Terms used in Sports that make You Cringe*** I have a few, the one that I find the most cringe worthy is "True Freshman".

[MooseJaw]

Either a player is a freshman, or they aren't. Plus, often times the same announcer will rip off the term repeatedly until I am forced to leave the broadcast. The 2nd on my list is a football term " The Line To Gain" what a tightass way to say what we used to say for over 65 years of my life "The First Down Marker, or Line". I have a few more but am curious to hear what term makes you cringe.

 

[HuskyNan]

Either a player is a freshman, or they aren't. Plus, often times the same announcer will rip off the term repeatedly until I am forced to leave the broadcast. The 2nd on my list is a football term " The Line To Gain" what a tightass way to say what we used to say for over 65 years of my life "The First Down Marker, or Line". I have a few more but am curious to hear what term makes you cringe.

Not sure why “true freshman” is bad? It’s common in college football to redshirt kids right out of high school (too weak, too inexperienced) so that playing someone, like UConn QB Zion Turner, as a true freshman just means he has not taken his redshirt year.

 

[Alydar]

Either a player is a freshman, or they aren't. Plus, often times the same announcer will rip off the term repeatedly until I am forced to leave the broadcast. The 2nd on my list is a football term " The Line To Gain" what a tightass way to say what we used to say for over 65 years of my life "The First Down Marker, or Line". I have a few more but am curious to hear what term makes you cringe.

How about when 3 games into the season announcers call the game they're covering a "must win" game as if a loss makes the rest of their season meaningless?

 

[HuskyNan]

I do dislike when someone says the winning team wanted it more. What a dumb comment.

 

[MooseJaw]

Not sure why “true freshman” is bad? It’s common in college football to redshirt kids right out of high school (too weak, too inexperienced) so that playing someone, like UConn QB Zion Turner, as a true freshman, meaning he has not taken his redshirt year.

Never said it was bad, it is over used to the point where I cringe when it is used repeatedly many times in a game.

 

[Mdoggie]

2.0 used incorrectly on THIS sports forum.

 

[Stymie]

“Prevent defense.”

 

[Mdoggie]

Either a player is a freshman, or they aren't. Plus, often times the same announcer will rip off the term repeatedly until I am forced to leave the broadcast. The 2nd on my list is a football term " The Line To Gain" what a tightass way to say what we used to say for over 65 years of my life "The First Down Marker, or Line". I have a few more but am curious to hear what term makes you cringe.

Right! A freshman is a freshman. The only other type is a redshirt freshman. “True freshman” is unnecessary

 

[Alydar]

Never said it was bad, it is over used to the point where I cringe when it is used repeatedly many times in a game.

And it is often misleading. Say there are 2 HS basketball players from the same school. One gets a scholarship but their coach has already told them they lacked physicality and will be red-shirted. Another player is college-ready athletically but lacks academics so they receive a scholarship to a prep school where they catch up academically and enroll in their college the next year. One is called a "redshirt freshman while the other is a "true freshman"?

 

[ClifSpliffy]

exit velo. how long till the gambling nuts come with a way to wager on this? i heard an ad the other day where some outfit in this biz offered 'if the football team that you bet on to win is ahead at any point by 10, we'll immediately pay you, even if they lose.' they should change exit velo to mean the odds on which player or manager might get tossed.

southpaw. so a righty is a northpaw? everrbuddy in Canada is righthanded and everrbuddy in Mexico is lefthanded?

dressage. when u hear this, hide ur wallet. and, it's not pronounced
'dress-age' like i say it. it's pronounced 'dress-ahhhhhge.' say it wrong, and any horse nut, even from the next county, will hear it, and immediately correct youse. really annoying. don't bring me to horse shows as i have a ridiculously high 'exit velo' for that.

i've been trying to get a handle on cricket for years, with not much luck.
cricket lingo:
Toss, Run, Wicket, Pitch, Stump, Bails, Crease, Pavilion, Gloves, Wicket Keeper, Over, , Followon, Rubber, Spin, Ashes, Catch, Bowled, Stump out, Runout, L. B. W; Hit Wicket, Googley, Not out, No ball, Wide ball, Dead ball, Maiden over, Overthrow, Bye, Leg by, Cover drive, Late cut, Hook, Glance, Stroke, Shot, Pull, Sixer, Follow Through, Turn, Bouncer, Hattrick, Round the wicket, Over the wicket, Seamer, Boundry line, Slip, Square leg, Runner, Cover, Yorker, Gully, Long on, Silly point, Midwicket, Mid on, Forward short leg, Deep/mid-wicket,
googley? yorker? gully? silly point? forward short leg?
i ain't got a prayer, and should prolly forget this game, too.

they don't use the word 'rough' correctly in golf. hitting off the t is rough. hitting in the fairway is rough. hitting out of a bunker is rough.
hitting a putt is rough. getting the honest score from anyone for the card is rough. drinking like a fish is rough. playing in a t-storm is rough. listening to the excuses that 'normally imma great player, but for some reason today im having troubles' is rough. retrieving ur ball from the edge of a pond in alligator infested Florida is rough.
they should change the name to 'ruff.' or 'lie.'

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Not that it's relevant but years ago I was watching a game and I honestly don't remember who was playing but the score was tied. An analyst at halftime that I remember but will keep anonymous said "the team who scores the most points in the second half will win". The talking heads just nodded and I wanted to throw something at the TV. I will never forget that moment.

 

[Huskee11]

"We got to take 'em one game at a time."

Yes, that is always true, even with doubleheaders there is still only one game being played at any point in time.

"He/she gives 110% all the time."

I`m not great at math, but pretty sure you can`t give more than 100%.

"He took one for the team."

When a fastball is coming straight at you at 100 mph, not sure you have much choice.

"I didn`t bring my A game today".

Why not, did you forget it at home?

"We are letting you go, we have decided to go in a different direction."

Hmmm, as in bigger, faster, stronger? That direction?

 

[EdSaid]

"Rising" junior. Cut the crap, we're talking about athletic eligibility. The day after your sophomore spring semester ends, you are now a junior.

 

[Alydar]

exit velo. how long till the gambling nuts come with a way to wager on this? i heard an ad the other day where some outfit in this biz offered 'if the football team that you bet on to win is ahead at any point by 10, we'll immediately pay you, even if they lose.' they should change exit velo to mean the odds on which player or manager might get tossed.

southpaw. so a righty is a northpaw? everrbuddy in Canada is righthanded and everrbuddy in Mexico is lefthanded?

dressage. when u hear this, hide ur wallet. and, it's not pronounced
'dress-age' like i say it. it's pronounced 'dress-ahhhhhge.' say it wrong, and any horse nut, even from the next county, will hear it, and immediately correct youse. really annoying. don't bring me to horse shows as i have a ridiculously high 'exit velo' for that.

i've been trying to get a handle on cricket for years, with not much luck.
cricket lingo:
Toss, Run, Wicket, Pitch, Stump, Bails, Crease, Pavilion, Gloves, Wicket Keeper, Over, , Followon, Rubber, Spin, Ashes, Catch, Bowled, Stump out, Runout, L. B. W; Hit Wicket, Googley, Not out, No ball, Wide ball, Dead ball, Maiden over, Overthrow, Bye, Leg by, Cover drive, Late cut, Hook, Glance, Stroke, Shot, Pull, Sixer, Follow Through, Turn, Bouncer, Hattrick, Round the wicket, Over the wicket, Seamer, Boundry line, Slip, Square leg, Runner, Cover, Yorker, Gully, Long on, Silly point, Midwicket, Mid on, Forward short leg, Deep/mid-wicket,
googley? yorker? gully? silly point? forward short leg?
i ain't got a prayer, and should prolly forget this game, too.

they don't use the word 'rough' correctly in golf. hitting off the t is rough. hitting in the fairway is rough. hitting out of a bunker is rough.
hitting a putt is rough. getting the honest score from anyone for the card is rough. drinking like a fish is rough. playing in a t-storm is rough. listening to the excuses that 'normally imma great player, but for some reason today im having troubles' is rough. retrieving ur ball from the edge of a pond in alligator infested Florida is rough.
they should change the name to 'ruff.' or 'lie.'

Actually it was originally called "flog" but somehow the mirror image was what got on the copywrite application.

 

[CL82]

The one that always mildly annoys me is when someone is talking about as giving more than 100% effort. Often, this is 110% which makes zero sense. The interesting question is is someone who claims to put out 110% of effort putting out less effort than someone who claims to put out 120%? What about 200%, or even 2,000,000% effort?

 

[CL82]

Not that it's relevant but years ago I was watching a game and I honestly don't remember who was playing but the score was tied. An analyst at halftime that I remember but will keep anonymous said "the team who scores the most points in the second half will win". The talking heads just nodded and I wanted to throw something at the TV. I will never forget that moment.

Well, he or she was not wrong…

 

[Alydar]

The one that always mildly annoys me is when someone is talking about as giving more than 100% effort. Often, this is 110% which makes zero sense. The interesting question is is someone who claims to put out 110% of effort putting out less effort than someone who claims to put out 120%? What about 200%, or even 2,000,000% effort?

+1

Isn't the reason for using 110% due to the misuse of "100%", applying it far too often where it doesn't apply?

 

[southofnorth]

I know there are a few phrases and terms that make me want to claw my ears off, but I can’t think of any at the moment. However, I’m now officially tired of them commenting on Alyssa Thomas’s torn labrums and unique shooting style. We’ve seen it, we’ve heard it, we’ve known about it, and anyone that doesn’t can easily Google it when they come across it.

 

[sun]

The term that I despise the most and hate with a passion is the word "product" when used to describe where an athlete went to school or graduated from, and also when used to describe the quality of a team's level of athletic competition on the playing field.

I don't agree that a human being is a product because it sounds impersonal and likens them to a machine made product.
A human being is an athlete but not a product.
A pro athlete isn't a UConn product, or an Alabama product or a Notre Dame product.
They're simply athletes who attended and graduated from a particular program.
They have their own innate skills and personality independent of whatever they learned about playing while attending the school and its program.
It's often applied to players in the draft for a pro sport.

The media also uses the term product when talking about how a team plays on the field.
"The organization is putting a bad product on the field."
News flash. the athletes aren't playing well because they're humans and not machines.
They have emotions and distractions and a real life.
They're not robots and are simply imperfect human beings.
Their level of play is a result of their combined individual efforts, talents and skills, but not a product of anyone who isn't on the field like the coach, manager, school, program or front office.
Everyone tries their best and the result is the collective team effort, and not a product under the remote control of the coaching staff or front office.
Some individuals may need better training or lack talent, but their collective efforts are not a product, it's simply the result of the sum of their own individual efforts.
Why do they try to impersonalize it by calling it a product.

They'll say that that the organization is putting a bad product on the field instead of saying that the team made some individual errors and mistakes that cost them the game.
Rant over.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I don't remember hearing it at all previously, but this year during the WNBA playoffs Ryan Ruocco thought he was being really clever and used the phrase "insisted her way to the basket" over and over and over again. Got old really fast.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Well, he or she was not wrong…

Of course they weren't lol. It was just one of the most absurd things I've ever heard from an "analyst" lol.

I get the need to fill airtime but yowzer lol.

 

[jcoton56]

“Trying to play within myself’ well if you don’t we’re calling an exorcist.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Regarding the "southpaw" reference above - while I wouldn't really use it, at least it (supposedly) comes from something - that early pitchers often faced west on the mound and their south paw was their left. But then, it shouldn't be applied to other sports, it just doesn't make sense as pointed out.

I am annoyed by any comment the announcer makes repeatedly, or is so trite as to be meaningless. Lots of good examples in this thread,
I'm not personally fond of "didn't try hard enough" - how do you know? Maybe they tried as hard as they could and just couldn't do it?

 

[Huskee11]

He/she isn’t trying to “force the action”, not trying to “do too much”.

“Letting the game come to him/her”.

These types of expressions are usually said in respect and with the nodding approval of all within earshot.

Except that if things aren’t going so well, then the montra suddenly changes. He/she is “drifting out there”, needs to “make something happen”. He/she has to “impose his/her will” on the game or the opponent. “Great players make great plays”.

So, should you “force the action” from the get go or not? If not, why not?