Sports Cliches Go From Locker Room To Boardroom
Sports cliches, the language of the locker room, are actually used in about 50% of corporate boardrooms and everyday conversations, according to Dr. Don R. Powell, a licensed psychologist and President of the American Institute for Preventive Medicine in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
That's because both Sports, as in the Super Bowl, and business reward hard work, dedication, competitiveness, and success.
Sports cliches provide a kind of shorthand, according to Dr. Powell, author of Best Sports Cliches Ever. They communicate ideas quickly and clearly. In business, they are used to compliment, reprimand, motivate, and set goals.
"We have a love/hate relationship with cliches. Although we complain about them, we are enamored with them. That's because they always seem to fit. Quite frankly, in some ways we can't live without sports cliches," says Powell.
Dr. Powell thinks there's something very comforting about cliches. We have heard them since we were young, so they bring back pleasant memories of watching games with our mom or dad.
Although thousands of cliches will be said by Colts and Bears players in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, just as many cliches will be heard in corporate boardrooms. Sports cliches are part of the fabric of life. They are woven into not only sporting events, but everyday conversation.
Powell has compiled the top 10 sports cliches used in business.
He's a team player.
He dropped the ball.
It's gut check time.
He doesn't pull any punches.
He always steps up to the plate.
He talks a good game.
He's in a league of his own.
They want to play hardball.
The ball's in your court.
He answered the bell.
Always "a student of the game," Powell was fascinated with cliches as a youngster listening to Red Barber and Mel Allen. He selected the "best and brightest" for his book Best Sports Cliches Ever which Sports Illustrated called "a home run" and ESPN The Magazine said was "a good bathroom read." "I guess," says Powell, "if you buy Best Sports Cliches Ever, you can hit a home run in your bathroom."
