Head coach Bruce Arians has decided to remove a ping pong table from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers locker room, and it caused Twitter to have a meltdown.
Social media was set ablaze yesterday over a ping pong table after the Pewter Report posted an article mentioning the table had been removed from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers locker room. Correct, a ping pong table’s presence in the locker room caused half of Tampa Bay Twitter to melt down.
While these are just some photos of the appearance of the locker room, many took to social media to announce their opinion on the matter. After back-to-back five win seasons, one line of thought thinks a ping pong table is a luxury to have earned, and since it is gone, it must be earned back by winning football games.
Another line of thought is players and coaches need breaks, ways to build locker room rapport and chemistry and the table was one way to do so. Every other place of employment is entitled to a break and a way to blow off steam, and so should the Buccaneers. Here are some of the more fun takes on Twitter yesterday:
I cannot wait for the people that think ping pong and basketball wasn’t the problem to see how this team actually prepares and even wins knowing that distraction isn’t there.
— CigarMan (@ChefAaron26) May 5, 2019
Because that’s what it was, a distraction that the players that are no longer there, how ironic, loved
Show of hands. Who never takes a lunch break? Who doesn’t check their phones when they’re not in a meeting? Who needs 30 mins during their work day to do whatever? Does this make you not focused on work? Really? Again. Culture then winning? Meh. Winning begets winning. https://t.co/DHHk3vU7nN
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) May 5, 2019
And this writer’s personal favorite take:
Yep, the ping-pong table is definitely to blame for the #Bucs’ two-decade playoff drought. pic.twitter.com/U9JYZKKVN9
— Luke Easterling (@LukeEasterling) May 5, 2019
Regardless, yesterday was a slow news day, so anything to set social media on fire was needed on Buccaneers twitter. It just so happened yesterday, a ping pong table (or lack thereof) made great kindling. Winning football games is not going to come down to the presence of a ping pong table, but it has been highly debated for years now.
It appears new head coach Bruce Arians is taking the no nonsense approach to the locker room this season, and it started with ridding it of a ping pong table. Next stop: Super Bowl!