how oregon softball stays connected during these rough times pic.twitter.com/DaWP9zFEsR

— jas sievers (@jassievers) April 2, 2020

Several University of Oregon softball players (mainly Haley Cruse and Jasmine Sievers) have gained an online presence over the past couple years by posting thirst traps like the one above. Good for them. They’re taking advantage of their good looks and will probably be able to profit off of it (if NCAA guidelines allow Instagram/Twitter sponsorships) if they haven’t already. I just wonder what it’s like to be an opponent of these ladies, and if there’s any shit talking during games.

Look, I’m a guy, so I’ve never played softball, nor have I attended more than a handful of softball games in my life. But I did play baseball, so I know that shit talking absolutely happens – not as frequently as in basketball or football, but it happens. However, I’ve been told that girls are even more ruthless than boys, so I have to assume girls talk shit on the bases and from the dugout. That being said, wouldn’t a girl(s) who makes Tik Toks and is very vocal online be just the absolute perfect target for an opponent to go after to get under their skin? And if not the team, the opposing fans should do their bidding for them right??

Chirping is not hard. You can say almost anything after a player does something bad and it works. Being social media famous just adds ammo. Here are some examples:

• “Why don’t you go make some more Tik Toks you bum!” (It’s impossible to come back from being called a bum)
• “Maybe you should spend a little more time in the cage instead of practicing dances!” (Implies they suck at hitting – usually something a softball player wants to be good at)
• Do you think you’re good at dancing? (Subtle, but hits deep. Now she’s self conscious about her moves)
• “I bet you pay for your followers!” (The equivalent of using HGH in the influencer community)
• “You’re only hot for a softball player!” (Possibly the most lethal chirp of the bunch. Doesn’t matter if you actually find them attractive, it implies they’re nothing special outside of sports and could destroy confidence for the rest of the game/series.

Those are just a few options off the top of my head, but every video they post puts more bullets in the chamber. I hope teams/fans in the PAC-12 are doing their job and taking advantage of prime chirping opportunities. Sadly, since this season is a wash they’ll have to wait till next year. However, that’s approximately 300 tweets and 47 Tik Toks from now, so I’m sure they’ll have plenty of ammo.