Win, Lose or Draw: Sports Jargon in our Lives

Center for Media Literacy: Empowerment Through Education


This article originally appeared in Issue #36 / Summer 1986

Topic / Subject Area:
	Media Activity Resources
	English / Language Arts
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	Reflections of a Fading Fan
	No Two Countries See the Same Olympics

Win, Lose or Draw: Sports Jargon in our Lives

Making it to first base. Par for the course. Throwing in the towel. You don't have to understand baseball, golf and boxing to use these sports-based idioms which have all become part of common speech. Such is the impact of sports on the psyche that any culture that values sports is apt to use its language — think of "that's not cricket" or "a sticky wicket" in British speech.

Remember also:

Take me out to the ball game...
The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat...
Playing hardball...
It's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game...
Three strikes and you're out...
Know the score...
Hitting a home run...
Second stringer...
Making the varsity...
Making it to the majors... A real screwball...
Extra innings...
Touchdown...
Win one for the Gipper...
It isn't over till it's over.

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