Talking trash has been a part of supporting your team for as long as sports have been around. Barstool Sports is a website (they also use all social media platforms) where the more raw side of sports are posted: trash talk, fights, lowlights (fails), inappropriate commentator remarks; the list goes on. Barstool’s target audience is college students; notoriously die hard and, more importantly, rowdy sports fans. Barstool gets the people going.

Students in high schools across the county have taken it into their hands to create personal “barstool” accounts for their school via social media. The accounts try to generate excitement for any upcoming game by posting the themes, trash talking the other team and overall hyping up their own school. While the trash talk towards opposing teams and schools is a pretty average high schooler activity, there have been times where a line was crossed.

The Barstools are run by anonymous sources and their identities are seemingly untraceable, making the room for out of pocket comments anything but small. There have been instances where opposing poms, cheerleaders, teachers and non-athlete students have been hatefully targeted by these accounts.

“Seeing the accounts comment on people who don’t even have anything to do with the game is a little upsetting. It’s just unnecessary,” sophomore Jose Ovalles said.

On top of unnecessary hate towards non-participants, these accounts generate tension for players; whether it’s fear of being posted by an opposing school’s barstool or an increased energy in the game.

“It makes the game more exciting when the opposing team’s barstool has been talking trash all week. Their comments make for a more chippy game,” junior left guard Shane Moreland said.

Player and spectator safety are the largest priority regarding sporting events at WJ. The accounts are demeaning towards the other team and fuel rivalries between schools which raises concerns about potential violence.

“We never condone violence and even through trash talk never promote it. The purpose of the barstool account is to bring the sports community together and report on sports in a fun and different way,” an anonymous admin of WJ’s barstool account said.

While the Barstools of MCPS are riddled with negativity regarding neighboring high schools, the accounts do generate positive school spirit within their own school. Seeing the excitement peers have to beat the other team inherently makes the student body more excited.

“As long as it’s used in a fun and non toxic way, it definitely helps promote school spirit,” senior Makis Manolis-Oraiopoulos said.