An Appreciation of Smack Talk
Sept 8, 2012; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs fans celebrate during the game the Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the Auburn Tigers 28-10. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden?USA TODAY Sports
So long as there has been competition between two human beings, smack talk has been a part of what has fueled the competitive fires that burn within us. As a general rule, I don’t do a ton of smack talk. I have three reasons for this. 1) It often boils down to two people who just want to get the last word. 2) Many people just resort to name calling. 3) It’s often not very good.
It’s that last reason that gets me the most. Smack talk can be really fun and interesting if it is good. When people just start resorting to name calling or using vulgar language, it gets really boring. What makes it good is when people can point to facts to back up their smack. Just throwing out random general statements doesn’t typically mean a whole lot, and if there is nothing to base those random statements on, then you look like you are just full of hot air.
One thing to remember when people start trying to smack talk is they are going to figure out any way they can to get the facts in their favor. People can spin just about any topic they want to show that their side of the argument is the better one. Look no further than the constant debate between Mississippi State and Ole Miss fans about who has the better quarterback, Dak or Bo.
With that in mind, you might want to observe or participate in some great Smack Talk. There are message boards that allow this to a certain extent. I don’t recommend going to a message board for smack talk though. If you want to go to a message board and discuss things with other Bulldog fans, then a message board can be a lot of fun. For smack talk, message boards are often the worst offenders of the three things I think that ruins good smack talk. I’m not sure what is out there for Facebook except for one Hail State vs. Hotty Toddy group. It’s entertaining, but not of the highest quality. You can find a few hidden gems every now and then. If you want to find the best smack talk, I think you have to go to Twitter. With that in mind, here are a few people to follow to get your smack talk fill.
And in the Bulldogs’ corner…
@NotJoeLeeDunn This is the quintessential smack talker of Twitter. He never backs down from a fight, and almost always backs up his claims with something. He isn’t just throwing stuff out there to see what sticks. He is often engaged by Rebel fans, and he never backs down. He is a lot of fun to watch on Twitter.
@Coach_Sherrill No, not the real Coach Sherrill (though he wasn’t too bad at it himself), the fake one on Twitter. He always has something fun to say.
@GhostofFiggins Here is a Twitter account that doesn’t have a ton of followers, but you can definitely appreciate what he does. He likes to go over the top sometimes, but when he does so, it adds a nice comedic value to his tweets.
@DawgSmack Dawg Smack wrote a few articles for us back around the Egg Bowl, but he has been laying the smack down on Twitter for years.
@WhereIsColReb He has been blocked by numerous Ole Miss fans. Fun to watch him engage the other side of the state.
@CopiahDawg This isn’t a traditional smack talk guy, but if you ever want any good memes about the Egg Bowl Rivalry, CopiahDawg is the guy to see.
@sbcmortgageman The mortgage guy who is willing to engage in some verbal fisticuffs.
And in the Rebels’ corner…
@EMsStTE If you don’t like trolls, then I would avoid this one. The entire account is made with the sole purpose of making fun of Mississippi State fans. Think of a stereotype of Mississippi State and our fans, and he is going to drive it into the ground.
@nafoom The official twitter account of the most popular board for Ole Miss.
@aceyrob The Ole Miss counter part to our very own Jake Wimberly on Make it Rain Sports. He will always have something for you.
@FauxHughFreeze Faux Freeze will talk smack with you, but the one thing I like about him is he actually does want to have an intelligent conversation for those willing to give it a whirl. If not, the smack will flow.
@RedCupRebellion The official twitter account for Ole Miss coverage on SB Nation. Never short on words are the guys at Red Cup.
Those are the good ones. If you are looking for a challenge, engage in some conversations with those folks. Now, if you just like to see some people get riled up, then there are some options as well. One of the things that people who like to talk smack is just to get under the skin of certain folks. The following accounts aren’t ones that I follow, but they seem to show up on my time line quite a bit because they are pretty easily provoked by a lot of the State smack talkers I mentioned above. Having said that, I’m sure I’m about to gain a few followers and headaches as a result of this. Tis the life of a blogger.
Remember what I said at the beginning of this post about why I don’t partake in a ton of smack talk? These folks from Ole Miss are often guilty of all of the above. Have fun if you choose to engage them.
While it can be fun to get into some verbal back and forth with opposing fans, remember to not get carried away. People get fired for saying stuff on Twitter. Trash talking someone isn’t worth getting carried away and saying something you’ll end up regretting. Don’t learn the hard way.