Have you ever been at a football game and heard someone say, “Blitz coming from the blind side!” or “There was a fumble and a scoop and score!”? To some, these sentences are as easy to understand as two plus two, but to others, they may sound like Chinese. No matter if you understand this jargon, you will find it in every sports event you attend.
Basketball players will often talk about a double-double, which is when a player has double-digit figures in any two statistical categories (such as points and rebounds). This term, along with dribble, dunk, and crossover are more recognizable and easier to figure out.
But where did the term alley-oop—which is when one player throws up the ball, and another jumps up, grabs it, and dunks it—come from? And when did the free-throw line become the Charity Stripe?
Much like different languages, these different sayings and idioms evolved over time. Many easily make sense, such as an end zone—the zone at the end—but many take some thinking, such as a Hail Mary—a long pass, usually into a group of receivers in the end zone.
When researched, someone could find that the Hail Mary is a prayer said by Roman Catholics. Then they could put together that a Hail Mary pass needs some serious praying to actually work. And perhaps that’s how we got this weird terminology.
Cole Liddiard, who played on Orem’s JV football team this year, said, “Terms like scoop and score are just more fun than saying, ‘he picked [up] a fumble, and ran it in for a touchdown.’” That could be why we continue to develop different ways of saying simple things: to add some spice to the sports.
No matter what sport you’re watching or playing, you’ll have to do some learning. Much like integrating into a new country, you’ll have learn, and continue to learn, the many different languages and dialects of sports.
Jesse Cowley
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Amazing!