Trash Talk, Rafi Kohan
Trash Talk, Rafi Kohan
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

Trash Talk
The Only Book About Destroying Your Rivals That Isn't Total Garbage

Author: Rafi Kohan

Narrator: Rafi Kohan

Unabridged: 11 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: PublicAffairs

Published: 12/05/2023


Synopsis

“You’re mad at me, but I am killing you.”—NBA star Gary Payton
“Find the hate.”—NFL star Warren Sapp
“Why can’t you be more like Rafi Kohan?”—your mom, probably

Whether in basketball, football, or MMA, athletes talk trash to each other—and sometimes to fans—like it’s their job. And in some ways, it is: sports only matter if we decide to care about them. And insulting your opponent, or playing the heel, is probably the fastest route to making someone care. Talking smack is as old as the bible; it’s perhaps the original sport.

But until now, there’s never been a book about it.
 
In this lively, often hilarious history, Rafi Kohan interviews some of the world’s top competitors—on the petty rivalries and mind games that fuel them. He talks to point guards and soccer strikers, cricketers and insult comedians, forming a theory along the way about the surprising and influential role that name-calling plays in our world.
 
Brilliantly original and wide-ranging, Trash Talk is a book for sports fans, culture mavens, or anyone looking to get an edge.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jason on January 13, 2024

Even if YOU could read something longer than a takeout menu, “Trash Talk” by @kohanimal would probably be too hard to comprehend 🔥 But for me it was a breeze, and easily one of my favorite #nonfiction books on my shelf. The book takes a deep dive into the history of trash talk - tracing the art back......more

Goodreads review by Santiago on December 30, 2023

Entertaining book if you like sports but it’s more a book full of anecdotes and stories and unless you’re a pro athlete there’s not much here applicable to everyday life.......more

Goodreads review by Daniel on February 12, 2024

I read Rafi Kohan’s first book about stadiums and peripheral sport culture and enjoyed his style of writing. But in this next iteration, I could feel the author growing in his craft as both an auteur and journalist. This book resonated with me in many ways, especially as a sports fan who aspired to b......more

Goodreads review by Matthew B on April 13, 2024

Chock full of insights, Kohan Brings a fresh lens to both long familiar and little known rivalries and personalities, taking seriously the potential value of “trash talk” in a variety of fields. Kohans voluminous research is weaved tightly together, making meaningful connections throughout, His anal......more

Goodreads review by Tricia on June 10, 2024

Picked this up on a whim (thank you librarians for your recommendations!) and it was an incredible read that I found fascinating.......more