When Trash-Talking Backfires

As I’m sure you all know the Seahawks played the Bears last night in what was anticipated to be one of the biggest games of the early season. Considered the best team of the NFC I was happy to be talking some trash on behalf of my Seahawks. It was especially sweet because my good friend is a huge Bears fan (his brother-in-law is John Tate who plays left tackle for them) and we had been planning on watching it together. In addition, the only guy in my office that follows football is a Bears fan so I had this other outlet to express how much better of a person I was because I liked the Seahawks and he had to suffer being a lowly Bears fan. I kinda felt sorry for them that my Hawks were going to do such a number on their beloved team.

When the game began the trash-talking elevated. Every play me or C would say something to disparage the other, regardless of what was actually going on on the field. It quickly became the case, however, that my words were no longer directed at my friend or the Bears, but rather my own Seahawks. This included phrases such as, “Hasselback, what the hell are you doing throwing it there?” and “Running it on third-and-long? STUPID!!” and “TACKLE HIM!!!”

Final score: Seahawks 6, Bears 37

The worst thing that can happen when you’ve done a lot of trash-talking is when the other person offers sincere sympathy as you leave rather than laughing you out of his house. The guy at work didn’t even want to talk to me about it because he felt so bad. How embarrassing.

I told C that it was still much easier to watch this game where the opponent soundly beats you than a game where the refs give the game to our opponent.

NOTE: Speaking of the Super Bowl, I read a theory that suggests the curse is still in effect (the curse is that the loser of the last six or so Super Bowls have gone on to have losing seasons). It’s in effect because the curse doesn’t discriminate bad calls by the refs, therefore knows the Seahawks are the true winners of the Super Bowl, meaning that’s why the Steelers are so bad this year (they’re under the curse) and the Seahawks will continue to be good. I ran this by an expert and he said it sounded about right so I figure it MUST be true!