On Trash Talk

Written by Worm on September 28, 2006

If there's one common denominator that this web site is built on, it's fantasy sports. Okay, well, that's obvious. But, beyond that, I'd say the glue that holds this group of roto experts together is trash talk. Well, that and making fun of Xach. And his mom. And Ricky's mom. And Father Time's mom, who was Eve, actually, of Adam and Eve fame. Even though she's been dead for thousands of years, she's still fair game.

Okay, tangent aside, trash talk, aka smack talk, aka shit talk, is a big part of our culture here, and a big part of roto culture in general. You even see it featured on ads on ESPN nowadays. But what's it all about?

Well, in the beginning, God created the universe. I guess he was bored. First he made light, and then the solar system, and then he made horses and shit. Stop me if you've heard this one before...

Sorry, I meant to ask, "What is trash talk all about?" I suppose we could all blame it on a machismo culture, where bragging and putdowns enhance our perceived social status, and this in turn generates further competition and incentives towards trash talk, in an escalating cycle. I'm sure there's some truth to this, but I'd like to suggest a simpler, if slightly less obvious reason.

Think of it this way: if there wasn't trash talk in fantasy sports, what else would we talk about? I have learned the hard way about the downside of talking about the nuts and bolts of the fantasy game with league-mates. It always seems to come back to bite you. An earnest discussion about player values and potentials before a draft will usually mean the guys you express interest in will go higher than they would otherwise.

This may seem obvious to many, that you don't discuss the details of your strategy with the competition. But still, for those of us for whom fantasy sports are a social medium as well as a competetive venue, this leaves the conundrum: what does one talk about?

Sure, sports talk will happen, no matter what. But with earnest and detail-oriented sports talk effectively off bounds, the discussion is likely to turn to a less serious, more mocking and jabbing subject matter. I observe this frequently now, when talking sports with other Rotogods. The desire to talk sports becomes superceded by the need to not give yourself away. And trash talk is only one or two steps down that road.

I was drawn to roto sports by the lure of numbers. I had long played around with baseball statistics, purely for my own amusement, before I stumbled on fantasy baseball and a more direct application for my statistical explorations. Moreover, by playing the game, my insight into the meaning and implications of the stats has continued to grow. I could, and frequently do, talk at great length about the various bases for understanding a ballplayer's fundamental worth, and likelihood to succeed. But as long as I'm in the company of Rotogods (or other league-mates) mum's the word.

And speaking of mum, I've got a date to keep with Xach's momma. Until next time, keep an eye out for my insight on the MLB Updates threads. I know for a fact that none of these dudes read the stuff out there, so my knowledge should be safe. Keep playing, and keep winning.

-- Written by Worm on September 28, 2006