The ultimate guide to sports clichés

There’s a scene in the classic 1988 film Bull Durham in which Crash Davis, played by Kevin Costner, instructs Nuke Laloosh, played by Tim Robbins, on the time-honored art of sprouting sports clichés.

"You're gonna have to learn your clichés," he tells the naive young hurler. "You're gonna have to study them, you're gonna have to learn them, you're gonna have to know them. They're your friends."

Clichés like the ones espoused by Davis are used regularly by players and coaches in press conferences and post-game interviews. They may seem banal, but there’s real meaning lurking beneath the surface of each one of these dusty old platitudes.  

Join us now as we translate popular sports clichés so you can understand what you favorite star is actually saying when he proclaims, "We're taking it one day at a time."

"Defense wins championships."

In other words: "Our quarterback can’t hit the broadside of a barn, so we’re counting on our secondary to pull off the impossible."
Who says it most: Anyone who’s ever coached Mitchell Trubisky.

"I’m going to give 110%"

In other words: "I’m really bad at math and have no idea how percentages work."
Who says it most: Players who slept through their Introduction to Statistics class.

"We got a lot of open looks at the basket, but just couldn’t covert.”

In other words: "We couldn’t hit the #$%& water if we fell out of a boat."
Who uses it most: Basketball coaches on the verge of ripping out their few remaining hairs.

"This is a must-win ballgame"

In other words: "If I don’t win today I’ll be packing up the contents of my desk by 5:00 p.m."
Who says it most: Any coach who’s lost five games in a row.

"He’s the first one at practice and the last one to leave."

In other words: "There’s a very strong possibility he might be homeless. It would certainly explain the sleeping bag we found under the bleachers."
Who says it most: Old school coaches when praising the team’s resident gym rat.

“Everybody is back on the same page.”

In other words: "We’ve finally found someone we hate even more than we hate each other."
Who says it most: Teams that just traded away a major prima donna.

"God was on our side today."

In other words: "It’s an absolute miracle we just won."
Who says it most: Anyone who leaves Bryant-Denny Stadium with a victory.

"I'm just happy to be here, and I hope I can help the ball club." 

In other words: "Thank god I no longer have to take a bus from Albuquerque to Colorado Springs."
Who says it most: Minor league players who have just been promoted to the show.

"They just wanted it more."

In other words: "We got outworked by a bunch of scrubs."
Who says it most: Players who spent the last two quarters of the game scanning the stands for their next date.

"We’re taking it one day at a time."

In other words: "We’re one day away from being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs."
Who says it most: Players who are on the verge of planning their next golf trip.

"He has tremendous work ethic."

In other words: "He has to work harder than everyone else to overcome his astounding lack of athleticism."
Who says it most: Team scouts when they run out of nice things to say about second round picks.

"No one gave us a chance."

In other words: "Someone just made a small fortune by taking us at -10000."
Who says it most: Scrappy underdogs with chips the size of South Dakota on their shoulders.

"There is no 'I' in 'team'"

In other words: "It takes teamwork to make the dream work."
Who uses it most: Every high school basketball coach who has ever roamed a sideline.

"The media are blowing this out of proportion."

In other words: "I’m done talking to the press until they start saying nice things about me again."
Who says it most: Players who have just been caught sleeping with a teammate’s wife.

"On any given Sunday…"

In other words: "We may suck from Monday to Saturday, but there’s a chance we could catch a break on game day."
Who says it most: Every single member of the 2017 Cleveland Browns.