Trash talking is a well known weapon in most sports, and while it can be very useful in giving players an edge on their competition, too much of it can take away from the true spirit of the game, and make players forget the real reason they’re athletes.

An example of trash talk close to home is our very own basketball team. On Saturday, January 17th, the Sandpoint basketball girls’ and boys’ team celebrated a great victory over Moscow in Inland Empire League games. Yet while they were excited over their win, some of them seemed much more focused on making sure they trash talked Moscow in person and over social media than concentrating on their sports’ purpose.

Sophomore football and basketball player Taran McLaughlin said of trash talking, “You can get into the opponents head and it makes the game more interesting.”

Many famous athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan are as well known for their use of trash talking as they are for being good at their sport. Trash talk and mind games can mean as much as a player’s abilities in competitive environments, and there’s really no limit to what you can say about an opponent.

However, you can also lose respect from talking trash, and in some cases ruin your reputation. When Anderson Silva fought in UFC 112, his showboating was so embarrassing that UFC boss Dana White refused to put the championship belt on him after his victory, which is the tradition. Silva is a world champion and arguably one of the most talented fighters in UFC history, but because of his excessive showboating there is a stain on his reputation.

Junior soccer player Ashly Busch pointed out, “It can definitely bring a player down and it can reflect on their playing level and bring the spirit down.”

There is really only one unspoken rule of trash talking: you’ve got to have mad skills if you do it. If you’re trash talking others and bragging about your skills, you better have some serious game or you’ll be a laughingstock.