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

[ed4ourgirls]

I'm generally disenchanted with sport hype-speech, for example:

fantastic, unbelievable, heckuva, incredible, spectacular, etc.

all of which mean "very good".

 

[RoadMaster]

Matchup-Nightmare
Not bad.. Just (to me) overused..

 

[Plebe]

My top 3 annoying clichés for basketball:

1. "There's a timeout on the floor."
I'm relieved to know the timeout isn't up near the ceiling or underground.

2. "From downtown!" (referring to a 3-point shot)
I guess the basket is located in the suburbs?

3. "She can really score the basketball."
But can she score a bowling ball? How about a watermelon?

Another term that has really caught on in sports chatter the past few years is "locked in". Nothing wrong with it per se but it's overused to the point of annoyance.

 

[SCNCHuskie]

Either a player is a freshman, or they aren't.

How else would an announcer differentiate between a player playing in their first year out of high school, or one who redshirted their first year out of high school, so technically they’re in their second year?

I guess you can call that player a sophomore, because they’re in their second year of college. But then what do you call someone who is in their 5th year of college that redshirted their first year.

When I am watching a game, particularly teams I am not totally familiar with, I personally like to know if a freshman is straight out of high school, or is had a year of practicing with the team.

 

[EdSaid]

"Tardy"

Kevin Youkilis has been filling in as a color guy on Red Sox broadcasts on NESN. He loves to say "He was tardy on that fastball." That just sounds awful. Sounds terrible.

 

[Palatine]

"He has ice water in his veins."

This has to be the lamest most over used cliche in sports. Is it in his arteries too? Is it just ice water or are there chucks of ice in his veins? It's just an old, tired, lazy expression.

 

[Blakeon18]

The announcer declares [when a team is behind] that they 'need to make a play'.

 

[brownale]

Don't forget: all southpaws are "crafty"

 

[EdSaid]

"NCAA Champion Coach Carolyn Peck."

That's as bad as Andy Lander's jet black hair dye. Yes, she won an NCAA championship with Purdue, but she is in her mid 50's, if she was a good coach she would be coaching. Most of her time on the air, she is going against UConn.

Has anyone ever heard Geno introduced as 11 time champion coach????

 

[Bald Husky]

This a little off the thread, but during the Regionals much was made by the media, and some team that hates us forever, about UConn having an unfair advantage by playing in Bridgeport. I get it, the country gets it, and the whole basketball world gets it. It was the luck of the draw. But when Ryan Rucco kept bring it up during the NCState game, it started to bother me. Not just that, but after rewatching the Indiana game, he harped up on it there also. I don't know if he hates UConn, or he is stupid, because if the main announcer is pushing this than it does not give service for what the team went through, and our two huge victories are iIlegitimized. Sorry, but watching and continually hearing that got my goat.

 

[Scoe]

A percentage of how an athlete feels, he feels 85 percent today.

 

[Stymie]

“Expanding the strike zone”
Waaa?
So ya make it whatever ya want?

 

[Puppy Love]

‘Diaper Dandy’…This has to be the worst phrase ever.

 

[Bone Dog]

"Pure"

This one has been trending in the last few seasons. A shot goes in, "It's pure," the shooter is "pure," their shooting motion is "pure." Yuck.

 

[Scoe]

Listening to old broadcasts and drafts hearing the name Mike Jordan or Scott Pippen.

 

[Monte]

A baseball Pitching Coach when he goes out to talk to a pitcher: "Don't give this batter anything good to hit, but don't walk him!"

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

"NCAA Champion Coach Carolyn Peck."

That's as bad as Andy Lander's jet black hair dye. Yes, she won an NCAA championship with Purdue, but she is in her mid 50's, if she was a good coach she would be coaching. Most of her time on the air, she is going against UConn.

Has anyone ever heard Geno introduced as 11 time champion coach????

It is in her contract. Every one of them has it, both the announcers you like and the announcers you don't.

At least winning a championship is "something", some of the color commentators never did much and the description sounds lame. "Former all conference player at xxx" just lacks a bit of cache.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

This was so easy for me!!!

“Double double machine”

 

[tchalla1]

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

I agree--that's right up there with "they control their own destiny"

 

[JellyBean]

"Tweener" That word is always cringe worthy to me, especially when I hear it being used in basketballs. "He is not a 1 guard. He is a split between a 1 guard and a 2 guard. He is a tweener."

"Gritty" I am guilty of using that word sometimes. But I have come to realize that by saying "gritty", I am basically saying that the player is not blessed with any other considerable talent. Shame on me.

"High Motor" Do I really have to say anything on that word. Athletes aren't motors. They play hard, work hard, and train hard.

"Length" Rather than saying tall and long, saying "length" is going to magical turn a team into some powerhouse.

"They Came to Play" Seriously? I hope both teams showed up to play. Otherwise, why are we watching or playing the game?

 

[UConnCat]

GOAT. Everybody is the GOAT these days. How is that possible?

So and so is a "cheat code." What does that mean?

 

[UcMiami]

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?

Anyone who puts out 110% in a game just means they normally put out 90% and call it 100% - its sort of like grade inflation.

While I dislike the term as well, it is making a distinction from a player driving to the basket without the ball and receiving the ball with two steps to go and no need to dribble.

And Hey now, I like cricket! And all the weird terms (silly point for example - anyone who places themselves 5 feet from the batter to field has to be a little silly - and they used to do it without a helmet!) So lay off it!

 

[Cuango]

I find most of the things more amusing than annoying. I mean, what would we all do if no one provided opportunities for ridicule and feeling superior? I remember my wife and I used to get a kick out of some guy ( I believe on ESPN) who would say “assisteses”! I suppose I’d have admit to some occasional annoyance but mostly, I get a kick out of the ridiculous things people say. (I’m sure I provide some of the same opportunities to others)

 

[donalddoowop]

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

That is a Junior whose level of play has risen and is catching the eyes of coaches, mainly for the first time. That is what I see it meaning. All Juniors don't fit that description.

 

[donalddoowop]

That was a " freshman mistake". That irks me, especially when Juniors and Seniors make the same kind of mistakes.