Anyone who’s made the bold decision to play a sports video game in the online realm will be able to confirm that you’re bound to experience some level of toxicity from whatever community you encounter. But what is the most toxic sports game community?
Some might tell you that not all forms of toxicity are equal. It’s even entirely possible to have a largely pleasant experience while playing an online game and, as wild as it may sound, make a new friend or two in the process. When toxicity does rear its ugly head though, it can present itself in a number of different ways. As you compete against or with other players online, this can range from the uniforms/logos they use to the way they play the game to how they behave on the microphone (providing you’re willing to even tempt fate and entertain the possibility of toxicity by using a headset).
So which sports game is the most toxic of them all? It’s a question worth asking and one that’s bound to generate a wide array of answers depending on the subjective experiences within the games you play the most frequently. We’ll look at the modes that are impacted most within the games and why these are so susceptible to be infected with toxicity. Then we’ll break it down by analyzing the kind of toxic incidents that will habitually occur when playing each game and how much these can impact any potential enjoyment that the game has to offer. We’ll even weigh the benefits and inevitable drawbacks of using a microphone and headset in the games before finally assigning a toxicity grade (a score out of 10, with 10 being the worst) to each of the games in question.
NBA 2K24
Most Toxic Modes: MyCareer is where you’re bound to unearth some of the most toxic people you’ve ever met. The saddest thing is that most of these unfortunate souls will wind up being your teammates on the rep courts, in the Rec Center and within the Theater. The seemingly never-ending grind of trying to level up their created player all the way to 99 overall will make people do some of the most selfish and vile acts that you can imagine witnessing on a basketball court.
Typical Toxicity: It starts with people hogging the ball so much that you’ll begin to wonder if they’re even aware you’re on the court alongside them. They could be double or triple teamed on the perimeter while you stand under the basket waving your arms like a lunatic and yet will still decide to fruitlessly perform dribble moves until jacking up ugly bricks and air balls from behind the arc just before the shot clock expires. Don’t expect them to play much defense either — the worst of the toxic bunch will perform some kind of inane dance in the opponent’s end while the man they should be covering takes the opportunity to nail an open three or have a free run at a dunk. When they eventually decide that all hope is lost in any given game (which will usually be the second they fall behind at all), they’ll promptly abandon your team by quitting. Trust me when I say that you will not miss them.
Audible Toxicity: You know how I just described all the ways that people can behave as if they don’t understand the concept of a team? These same jerks will also have the nerve to let you know all of the things that you’re somehow doing wrong rather than shouldering even a sliver of the blame themselves. When you add this to the kind of casual racism, homophobia, misogyny and childish name-calling that you’ll hear on a regular basis, I’d say it’s probably not worth dusting off a headset for the game. This despite the fact that communication can be key on the court in relaying crucial strategies and assignments in the heat of the moment.
Toxicity Score: 9
Madden 24
Most Toxic Modes: The card-collecting Madden Ultimate Team mode has to be the biggest offender, as players will do literally anything there to win games and consequently receive the best rewards possible.
Typical Toxicity: Pick your poison: would you rather have opponents run the exact same play over and over again, sapping all the fun and realism out of your football experience with the most repetitive of game plans? Or go up against someone who’s learned the hottest new “money” plays from YouTube and will use them against you to abuse any and all flaws in the game’s AI programming to generate one-play touchdowns on offense and shut you down on defense with the finest of nano-blitzes? They’ll have no hesitations either about breaking out the celebration runs as they trot into the end zone to rub in your face how much their diabolical plans are working. I’m not sure whether you could exactly label it toxicity or not, but many players will shell out a small fortune on the most powerful cards available, making it more difficult to compete if you aren’t doing the same.
Audible Toxicity: The only thing worse than getting blown out by someone employing the aforementioned toxic strategies is going on mic and realizing that the opponent riling you up is a literal child no older than 12. It’s then you’ll learn that kids have zero filter these days and will not hesitate to mock you mercilessly with the kind of foul language that will have you wondering where they could have possibly already learned all those filthy words.
Toxicity Score: 8
NHL 24
Most Toxic Modes: The World of Chel, where people can create players and even their own teams, has the most opportunity for you to be confronted with the maximum toxicity just by virtue of the sheer number of players you’re bound to encounter in the mode. In drop-in games with strangers, the law of averages says that for every handful of those who play the game the right way, there will be one rotten apple that spoils it for the bunch.
Typical Toxicity: Just as with NBA 2K24, one of the worst kinds of players to have end up on your team is a puck hog. There will be some who take this to such an extreme that they’ll even waste time skating around with the puck in their own end, perhaps practicing dekes and other puck-handling maneuvers. Another way that bad teammates can ruin a game is by signing up to play as a defenseman but then choosing to play more like a forward, leaving you vulnerable to odd-man rushes on your opponent’s inevitable counterattacks. It’s even worse when you get a goalie who decides, usually after letting in a few goals, that they want to watch the world burn by skating way out of their net and leaving it empty for the other team to score easy goals.
Audible Toxicity: You’re bound to notice a lot of Canadian accents if you use a headset in NHL 24 since the sport is so popular north of the border, but the occasional “eh” and “aboot” can hardly be considered toxicity. The truth is that the common stereotype about Canadians is often based in fact and they’ll frequently be quite nice and supportive while doing whatever they can to help your team win the game. Yes, you’ll get some of the racism and homophobia that you’ll hear on mic in most multiplayer games and, since hockey is a fairly international sport, accents and language from foreign players that will be difficult to decipher.
Toxicity Score: 6
MLB The Show 24
Most Toxic Modes: MLB The Show 24‘s card-collecting Diamond Dynasty mode houses a number of different ways to play against other people but Ranked Seasons is probably the one where you’ll stumble upon the most toxicity. That’s because the way the ascend tiers for better rewards makes it the most competitive and the games being a full 9 innings will have you exposed to any toxic players for a longer amount of time.
Typical Toxicity: One of the most popular forms of toxic activity that you’ll notice in Diamond Dynasty is the way that people will be able to suit up with questionable uniforms and under team names that skirt the edges of offensiveness. These will often include racist references that manage to get past any profanity filters or parts of the anatomy that are covered when not in the privacy of our own homes. During games, there are things that toxic players will do for the sole purpose of getting under your skin. These include pausing continuously, squaring up to bunt repeatedly during an at-bat (also known as bunt dancing in the community) and taking the maximum amount of time on the mound before winding up for a pitch in the hopes that you’ll eventually get so bored or frustrated that you’ll just quit the game. Another incredibly annoying trait is when people force you to view their replays at every opportunity, either when they hit a home run or make a diving catch in the field.
Audible Toxicity: Being on mic isn’t quite as popular in MLB The Show 24 as it is in NHL 24 and NBA 2K24 where communication amongst teammates can be more important, but that doesn’t mean you won’t still come across people who will upset you. At its worst, this will usually involve trash talking when they’re able to hit every one of your pitches for a home run or laughing at you when you can’t resist swinging at their pitches that are in the dirt.
Toxicity Score: 5
