Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Erudite Trash Talking?

If you think that last night's trash talking between the Eagles and Falcons was bad, check out this post from Dave Sez regarding the Florida State-Duke football game. Needless to say, the Florida State folks don't have much respect for Duke football, and the Duke folks don't have much respect for Florida State's academics.

Myron Rolle, are you reading this? Perhaps you might want to reconsider your oral commitment to Florida State and settle on some place more balanced -- like UVa.

At any rate, it's a funny line that a Florida State coach said that the only way Duke's supposed to score is on a test. I'm not as certain that it's that funny when players from the superior academic school taunt those at the lesser academic school by saying that the Florida State guys will be working for the Duke guys some day. After all, there's the old saying that the A students become your professors, doctors and lawyers, the B students your executives and the C students and below your multimillionaires. And, if any Duke player goes into the sports agency business and represents football players, the chances are he could be working for a Florida State player.

Then again, if players at any school can major in, say, football or get academic credit for playing their sport and take tests along the lines that Jim Harrick, Jr. gave his hoopsters in the infamous basketball course he taught when his father was head coach at Georgia, the humorous chants are fair game.

And the offended players can get back at the taunters with a good and clean hit on the humurus during the game.

That is, of course, if they know where that is.

But even if they don't, it probably doesn't even matter. Because the kids at the Florida States of the world are so busy running by the kids at the Dukes of the college football world that to pause to give a whack on the humurus (or any other blockable body part) might just be a waste of energy.

It may be that more Dookie gridders end up with more executive management positions than Seminole gridders, but the lessons they learn in humility, battling adversity and picking themselves up off the ground should remove some of the cockiness that can otherwise be found in the student section at any given home hoops game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. In other words, the losing record could make them better managers.

Then again, if I'm hiring, I might want someone who was around a winning program for a while, who knows what it takes to commit to winning, because winning can be contagious. If I take that human resources viewpoint, while I might like the fact that someone went to Duke, I'm not sure that involvement with a 6-42 program over the life of someone's grid career proves anything other than a determination not to quit and a dedication to physical fitness. I'm just not totally sure that it will translate well to leading a winning team.

But that Duke degree certainly opens up a lot of doors and starts a lot of conversations.

As will, in perhaps more specified places, a Florida State football pedigree.

So, sports fans and gridders alike, be careful what you say about your opponents, because it could only end up giving the other side more motivation to beat you.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

About ten years ago, when I was in my senior year of high school, I received the usual spate of brochures and whatnot from colleges across the country. Florida State's mailing particularly stuck out, though: it included an application form, one page (one side of one page, actually), no essay requirement, and at the top it said, in big letters, "E-Z APPLICATION."

College application forms shouldn't make prospective students laugh.

SportsProf said...

Thanks for that; that's very funny. I have a generally adage that I trot out from time to time, that if I have something to do with (and finances permitting), I'd hope that my kids go to a college where no coach makes more than the college president.

Anonymous said...

I dont think you've ever played a competitive sport in your life if you are overreacting to some Duke players saying "you will work for me some day" and posting a treatise on how that trash talk somehow reflects on them and their school.

Honestly, much worse things are said on the field, and if all someone says in response to "you don't even count as an opponent" is "you will work for me someday" that might be the cleanest response Ive ever heard in my life.

Then again, if you just hate Duke, the post makes perfect sense and is fine. But otherwise, you have just made a mountain off perhaps the cleanest on-field trash talking I have ever seen in my life.

SportsProf said...

In response to your hyperbole that I was overreacting, I could say that you don't have a sense of humor, as I thought I was poking fun at the entire situation. If anyone's overreacting, it's you. I'd hardly call what I wrote "making a mountain" on the topic. If you want to read my "mountains", read my posts on steroids in baseball or on the John Chaney fiasco at the end of last year's college hoops season.

Anonymous said...

Your post didn't have a single joke in it to indicate you were writing in a jovial style. Without getting into boring writing critique, I guess this is just another instance of loss of tone due to the internet.

Regardless, this has to be the most G-rated trash talking I have ever heard of on a football field.

SportsProf said...

I suppose you didn't find anything humorous in the use of the word humurus.

Anonymous said...

Hey Prof, I just noticed this link to my article. Technorati dropped the ball on letting me know!

Anyway, I thought your article was good and humorous, although in a dry manner that some may not get in print.

Frankly, I doubt any Duke players told FSU players that they'll work for them someday. I'm guessing that came from one of the dozens of fans at the game instead.