The Most Glorious Clapbacks in Sports

The Pennsylvania Ballet absolutely obliterated a Philadelphia Eagles fan in December with perhaps the best clapback of the year.

Anytime two adversaries square off, a door is left open for epic comebacks. Opportunities arise for one side to truly upend the other with a response so perfect it begs to be recognized.  

Luckily for those who appreciate sharp wit and swift action, this happens often in the sports world. Sometimes, the best comebacks don't even come from sports figures, but rather authors, political candidates or professional ballet companies. 

Here are 10 times folks in the sports world got put in their place. Some clapbacks were funny and some were more serious, but one way or another, all of these will make you go "dayum."

Dishonorable mention to Fox Sports, whose attempt to rebut a Mexican television station's hilarious soccer promo served only to embarrass an entire nation.

J.J. Watt is 'Such a Try Hard' 

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has proved his clapback skills in the past, particularly as it relates to social media trolls. So, the fact that people keep trolling him is a bit surprising.

For instance, when ‏Twitter user @Kfckn2 tweeted, "your such a try hard" (nice spelling) in December, Watt's response was perfect. In typical Watt fashion, it was witty, to-the-point and generally made a lot of sense.

Broncos Buck Brady  

This clapback was a bit more run-of-the-mill than others, but it was still well-executed, and quality deserves to be recognized.

Leading up to the November matchup between the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos, an interesting image appeared on Pats quarterback Tom Brady's Facebook page—namely, an image of Brady riding a Bronco. 

Unfortunately, the Broncos defeated Brady's Pats, and whoever runs Denver's social media team was straight on it.

Ravens Burn Snoop

Snoop Dogg, rapper and noted Pittsburgh Steelers supporter, is one of the more outspoken celebrity fans in all of sports. So when the Baltimore Ravens beat his boys in Week 16, Snoop aired his grievances in a NSFW Instagram video. Naturally. 

In response, the Ravens dug up a photo that Snoop probably regrets like most women regret their 1990s haircuts. Sometimes all it takes is one photo to silence a critic. 

Steve Smith Digs His Wife

"

Actually sitting in my favorite Chair with my hand on my wife's boob... so I'm str8 https://t.co/juZCdEzDiZ

— Steve Smith Sr (@89SteveSmith) January 9, 2016"

Speaking of the Ravens, every year there are teams that don't make the playoffs. And every year, people direct some iteration of the "how's the couch?" joke toward athletes on those teams.  

So it was business as usual when one Twitterer posed that very question to Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith. Nothing beats a literal response to a sarcastic question.

Kyle Long Nails the Momma Joke

Some people might think momma jokes are immature. Others might think they are old and unoriginal. Others might think they are a tried-and-true staple of our time, and when executed properly, they should be celebrated. 

Chicago Bears tackle Kyle Long, the son of Hall of Famer and Fox analyst Howie Long, is a perfect example. After a win over the rival Green Bay Packers in November, a troll tweeted (h/t Bleacher Report's Thomas Duffy), "#KyleLong is probably hoping the next #Bears game is on #Fox so his dad and the announcers on Fox can be his cheerleaders."

Behold. His response was a thing of beauty. 

Iowa Fans Don't Appreciate Carly's Support

"

#CarlyCurse currently trending in Iowa, California, and DC. #RoseBowl pic.twitter.com/cEE8E2kGDS

— Josh Falzone (@JoshFalzone) January 1, 2016"

Sports fans generally don't stand for disloyalty. So when GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, a Stanford alumna, tweeted her support for the Iowa Hawkeyes before the Rose Bowl, it raised some eyebrows. (The state of Iowa is a BFD in the election, so her motives seemed pretty clear.)  

The Twitter backlash was predictably fiery, but the ultimate clapback came in the form of a trending hashtag. Thanks to Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, Iowa lost the game, and #CarlyCurse was born.   

FC Barcelona Cuts Sergi Guardiola

Want to talk smack about Barcelona? Don't expect to ever play for Barcelona. In one of the most ruthless real-life clapbacks in recent memory, FC Barcelona cut a newly signed player, Sergi Guardiola, after anti-Barca sentiments surfaced on his Twitter account. Worse, he insulted the entire region of Catalonia, per Billy Haisley of Screamer. Tsk.  

LeBron's Staredown Will Incinerate Your Soul

Does a staredown count as a clapback? Judging by LeBron James' reaction to a heckler, yes, yes it does.

On Christmas Day, James caught a woman in the stands at Oracle Arena making a crybaby motion, presumably about him. She probably didn't count on him seeing her little gesture, and man, the stare he gave her could burn through steel.

J.K. Rowling Crushes Serena Hater

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling made big waves in the sports world back in July, bringing the heat with one of the best social media comebacks of the year.

Twitter user @diegtristan8 tweeted, "@jk_rowling @hansmollman ironic then that main reason for her success is that she is built like a man," in reference to tennis superstar Serena Williams.

Luckily, there's not much need to comment on that ridiculous statement. Rowling took care of that for everyone by nailing the guy to the wall.

Pennsylvania Ballet Obliterates Foolish Eagles Fan 

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

In an equally ridiculous update to the "you play ball like a girl" sentiment, one Philadelphia Eagles fan compared the team to ballerinas, and not in a flattering way. Specifically, the fan said the Eagles "played like they were wearing tutus!!!"

The Pennsylvania Ballet posted a beautiful response to its Facebook page. The whole thing is worth a read, but the basic point was, per D'Arcy Maine of espnW, that ballet dancers are baller athletes. (They are.)

The post closed with, "So no, the Eagles have not played like they were wearing tutus. If they had, Chip Kelly would still be a head coach and we'd all be looking forward to the playoffs."