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

[tkaes]

It's not just sports. Pompous jargon surrounds us. It's aim is to impress, not to communicate. Read the financial press, and don't be surprised if it feels like you are getting sucked down into buzzword quicksand. Of course many business types love sports terms, as they are about competing and striving and winning. Sports talking heads try to sound “professional” by repeating all the same cliches other sportscasters use. It's a never ending circle jerk. Why say homered or hit it out of the park when you can flash your in-crowd credentials by screeching goes yard!

Decades ago George Orwell warned us about dead metaphors, especially in public life. George Orwell: Politics and the English Language
Don't be put off by the title; the essay is not about politics. It is about lazy, sloppy, imprecise language, and people using words that don't mean what the writers and speakers think they mean.

Think of the last time you were told that the mother gave birth to a little baby boy. Glad to hear that it was a mother doing the birthing, and not a nephew. Do we need to say that the baby is little, to distinguish it from all the gargantuan newborns?

Keep dead and dying metaphors in mind the next time you are told that the pitcher challenged the batter. How's that for bush league language?

100%. It seems that media play-by-play guys and analysts believe they are somehow more intelligent, precise, and a host of other adjectives if they use more unnecessary words. Basketball coaches who couldn't keep winning and are now employed by ESPN and the like are some of the worst. Expressions like "score the basketball" or "rebound the basketball" drive me nuts. Seth Greenberg and Carolyn Peck are among the worst. Why can't they just say score and rebound?

Back to the original point about "true freshman". There was a time in football, perhaps 10-15 years ago when almost all freshman were redshirted. Back then it was appropriate to distinguish a true freshman from a redshirt. Not any more as most recruits especially the top ones at major programs want and expect to play right away. They want sign the LOI with a schedule that even hints at redshirting them.

Football is really the only sport where redshirting was a major thing. Sure, redshirting does occur in all the other sports except maybe for women's basketball. Absent injury, redshirting is virtually non-existent in women's basketball. There are a couple of women's NCAA basketball announcers who use the term true freshman aggravatingly 100% of the time when they shouldn't, IMHO.

 

[cabbie191]

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?

I’m glad it’s only a mild irritation because much of what we say is intended to “instruct” the listener and not be taken literally. And this a good example.

However, I like the idea of the Huskies giving 2,000,000% effort because that would likely translate into our having 200 national championship trophies!

 

[cullaville]

100%. It seems that media play-by-play guys and analysts believe they are somehow more intelligent, precise, and a host of other adjectives if they use more unnecessary words. Basketball coaches who couldn't keep winning and are now employed by ESPN and the like are some of the worst. Expressions like "score the basketball" or "rebound the basketball" drive me nuts. Seth Greenberg and Carolyn Peck are among the worst. Why can't they just say score and rebound?

Back to the original point about "true freshman". There was a time in football, perhaps 10-15 years ago when almost all freshman were redshirted. Back then it was appropriate to distinguish a true freshman from a redshirt. Not any more as most recruits especially the top ones at major programs want and expect to play right away. They want sign the LOI with a schedule that even hints at redshirting them.

Football is really the only sport where redshirting was a major thing. Sure, redshirting does occur in all the other sports except maybe for women's basketball. Absent injury, redshirting is virtually non-existent in women's basketball. There are a couple of women's NCAA basketball announcers who use the term true freshman aggravatingly 100% of the time when they shouldn't, IMHO.

Score or rebound the basketball are horrible phrases, what else are you going to score, your sneakers

 

[CL82]

However, I like the idea of the Huskies giving 2,000,000% effort because that would likely translate into our having 200 national championship trophies!

Would it though?

 

[01Neaggrad02]

Penetration.... deep in the lane. Sorry they need to find another way to describe it. It just sounds dirty.... Especially if you are in the other room and you hear the announcer shout about the "deep penetration"... I thought basketball was supposed to be a family thing....

 

[01Neaggrad02]

I also cringe when they say "Hall of Famer" "Legendary" "Coach" Carolyn Peck. When she starts talking the sound of my eye rolls sound more pleasing than anything she has to say.

 

[cullaville]

anything Bill Walton talks about besides basketball

 

[Cecil9]

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.

"We've seen this time and time again"

As if no one hasn't heard it time and time again

 

[Pinhead]

She/he's got a great (name your sport) IQ

 

[Bone Dog]

I didn’t care for Ryan Ruoco saying “Paige frickin’ Bueckers” after one game. But disrespectful as it may be, I understand the emotion behind this sort of slip. On the other hand, he has had some very good moments, when he really hits the sweet spot. I’ve always liked his “Why not?” after players hit huge perimeter shots. It seems to suggest that the gods of hoop are smiling on that player or that team.

 

[Waquoit]

... Expressions like "score the basketball"...

You buried the lede. Score the ball is the worst, imo. They don't seem to use it as much lately, thank goodness.

 

[Alydar]

True freshman is a football term. I don’t think it matters much in Any other sport.

Line to gain is a technical term used by referees.

I don’t know. Cringy doesn’t bother me.

The reason they use redshirt freshman is to identify a sophomore by grade with 4 years of eligibility remaining.

Yes, it is all stupid. But their eligibility isn’t tied to their academic standing.

What they should do in college football is give the players' ages. " Pete Thorpe gains 7 yards. Pete's a true freshman and a 6'4, 250 lb fullback.

What they don't tell you:

"Pete graduated HS 4 years ago" "He spent 2 years in prison lifting weights and then 2 years in a prep program on a scholarship provided by an Oshkosh U. booster". "Those boosters can't do enough for ol' Oshkosh U."

 

[Alydar]

I didn’t care for Ryan Ruoco saying “Paige frickin’ Bueckers” after one game. But disrespectful as it may be, I understand the emotion behind this sort of slip. On the other hand, he has had some very good moments, when he really hits the sweet spot. I’ve always liked his “Why not?” after players hit huge perimeter shots. It seems to suggest that the gods of hoop are smiling on that player or that team.

My memory was that he said it right after she sank a huge 3, not after the game. I thought it was the call of the season. It was a perfect thing to say and any 3rd grader has heard the obscene version every day on the school bus.

And to be correct it was "Paige Freeking Bueckers"

 

[Alydar]

I’m glad it’s only a mild irritation because much of what we say is intended to “instruct” the listener and not be taken literally. And this a good example.

However, I like the idea of the Huskies giving 2,000,000% effort because that would likely translate into our having 200 national championship trophies!

Yeah, and dozens of Jimmy Piersall's too.

 

[eebmg]

I didn’t care for Ryan Ruoco saying “Paige frickin’ Bueckers” after one game. But disrespectful as it may be, I understand the emotion behind this sort of slip. On the other hand, he has had some very good moments, when he really hits the sweet spot. I’ve always liked his “Why not?” after players hit huge perimeter shots. It seems to suggest that the gods of hoop are smiling on that player or that team.

I thought it was John Fanta who said that about Paige in the Fox televised DePaul Game. Could be wrong?

 

[visitingcock]

"moral victory"

Sports teams are sports teams. Sorry, morality is not a part of it.

Close losses can be morale victories for big underdogs.

 

[Rixxx]

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.

Must have been describing Kelsey Plum.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Must have been describing Kelsey Plum.

I'm sure Alyssa Thomas and A'ja Wilson received it plenty of times.

 

[MooseJaw]

I have been holding back to see if anyone else cringes uncontrollably when anyone lets loose with a bunch of ums often one after another. My number one cringe moment, Geno is very guilty of this, Ya Know. It comes out of his mouth countless numbers of times in most interviews. To be fair both of the above have become all too common in today's speech. I try to ignore both, just haven't learned to tune either out yet.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Physicality
Comportment (although that's disappeared from the vernacular)
"They just wanted the ball more"

 

[ClifSpliffy]

i think that some of these terms become popular when introduced by well known broadcasters. dicky v is a fun and benign entertainer, and i believe he popularized that hokum 'principle of verticality' thing.
what principle? that u shouldn't be fouled when jumping straight up?

it has faded away, like the term 'carry' in on court pro ball, seemingly more used off court describing nba salaries - 'he's gonna need an armored truck to carry the loot away.'

in the ol timey shows, u may hear 'jumpin jehosephat!'
who is jehosephat, and why is he/she/they jumping?
i'd like to think that i invented this one, highly appropriate now when analyzing a managers decision to walk judge, bases loaded or otherwise - 'better safe than sushi.'
i do like the one 'great balls of fire!' appropo for soo many things, including that time i hit the restroom immediately after chopping up a bunch of jalapenos in the scullery.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

postlude: (jeez, talk aboot a loaded word...)


heard from the restroom after the jalapeno incident:
'uh, uh, uh great balls of fire, imma fried.'

and, it's cartoons and not 'anime' or whatever. we invented the dang stuff, and it's called cartoons regardless of what speed racer, or gigantor, sez.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

I have been holding back to see if anyone else cringes uncontrollably when anyone lets loose with a bunch of ums often one after another. My number one cringe moment, Geno is very guilty of this, Ya Know. It comes out of his mouth countless numbers of times in most interviews. To be fair both of the above have become all too common in today's speech. I try to ignore both, just haven't learned to tune either out yet.

'anyone lets loose with a bunch of ums often one after another.'
tru dat.
my 'cure' story happened back in early grammar school. our teach was a crafty old bird, and she concocted a scheme to fix me. she sent me out for a brief errand just before my turn to give an oral report, and told the class to whack their desks hard whenever i said 'umm.'
brilliant! i come back, start yakking, and quickly notice that my pals are slamming their desks as i spoke. instant results. to this day, it's gone.

operative word 'said' and not 'wrote.'
it has utility when writing. dramatic pause an all that.

 

[huskyblooz]

Adversity. OMG! Every player. Every team. They all have overcome adversity. It's nauseating.

 

[visitingcock]

"moral victory"

Sports teams are sports teams. Sorry, morality is not a part of it.

Close losses can be morale victories for big underdogs.

Okay. Maybe closes losses to Miami’s football program used to be “moral” victories.