Does Bulletin Board Material In Sports Work?

I’ll never understand giving teams bulletin board material. It just doesn’t make sense to me. Talking shit is one thing, talking delusional shit is another. Case and point: “We Want Bama” signs. No, you don’t. Nobody actually wants Bama.

(Side note: The “We Want Boston” chant at Yankees stadium the other night hyped everybody up from every angle. The rivalry is blazing, folks. You don’t even have to like the Sox or the Yankees to get up for the ALDS. Its going to be electric.)

Anyway, bulletin board material is stupid. Don’t get me wrong. I love it from afar. I’m always team petty and it’s usually pretty entertaining. But if you’re the one dishing it out, it backfires 9/10. Kinda like when people publicly say something bad about Dave Portnoy. Do they really think that’s going to end well??

Cue the Kentucky/Texas A&M game this weekend.

Now, for those not paying attention to college football right now (shame on you), Kentucky is rolling. They’re #13 in the country and RB Benny Snell is a big reason for that. He’s putting up Leonard Fournette and Todd Gurley type stats (via #ESPNLies) so far this season. Those guys are pretty good.

Now cue A&M’s media day this week. DE Kingsley KeKe (is there a better time to have that last name?) said that stopping the run “shouldn’t be a problem.” Followed by WR Camron Buckley saying he “didn’t know Kentucky was a top 15 team.” Followed by RB Trayveon Williams basically saying Benny Snell talks about himself too much. I could go on and on.

And last but not least, cue up the sports cliche machine: Let your play on the field do the talking. (Please.)

Yes, A&M is really good against the run. The best in the SEC, in fact. Yes, they’re favored even though they’re not ranked and the Wildcats are. Yes, A&M hung with Clemson and didn’t embarrass themselves against Alabama. But they also looked like shit against Arkansas. This is the type of fuel that didn’t need to be added to the fire with a red hot Kentucky team coming to town. UK has been doubted all year. Benny Snell is low key rising in the Heisman conversation this year. He already has things to prove. Now he’s going to try to run for 200+ yards to silence Kyle Field.

To be fair, Jimbo Fisher said that Benny reminds him of Emmitt Smith. So it’s not ALL disrespect coming out of College Station. But there shouldn’t be any at all IMO. As entertaining as it is to the outside, it usually ends up as an old take exposed from the inside.

Just ask the Jalen Ramsey.

All-timer.

PS – Jalen Ramsey is at it again this week with Tyreek Hill. This guy is the gift that keeps on giving.

There a ton of examples of bulletin board material in the history of sports, but does it ever truly work? Should A&M be worried? Asking for a friend.