The Art of Banter in Sport: Lessons from the Central Pulse
In sport, where attention is currency, banter is either a fast track to cut through or a fast track to embarrassment. Banter on team social media looks easy. It isn’t. Many fall flat: forced, spiteful, or irrelevant. We’ve all seen examples where a club tries to spark a rivalry and the tone doesn’t land. Instead of laughs, it leaves fans cringing.
The Central Pulse are showing how to do it right. Their feeds prove that banter, when done well, builds fans, and timing is everything.
Why it works:
✨Self-aware of context. The ANZ Premiership is under pressure, player departures, stability questions, future uncertainty. Most teams gloss over it or pretend nothing’s happening. Pulse lean into it. One Facebook post read: “We can live laugh love once the SSN signing period is over. Till then, it’s just live.” Funny, but also disarmingly honest, it acknowledges what fans are already thinking. That honesty builds trust.
✨ Cheeky, not cruel. When rivals signed multiple Pulse players, they replied
with “You wouldn’t contract a third Pulse player” (a parody of the old piracy ad). When the GWS GIANTS announced another ex-Pulse player, they posted “I’d like to buy a vowel.” Their “International Christmas Card Mailing List” included almost every club… except Netball Queensland & the Queensland Firebirds / Giants, who were filed under “questionable.” These are clever inside jokes that fans instantly get.
✨ Cross-platform voice. This isn’t one-offs. On Instagram, it’s witty bios (“The Firebirds’ favourite sports team 😘💜”), memes, and playful Stories sharing Spotify playlists "drive at night" - in my sad girl era xx. On Facebook: Tagging Wellington Flower Co in response to the Swifts’ sympathy-flowers video: “Can you send us their credit card details? I need to buy a vase.” Score graphics reframed as “if the premiership was based on players taken by mythical birds.” Every channel sounds like the same cheeky friend. This isn’t about a perfectly curated grid (note: it is not aesthetic), it’s about voice, humour, and consistency.
✨ They spark community and win fans because of it. Swifts reply “love you forever pookie.” Lightning: “we technically made the list.” Fans pile in: ‘this media crew needs a pay rise.’ It’s participatory, not broadcast. And it works: Aussies declaring “you’re my NZ team now,” long-time supporters saying “the spirit in these posts is the best,” and neutrals admitting they’re watching Pulse just for the socials. That’s not just noise, that’s how you turn banter into belonging.
Why banter works here:
✅ Grounded in truth (player movement, ANZ instability)
✅ Inclusive (fans + rivals laugh with you)
✅ Consistent voice (across IG + FB)
❌ Forced rivalries
❌ Tone-deaf to context
❌ One-off gimmicks
In a league under scrutiny, Pulse have flipped instability into relevance. They’ve shown that cross-platform humour, from memes to Spotify playlists, isn’t just content. It’s strategy. That’s not banter. That’s building (and keeping) fans👏🏼