Educational institutions have adopted athletics programs to promote character building. Sports help people feel comfortable in their skins and provide unique opportunities to develop qualities such as cooperation, perseverance, and the ability to cope with fear. But the arena can be a hothouse for more primal feelings that emerge in competition. Although the Kantian notion of "respect for persons" is the basis for much of the moral rhetoric in America today, it is psychologically very difficult to maintain respect for people with whom one is competing. In this article, the author shares his experience and describes various free-for-all incidents among certain teams and players. The author notes that college coaches have enormous authority over their players. To effect change, they need to stress that trash talking will not be tolerated and that anyone who indulges in needling his opponent had better be prepared to watch his opponent from the bench.