Trash Talking

Anthony Forman

Advanced Mass Communication

Blog Post #1

3/7/16

            In sports, teams and individuals are always looking every inch of advantage that they can get to make sure things go their way. Today in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), you see iconic figures like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey continuously trashing talking in order to gain in advantage over their opponents. Not only does this get in the heads of the opponents, but it also generates a lot revenue for both the UFC and the fighters themselves. Along with making money, it allows the sport to expand in attention and popularity with these public figures constantly being talked about on all different media levels. I have been on a single social media page in the last two years without hearing or seeing about something about figures like McGregor, Rousey, or boxing champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather talking trashing/smack. Whether it’s them trying to gain a mental advantage, being over confident, or just straight up talking shit, it’s all entertaining and puts fans in the stands; with a huge help from media.

            Trash talking is defined as, “the North American term for verbal barbs directed at opponents during a sporting event in order to gain a competitive edge” (Dixon). I think this a fairly strong definition. The only thing I might add is that sometimes it’s not to gain a competitive edge, but simply arrogance or lack of respect for an opponent. Whatever the definition may be, we cannot deny as an audience, that this shit is entertaining. Trash talking is existent in every sport there is, and it always will be. Sports are meant to be competitive, and although you should never underestimate an opponent, it doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to talk a little smack to get in their heads. McGregor and Rousey are two of the most famous fighters ever in the UFC. In addition to having exceptional skills in Mixed Martial Arts and Jiu Jitsu, they also have voices. Neither of these two have ever been afraid to speak their minds publically and tell it like it is, usually involving smack talk directly at their opponent or any future opponent. Some believe McGregor is cocky, arrogant, asshole; he explains it as believing in his skills. We have heard Conor say things like, "A gust of wind hits him, and he does the chicken dance. Against me, I'm going to crack him with a jab and he's going to wobble and I'm going to put him away. It's going to be a first-round KO, mark my words.", and "I don't just knock them out, I pick the round.". If I was his opponent and heard him say that I would be pretty pissed, but he’s know as “The Notorious” for a reason. An article I read said, “He's 17-2 in his fighting career, but it's not just what he does inside the octagon that drives his notoriety. He's also a world-class sh*t-talker.” (Brown). Clearly he’s doing something besides being a good fighter. There is a lot of question about how effective his talking is before he gets into the octagon with fighters, some might even say it’s the key to his success.

            In the last two years, the UFC has broken its revenue twice in a row. The organization is growing, and rapidly so. But why is this? Are the fights just getting that much better, or are there other factors? I’m willing to bet it’s because of two people, McGregor and Rousey. An article I read stated, “The leading revenue source Fertitta mentioned centered around Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor, MMA’s crossover stars of 2015” (Connolly). Obviously there is no denying that these are two great athletes in the sport, but what makes them different from previous stars of the UFC. They have the voice!!! Every time they prepare for a fight and do their press conferences, they spark attention because of the things they say. The shit they say is appealing and makes you want more of it. People want to see these fighters talk all this trash, and then see if they can enter the octagon and back it all up. McGregor has now broken the record twice on fighter payouts and in Pay-Per-Views combined with being the only fighter to make 6 figures. Along with being an incredible fighter, he is the best trash talker and the most entertaining to listen to. If you ask me, that is where the money is coming from, and I think others would agree.

            Mass Media is almost entirely responsible for all of this. Every time I’m on Facebook I see a video of McGregor talking some shit about other fighters. Every time I go on ESPN, I see the UFC being mentioned with Conor’s name right beside it. Every time I go on Instagram, I’m bombarded with videos of McGregor in a press conference or at the Weigh-Ins belittling his opponent and making a mockery of him. If it wasn’t for all of the different medias we have, people wouldn’t consistently see this stuff. We have YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, all of which we can see this videos and quotes that are so appealing to us an audience. This amusing trash talking has been spread out through all different platforms and has helped the UFC, and fighters continue to shatter personal records in earnings and in views.

            Our society is always looking for more to find and be attracted too. With all the different platforms of medias we have, we are exposed to so much more. With looking at the example of trashing talking in the UFC, we can clearly see that we find what we are looking for, and we want more!!!! Media allows us to fill the void we feel is empty within us.

           

Works Cited

Brown, Cy. "Conor McGregor Can Talk Trash with the Best." SportsonEarth.com. N.p., 11 July 2015. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

Connolly, Matt. "UFC In 2015 By The Numbers." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 30 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

Dixon, Nicholas. "Trash Talking, Respect for Opponents and Good Competition." Taylor & Francis. N.p., 10 July 2007. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.