UCLA lost its season opener to Loyola Marymount on Friday night, 69-58. What was already a difficult loss for the nation’s 17th-ranked team to stomach was made worse by a bonehead tweet from center Joshua Smith. According the the L.A. Times, Smith tweeted, “Just lost to some straight bums lol” after the game.
It’s never a wise decision to go on Twitter and start name-calling after a game. Doing it after a loss makes even less sense.
The UCLA center apologized on Saturday by tweeting, “What I said wasn’t smart and was bad sportsmanship. I apologize for the comment i made yesterday. We lost to a team that just outplayed us.”
Widely considered to be one of the Bruins’ best overall players, Smith should realize everything he does will be heavily scrutinized. He managed only five points and four rebounds in 16 minutes against LMU. Those numbers certainly don’t give you the right to talk trash, much less disparage the opposing team.
Obviously Smith’s remarks stemmed from frustration, but he needs to use better judgment. Insulting your opponent on Twitter will never score you any points with the fans or media. When your team loses to lesser competition you’re only adding insult to injury.
