I’m probably going to regret this tweet, but here’s a call for us all in the VB community to be less destructive on social media and message boards. It’s heartbreaking to hear from parents who are near tears when reading so many hurtful things about their kids. I’m hopeful.
Why is Caitlin Clark’s trash talking different than Angel Reese? It’s really not this difficult.
Clark’s was usually in the heat of competition and part of the natural flow of the game. They were subtle, if you blinked you missed it. Reese was end of game, game well in hand by double digits and followed Clark around the court for 20-30 seconds. It was way over the top - it was way too much of a “me” moment and trying way too hard and not in the natural flow of competing.
This is no different from MLB. A glance at a player you strikeout. A brief sword gesture walking off the field. A bat flip while jogging to 1B. It gets different when you’re up 8 runs in the 9th, strike a guy out and follow him back to his dugout to sword him. Or a monster bat flip and a pose at home plate up 6 runs in the 9th.
Reggie Miller’s choke signal to the Knicks was cold/awesome in the heat of the moment. Joe Burrow put a ring on it was walking back to his sideline.
There is a style to talking ish. And Angel Reese was a cheese ball and blew it. Drop a 3 ball on Clark to get the go ahead basket and drop it back on her. Swat her shot into the 3rd row and wag your finger. Don’t follow her around the court for 20 seconds.
Last spring I had a player walk away from volleyball because she burnt out and wasn’t happy anymore. I saw that student yesterday; she gave me a big hug, we chatted, she’s crushing life and excited to graduate. Sometimes it’s bigger than sports. #MentalHealthMatters
As a coach, your words can have a lasting impact on your players. Not everything you say will be helpful in the present moment, but in the future, your players may remember what you taught them and apply it to their lives.
In the past 12 months you’ve had about 3,300 tweets, @justwsports. Only one has been on college volleyball. In this country, the girls/women are leading the way in this sport, not the men. Since you are Just Women’s Sports please cover volleyball!
Hey @espnW, in the past year you’ve had 2,900 tweets. Only 17 have been about volleyball (14 of those over the course of 4 days). Don’t forget about the sport that more high school girls play than any other.
Welp he decided that Fathers Day would be a good time to show up. I couldn’t agree more. Me and Nicole are over the moon in love with this little guy. Mama and baby are healthy and we’re back home now with family. Life is good. Everyone welcome Tex Lawrence Combs to the world!
An 11-year-old who survived the school shooting in Texas went into survival mode and put someone's blood on herself to pretend she was dead. The classmate next to her died and then saved her life. This is the kind of trauma you hear from an active war zone, not a 4th grade class.
Very excited to share two things with y’all - 1) the full track list for my new album Growin’ Up, and 2) that “The Kind of Love We Make” will release one month from today on June 17!