Steven Kwan Wants More Trash Talk In Baseball
Rob Manfred might want to listen to what Steven Kwan has to say. Baseball will continue to decline until players stop getting offended every time someone pimps a home run. The Guardians outfielder wants more trash talk in baseball. A sport where you’re not allowed to celebrate maybe isn’t the right mantra for trying to grow the sport and Kwan had plenty of things to say.
VIA Foul Territory TV:
“I think a lot of the time it’s this way (in baseball) because that’s what we were taught growing up. It’s like baseball is the gentleman’s game; you don’t do that but then you dig into it,” Kwan said on the show. “It’s like, why don’t we do it? There’s no good reason for that.”
“I think you see the NFL and NBA, there’s trash talk,” Kwan said. “(Chicago Bulls guard) Pat Beverley, love him or hate him, people are talking about him and we’ll watch those games because of that. NFL, the corners are talking smack to wide receivers like that’s fun to watch.”
“It gets both sides going. And then the emotions are big when one side succeeds and one doesn’t,” Kwan said. “And I mean, I think that’s just good for the sport in general. And there’s no ill feelings.
“I don’t think at the end of all of it — it’s part of the game if you get the person’s head. That’s just another aspect of gamesmanship that I think players have to get over so yeah, I agree. I think that the trash talking is good. I think it’s fun to the game and yeah, I think there should be more.”
He’s right, by the way, and I hope baseball is paying attention to these words. Can you even think of the greatest trash talkers in MLB history? There isn’t a single name that comes to mind and that should be viewed as a problem. Trash talk helps market the sport. This isn’t hard baseball. Do better.
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