall of Rome??? Bit of a stretch dontcha think? Besides this is only one example of trash-talking, people do it in every sport just to get in the other guys head, and it often doesn't make the news because no one is mike. You think linemen don't talk to each other right before the snap?

Lamont

All true, but it's never been as publicized or encouraged publically by society as it is now and it is THIS aspect of the situation that is the direct modern parallel, not the behavior itself.

 

[Kacey]

I see no purpose in trash-talking. Nonetheless, I did not vote, because I also do not think that professional athletes should be mandated to be role models; they are paid to play professional sports, and that's it. Now, some of them are great role models, and some of them suck as role models, and many are somewhere in the middle, doing the job they are paid to do and not much else. Personally, I am much more concerned about the many politicians who are horrible role models than I am about the professional athletes - as the politicians should be representing the people - that is their job - and too many use their position as a way to avoid the laws they were sworn to uphold.

 

[Sukerkin]

It is a truism (or middle-aged-grumpy-ism) that Western society is going to Hell in a handcart and the behaviour mentioned in this thread is one of the precursive indicators of the disease that is eating away at the foundations of the civilisation.

In and of itself, I agree with what Kacey and Andy said above. The 'sports idol'/gladiators charade is a pale reflection of the corrupt politicos and their resultant policies that are shaping how things work. That's where the real damage is being done.

 

[grydth]

Why should we be amazed by trash talk in 'entertainment' when the entire production is trash?

In an actual fighting situation I could see a use for it... when an individual becomes enraged their mind often switches off, which can be an advantage. two different sifu have taught strikes designed to inflame - the second strike coming after is the one that drops them..... but it is a double edged sword, in my opinion. You could take somebody who you could have talked out of fighting and instead arouse them to a mindless fury in which they won't even remember killing you.