The 10 Most Overused Cliches in Sports Broadcasting

Ever get annoyed by the same old sayings in sports? We’ve all heard the classic “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”, but sometimes sports broadcasters just can’t shy away from using the most cliche sports phrases in history. You may love them, you may hate them, but one thing is for sure about these cliches – they are overused. Let’s take a look at the 10 most overused cliches in sports broadcasting, including famous worn-out phrases that are still included in the modern sports lexicon.

“They came to play”

A statement that makes total sense. In team sports, both teams do in fact show up to play, so it’s odd as to why a sports broadcaster will need to reiterate this, almost as if they ran out of things to say. Traditionally, broadcasters have used this phrase when sports teams play well at the start of the game, such as if an NFL team is making heavy tackles or impressive plays.

“Keep your eye on the ball”

One of the most common cliches used by coaches, fans, and broadcasters, especially in baseball, is the famous “keep your eye on the ball” saying. This insinuates that as long as you watch a pitch coming to you, you should be able to follow the ball’s path for a crushing swing, although it doesn’t always work out this way.

“There’s always next year”

The famous saying for teams that almost had all the glory but fell short in the finals or semifinals. As soon as you suffer the horrific season-defining loss, it’s better to look to the future, where you can always win next year because you couldn’t this year.

“They’re in a league of their own”

You may have heard this one countless times without even noticing, but the overused “they’re in a league of their own” is one of the most boring sports broadcasting phrases used to date. The saying infers that the team is so far ahead of all other teams in their league, they might as well “have a league of their own” to compete in.

“It’s a game of inches”

This one refers to football for obvious reasons. We’ve heard the phrase “it’s a game of inches” be used in nearly every NFL playoff game, typically when a team falls just short of getting a touchdown or the required yardage for a first down.

“Defense wins championships”

The famous “defense wins championships” saying is a complete cliche in sports broadcasting and we hear it every year in the NFL, NBA and even March Madness. For most sports, the philosophy is that if you can’t get scored on, you can’t lose, and if you retain this mentality through the playoffs, you’ll win the championship. It’s almost like broadcasters forget that you can’t win without scoring points, so in essence “offense wins championships” too.

“There’s no ‘I’ in ‘TEAM’”

Probably the worst cliche of all is the “there’s no I in team” which is so cringeworthy it should be refrained from being said altogether. If you don’t already understand, you can’t spell the word T-E-A-M with the letter “I”, which also refers to how any single player should always put the team first before themselves.

“He gave 110%”

As if 100% wasn’t full capacity, the greatest players go on to give 110% when all else fails. We get the saying “He gave 110%” but why not 150% or 200%? If they can surpass 100% effort, why do sports broadcasters limit them to just 10% extra effort?

“Take one for the team”

Honestly, the most relatable saying for any team-based sport is “take one for the team”, which means a player is either doing the dirty work or taking direct punishment for the sole net benefit of the team. In being the only player to suffer the consequences as opposed to allowing your entire team to suffer, you are “taking one for the team” by lessening the overall team punishment.

“The ball’s in their court”

Originating from a basketball saying, but now used in all sorts of sports and business lingo as one of the most overused sports cliches of all time is that “the ball is in their court”. When the ball is “in your court” it means it’s your turn to make the next move. Traditionally, the saying is used when a team is responding to another team’s actions, where they now can change the state of the game.