It was the inimitable Crash Davis from the classic 1988 film “Bull Durham” who told us in no uncertain terms the importance of the cliché to the language of sports.
“You’re going to have to learn your clichés,” Davis (played by Kevin Costner) imparted to young pitching phenom Ebbie Calvin LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) while on a long bus ride in the Carolina League. “You’re going to have to study them; you’re going to have to know them. They’re your friends.”
With that, here are the top 10 most overused clichés in sports:
1. “They/we wanted it more.”
There is no question that desire plays a big role in determining an athlete’s success or failure as an individual. But everyone who plays the game at an elite level wants to win. And athletes do it against competitors who also want to win. IUPUI guard Janna Eichelberger gave the desire of her and her teammates a bit too much credit after beating North Dakota State in the 2012 Summit League women’s basketball tournament. “The difference (between losing to NDSU a week earlier) was basically we wanted it more,” Eichelberger said.
2. “We/they gave 110 percent.”
Simple mathematics disproves this age-old goodie from coaches and players. Many athletes have given 100 percent. Some, such as Manny Ramirez, gave much less. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was guilty of mathematical impossibility when he told the Philadelphia Inquirer after a win over the Dallas Cowboys last season, “They gave 110 percent and we did the same.” Really?
3. “Tremendous upside”
It’s no longer that a young player has great potential or a bright future. No, now that athlete has a “tremendous upside.” ESPN basketball recruiting analyst Reggie Rankin once said of a player, “Mitchell must continue to build his offensive skill and feel, but he has tremendous upside.” He may also have a lot of potential.
4. “Must-win game”
Apparently other games aren’t that important. But those that are identified as “must-win games” are huge. Of course, a team or an athlete puts themselves in that “must-win” position by losing too much prior to that. Miami Dolphins linebacker Karlos Dansby told the Palm Beach Post about a coming game against the Arizona Cardinals, “It’s a must-win right now. We’re going against a hot team. Good chance to show what we’ve got.” Those earlier losses by the Dolphins to the Houston Texans and New York Jets were obviously much less important.
5. “God was on our side”
Without descending into a theological debate and whether or not one believes in some sort of higher power or not, can’t there be a consensus that said higher power really couldn’t care less about a sporting event? Or as professor Wadan Narsey asked in the Fiji Times when his nation’s rugby team would claim “God was on our side” when it won: “And whenever we lost was it because ‘God was not on our side,’ but that of others?”
6. “They sent a message.”
Sportswriters and sportscasters particularly fall in love with this phrase, which they deliver when trying to describe a particularly important or momentum-shifting play or that a certain team or athlete is better than the masses may have expected. Such was the case for college football writer Ray Matthews when he wrote of the Louisiana-Monroe football team, “The following week the Warhawks took the Auburn Tigers to overtime before losing and they sent a message to the rest of the country that they are a very good football team.
7. “Gunslinger”
Not every quarterback who makes a risky throw into coverage is a gunslinger. Jesse James? He was definitely a gunslinger. Wyatt Earp? Certainly, he was a gunslinger. Brett Favre? Not so much. San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh invoked the term on a recent conference call to describe Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. “He’s kind of like a modern-day gunslinger (or) gunfighter,” Harbaugh said. “He has all the attributes of a football-playing quarterback and then some.”
8. “He never gives up.”
Can one really be a successful athlete by giving up? But coaches and media alike seem determined to assure us that some particular athletes are successful simply because they continue to play. Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy made that claim about former quarterback Tim Tebow last year to Sports Illustrated. “Tim is a guy who never gives up,” McCoy said.
9. “No one gave us a chance.”
Yes, of course. Seemingly every team that wins a championship uses this rallying cry, even if it was 38-0 going into the championship game. Even Super Bowl champion coach Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants used that phrase when speaking to President Barack Obama at the White House in June 2012. “We hope when you think about the 2011-12 New York football Giants, a smile will come to your face,” Coughlin said. “No one gave us a chance.”
10. “We’re taking it one game at a time.”
Is there really any other way to take it? Can you play two games or three at a time? Even a veteran such as forward Dainius Zubrus of the New Jersey Devils played this cliché when speaking to The Associated Press during the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. “We’re taking it one game at a time,” Zubrus said. “We’re hoping to win the next.” That sounds like quite a promising strategy.
Phil Watson is a 20-year veteran of the newspaper business with his roots as a sports writer. He has been an avid sports enthusiast since early childhood.
