Great Moments in Pro Sports Teams Trolling Opponents
With so much seriousness around professional sports, sometimes it’s nice just to have a little fun. “Trolling” is when a pro sports team takes some good natured shots at another team in its respective league, and some teams are pretty darn good at it. Whether it’s hitting them with a sick burn on Twitter or bringing the trolling front and center onto the playing field, here are some of the best trolling moments in recent pro sports history.
Rams Poke Redskins Following RG3 Trade
In 2013, the St. Louis Rams owned the second pick in the NFL Draft. With a yet-to-be injured Sam Bradford still a part of the team’s long-term plans, the Rams had an opportunity to shop that pick. The top two quarterbacks in the draft were widely thought to be franchise-changing players. The Washington Redskins were going hard after Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, and since the Indianapolis Colts were all but assured to take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the number 1 pick, RG3 looked to be available. The Redskins gave the Rams three first-round picks and a second-round pick for the right to that number 2 pick, and they selected Griffin. The following year, in a game against the Redskins, the Rams and head coach Jeff Fisher decided to trot out the six players they acquired with the picks they received from the Redskins as captains for the coin toss—as if to say “look at all you gave us.” With RG3 no longer even the starting QB in Washington, this was expert trolling by Fisher.
New England Patriots Tweek Jets with “Butt Fumble” Tweet
The @Patriots won’t let the @nyjets forget the Buttfumble pic.twitter.com/NqN8tIldaT — SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 22, 2015
It’s since been deleted, but for a few minutes before the New England Patriots’ matchup with the New York Jets this past weekend, the Pats’ social media guys posted the best “Throwback Thursday” image in the history of football.
The Patriots tweeted a picture of the Jets’ now-infamous “butt fumble,” a 2012 play in which Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez ran into the hind parts of his center and fumbled the ball. That game just so happened to be against the Patriots, and it contributed mightily to Sanchez’s fall from grace. Accompanied by the words “this seems relevant,” the tweet didn’t last long before it was expunged. But that doesn’t make it any less glorious.
Arizona Cardinals Destroy the Cleveland on Twitter
.@Browns Wow. Ok. And since then? Postseason Games: #AZCardinals 7 #Browns 0 pic.twitter.com/YbMoQ70JmM
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) July 23, 2015
When you’re the Cleveland Browns, you should probably be cautious when taking pot shots at another NFL franchise.
Back in July, the Arizona Cardinals Twitter account responded to a Browns tweet showcasing their stadium, saying they were excited to play in Cleveland for the first time since 2003. For some reason, the Browns tweeted back the box score from that game, a 44-6 win for the Browns. The Cardinals shut things down from there.
Fire Alarm Disrupts Panthers on Night Before Seahawks Game
Who pulled the fire alarm… pic.twitter.com/n7Wmv5oShD
— Graham Gano (@GrahamGano) October 18, 2015
The Carolina Panthers were 4-0 and preparing to take on their strongest opponent yet, the Seattle Seahawks. As they settled in to their downtown hotel in Seattle on Saturday night, cuddling up with good books or watching Netflix, they could not have suspected the terrors that awaited them in the wee hours of the morning.
Around 5:40 a.m. Sunday morning, someone pulled the fire alarm at their hotel, and the Panthers players were forced to evacuate and wait outside until it was deemed safe to go back in. Even fishier? The alarm was pulled only on the 16th floor, where the Panthers were staying. No one was caught, but we have a feeling we know who did it (thinking of you, Marshawn Lynch).
Rex Ryan Signs Former New York Jets Player Who Punched Geno Smith
In one of the wildest story lines preceding the 2015 NFL season, New York Jets starting quarterback Geno Smith was cold-cocked in the locker room by IK Enemkpali, a linebacker the size of a Ford truck. The punch broke Smith’s his jaw, and as you might expect, Enemkpali was released for his transgressions.
A few days later, Rex Ryan, former Jets head coach and current coach of their division rival Buffalo Bills, signed Enemkpali to the Bills’ practice squad. He was added to the active roster Oct. 13 after serving a four-game suspension for the punch.
The Jets and Bills face off on Nov. 12. That game should be a doozy.
Minnesota Timberwolves Have Fun With Kevin Love’s “Return”
[youtube video=”8_XhQPasGqk” /]After seven years as the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Love was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of the 2014-2015 NBA season, ending the relationship between All-Star player and the franchise that drafted him.
The parting was amicable, and when it came time for the Cavs to play the Wolves in Minnesota, everyone figured the Wolves would queue up a nice video tribute to the guy many considered the second-most popular player in franchise history, after Kevin Garnett.
Instead, the Wolves decided to have a little fun at Love’s expense, releasing a video teasing “The Return of . . . ” Mike Miller. That’s right. Miller played exactly one season for the Timberwolves, which makes this video infinitely more hilarious. Bravo, Minnesota. Bravo.
Atlanta Hawks Mock Cavs’ NBA Draft Lottery Luck
We just bought a lotto ticket…wish us luck. pic.twitter.com/2uiCXnGlkH
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) May 21, 2014
Call it luck, call it bribery, call it whatever you want, but the Cleveland Cavaliers’ run of getting three No. 1 picks in the NBA Draft Lottery in the past four years is unprecedented. When the Cavs won the 2014 Lottery, its second in a row, the Atlanta Hawks came through with a brilliant tweet depicting the purchasing of a lottery ticket with Cavaliers logos on it.
That right there is just some good-natured trolling.
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Great Moments in Pro Sports Teams Trolling Opponents
With so much seriousness around professional sports, sometimes it’s nice just to have a little fun. “Trolling” is when a pro sports team takes some good natured shots at another team in its respective league, and some teams are pretty darn good at it. Whether it’s hitting them with a sick burn on Twitter or bringing the trolling front and center onto the playing field, here are some of the best trolling moments in recent pro sports history.
Rams Poke Redskins Following RG3 Trade
In 2013, the St. Louis Rams owned the second pick in the NFL Draft. With a yet-to-be injured Sam Bradford still a part of the team’s long-term plans, the Rams had an opportunity to shop that pick. The top two quarterbacks in the draft were widely thought to be franchise-changing players. The Washington Redskins were going hard after Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, and since the Indianapolis Colts were all but assured to take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the number 1 pick, RG3 looked to be available. The Redskins gave the Rams three first-round picks and a second-round pick for the right to that number 2 pick, and they selected Griffin. The following year, in a game against the Redskins, the Rams and head coach Jeff Fisher decided to trot out the six players they acquired with the picks they received from the Redskins as captains for the coin toss—as if to say “look at all you gave us.” With RG3 no longer even the starting QB in Washington, this was expert trolling by Fisher.
New England Patriots Tweek Jets with “Butt Fumble” Tweet
The @Patriots won’t let the @nyjets forget the Buttfumble pic.twitter.com/NqN8tIldaT — SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 22, 2015
It’s since been deleted, but for a few minutes before the New England Patriots’ matchup with the New York Jets this past weekend, the Pats’ social media guys posted the best “Throwback Thursday” image in the history of football.
The Patriots tweeted a picture of the Jets’ now-infamous “butt fumble,” a 2012 play in which Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez ran into the hind parts of his center and fumbled the ball. That game just so happened to be against the Patriots, and it contributed mightily to Sanchez’s fall from grace. Accompanied by the words “this seems relevant,” the tweet didn’t last long before it was expunged. But that doesn’t make it any less glorious.
Arizona Cardinals Destroy the Cleveland on Twitter
.@Browns Wow. Ok. And since then? Postseason Games: #AZCardinals 7 #Browns 0 pic.twitter.com/YbMoQ70JmM
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) July 23, 2015
When you’re the Cleveland Browns, you should probably be cautious when taking pot shots at another NFL franchise.
Back in July, the Arizona Cardinals Twitter account responded to a Browns tweet showcasing their stadium, saying they were excited to play in Cleveland for the first time since 2003. For some reason, the Browns tweeted back the box score from that game, a 44-6 win for the Browns. The Cardinals shut things down from there.
Fire Alarm Disrupts Panthers on Night Before Seahawks Game
Who pulled the fire alarm… pic.twitter.com/n7Wmv5oShD
— Graham Gano (@GrahamGano) October 18, 2015
The Carolina Panthers were 4-0 and preparing to take on their strongest opponent yet, the Seattle Seahawks. As they settled in to their downtown hotel in Seattle on Saturday night, cuddling up with good books or watching Netflix, they could not have suspected the terrors that awaited them in the wee hours of the morning.
Around 5:40 a.m. Sunday morning, someone pulled the fire alarm at their hotel, and the Panthers players were forced to evacuate and wait outside until it was deemed safe to go back in. Even fishier? The alarm was pulled only on the 16th floor, where the Panthers were staying. No one was caught, but we have a feeling we know who did it (thinking of you, Marshawn Lynch).
Rex Ryan Signs Former New York Jets Player Who Punched Geno Smith
In one of the wildest story lines preceding the 2015 NFL season, New York Jets starting quarterback Geno Smith was cold-cocked in the locker room by IK Enemkpali, a linebacker the size of a Ford truck. The punch broke Smith’s his jaw, and as you might expect, Enemkpali was released for his transgressions.
A few days later, Rex Ryan, former Jets head coach and current coach of their division rival Buffalo Bills, signed Enemkpali to the Bills’ practice squad. He was added to the active roster Oct. 13 after serving a four-game suspension for the punch.
The Jets and Bills face off on Nov. 12. That game should be a doozy.
Minnesota Timberwolves Have Fun With Kevin Love’s “Return”
[youtube video=”8_XhQPasGqk” /]After seven years as the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Love was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of the 2014-2015 NBA season, ending the relationship between All-Star player and the franchise that drafted him.
The parting was amicable, and when it came time for the Cavs to play the Wolves in Minnesota, everyone figured the Wolves would queue up a nice video tribute to the guy many considered the second-most popular player in franchise history, after Kevin Garnett.
Instead, the Wolves decided to have a little fun at Love’s expense, releasing a video teasing “The Return of . . . ” Mike Miller. That’s right. Miller played exactly one season for the Timberwolves, which makes this video infinitely more hilarious. Bravo, Minnesota. Bravo.
Atlanta Hawks Mock Cavs’ NBA Draft Lottery Luck
We just bought a lotto ticket…wish us luck. pic.twitter.com/2uiCXnGlkH
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) May 21, 2014
Call it luck, call it bribery, call it whatever you want, but the Cleveland Cavaliers’ run of getting three No. 1 picks in the NBA Draft Lottery in the past four years is unprecedented. When the Cavs won the 2014 Lottery, its second in a row, the Atlanta Hawks came through with a brilliant tweet depicting the purchasing of a lottery ticket with Cavaliers logos on it.
That right there is just some good-natured trolling.