For NBA Twitter, the Olympics Are a Delicate Dance Between Being a Hater and a Fan

Twitter user “r/BillSimmons Podcast” (r/BS), host of a podcast of the same name, is dedicated to the craft of hating on popular sports commentator Bill Simmons’ eccentric takes—particularly, Simmons’ adoration for the Boston Celtics and Celtics star Jayson Tatum. r/BS, who remains anonymous to his cult following, described to me his hypothetical worst-case scenario as Team USA’s star-studded Olympic men’s basketball team chases gold: “If Team USA is down two points in the championship game and Tatum takes a three at the buzzer,” he says he isn’t sure whether he’d like to see the ball go in or bounce off the rim. “Only then, when the ball is in the air, would I really know.” r/BS's nightmare hypothetical is, in some ways, a dramatized snapshot of what my NBA Twitter-heavy social feed looks like six days into the 2024 Paris Olympics, as elite, truly tireless haters find themselves both energized and more than a little conflicted. After all, they're being forced to root for their least favorite players—in some cases, players who have ruined their lives, robbed their teams of championships, perhaps robbed them of their will to live—if they want to watch Team USA win gold. It's often said our social media algorithms are a composite of our innermost selves, a muddied-up amalgamation of the id, ego, and superego—if that's true, my id, ego, and superego are all, apparently, haters. Interspersed with tweets about the ongoing political circus and a world literally and metaphorically on fire, my Twitter feed is overrun with Americans hating on players on their own team. The most popular victims seem to be Tatum, the subject of particular ire for coasting to a championship with a stacked team; Philadelphia 76ers super-star Joel Embiid, for being far too handsome and lovable (or, I guess if you were to ask the average NBA Twitter user, for being a “loser” who falls short time and again in the playoffs); and the Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, who seems like a perfectly swell guy, but is currently being mocked for not playing much and ostensibly being Team USA's weakest link. I’ve been seeing their faces on my Twitter feed more than I see my own family, and it’s all because Americans on Twitter are absolutely going in on these Team USA stars. Determined to mine the complex psychology behind being a disciplined NBA Twitter hater, all while watching the literal Olympics, I sought expert input. pic.twitter.com/X2r1yZJ1Fi — The r/BillSimmons Podcast ????️ (@rBillSimmonsPod) July 31, 2024 “Haters are the apex scavengers of the internet. We always find a way,” Sam Sheehan, co-host of the You Know Ball podcast and a pioneering hater in the NBA Twitter community, tells Jezebel. The results, the lineups, the realities of the game—all of it is “immaterial.” It’s “always about pushing your hateful agenda.” Hating is a “constant, hating is eternal, hating is a state of being—a true hater, regardless of results, can still get the hate off, with imagination and dedication.” r/BS, for example, holds a deep admiration for the NBA legends on the team like LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant—all likely playing their last Olympics—and he’d love to watch them win. But he’d also love to listen to his least favorite sports commentator have an absolute meltdown over Tatum playing badly or costing the team a game. “I hope I don’t have to contend with that hypothetical,” r/BS said, still pondering the idea of Tatum taking a three with Team USA's Olympic fate on the line. His Twitter account is dedicated to memes poking fun at both the Celtics and Simmons, especially when the…