The dangers of trash talk

Here are two examples of why you shouldn’t trash talk:

  • This past fall, my son’s team played a team from a neighboring league. One of the opposing team’s players said my son’s team was “fat and slow.” When that boy came up to pitch, he walked in five runs.
  • This week, a boy told a friend that my son “sucks at baseball” because he was drafted a division higher than my son. Later that day, the boy’s team lost by ten runs.

Trash talk always backfires because you can’t prove your own worth by putting down someone else. If you have confidence in your abilities, you don’t need to brag about them. You let your performance do the talking. It’s usually the players with the least confidence who try to use their mouths to make up for the shortcomings in their skills. And their lack of ability causes trash talkers to eat the foul-tasting words they spew.

True champions are gracious in victory and dignified in defeat. They value their opponents because they enjoy the challenge they offer. Off the field, they can be friends – even when they compete fiercely on the field. True champions also know that their opponents today could be their teammates tomorrow. By treating others with respect and showing superior sportsmanship, champions can always stand tall regardless of whether they win or lose.

So don’t think you can build up your team by belittling your opponent or boost your accomplishments by tearing down another’s. Besides, as those examples showed, the laws of karma are strictly enforced. Your pride shall go before your fall.

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