Today we’ll be discussing basic sports jargon, a.k.a. terms and phrases invented or co-opted by athletes, sportscasters and fans to explain stuff that happens in athletics that we didn’t have precise words for — and in many cases still do not.
The following are 20 of the usual suspects tossed around when sports are discussed that may or may not make any actual sense.
Some of these phrases are good and sensical. Others I’m convinced are just noises that escaped Chris Berman’s throat and were taken as canon. All of them are used daily, whether we like it or not.