On the About Football Forum, we discourage unnecessary irritation of others because the trash talk tends to get out of control in an anonymous setting. But let’s be real… part of the fun of being a fan is being able to rub the misfortune of a rival team in the noses of its fans. And there’s a time and place for it as long as it’s all in fun.
We’ve polled members of our forum and come to the conclusion that these are the top ways fans most enjoy twisting the knife:
1. Lame Names
There are a lot of ways to irritate rival fans, and one of the best is to refer to their favorite team by some derogatory moniker which often rhymes with the official nickname or uses some play on words to paint an ugly picture of the team.2. Insulting Jokes
Make fun of anything from the players’ intelligence to the attractiveness (or lack thereof) the fans. We‘ll get you going with our own top-10 list of insulting football jokes.3. Discount the Accomplishments of Team Legends
Regardless of how great a rival team’s player was, rationalize his accomplishments in a way that takes away from his greatness. For example, “Emmitt Smith was good, but anyone could have run behind that offensive line”. “Barry Sanders wasn’t that great. His coach took him out in goal line situations.”4. Mock Players Who Have Been in Trouble
Players who have been in trouble with the law or suffered other personal problems are often a sore spot. One mention of the Whizzinator is enough to make an entire fan base cringe, as is a simple reference to Najeh Davenport taking a dump in a dormitory closet. Drug addiction, wife beating, gun toting… it’s all fair game.5. Over-Cheer for Your Team
When watching the game, whether it be at the stadium or in a bar, overreact every time your team does something good no matter how miniscule it is. Two yard run? Stand up and cheer. Make a big hit after giving up a 30-yard pass? Start barking like a dog!And if you really want to annoy them, cheer when even worse things happen. Interception? “No problem, we’ll get it right back.” And complain about every call against your team regardless of how obviously right it was.