The Worst Cliches in Sports

The athletic realm has always presented us with humorous commentary, baffling post-game quotes and eccentric personalities, but rarely has it diverted from it's cliched verbal foundation.

Typical approaches to motivating a team, over-used terms of respect, consistently-sickening utterances that measure opponents...the ingredients featured throughout the large collection of sports cliches that continue to haunt fans and bore cameras.

Let's take a look at the worst cliches in sports, those that require a touch-up or perhaps a careless toss towards the trashcan.

We're already cringing.

40. 'They're World Champions'

But only in North America.

39. 'Now He's Got to Step Up'

As opposed to before? Or perhaps they mean on the dance floor.

38. 'He's Got a Great Work Ethic'

We'd expect most professional athletes to be constantly honing their craft. But kudos to you, sir.

37. 'They've Gotten Inside Their Heads'

Excluding Veronica Corningstone's entrance into Ron Burgundy's head during Anchorman, we have yet to witness this phenomenon.

36. 'He's Taking Care of the Football'

The pigs would be proud.

35. 'It's Gut-Check Time'

They seem to hire assistants for that job alone.

34. 'They've Got Great Team Chemistry'

They're planning to get a place together real soon.

33. 'We Can't Say Enough About Him'

Maybe not about his multiple haircuts.

32. 'She Came to Play'

Only today... next week might be a different story.

31. 'Take It to the Next Level'

We prefer to kick it up a notch, bam!

30. 'You Can Feel the Electricity'

But only when you're watching the Rays or Lightning.

29. 'Tremendous Upside'

So many careers ruined, so much promise undiscovered.

Less is more in regards to scouting.

28. 'Statistics Can Be Misleading'

In essence, the team's success is quite baffling. Hard work is the key.

27. '...Backs Against the Wall'

Welcome to the world of professional sports.

26. 'They Know What It Takes to Win'

Only until they lose.

25. 'Putting on His Game Face'

This aggression evidently wins championships.

24. 'Defense Wins Championships'

Being prolific in one aspect of the game certainly helps.

23. 'Manny Being Manny'

Oh yes, our beloved Manny Ramirez.

Green Monster cell phone parties, lethargic attempts to catch line drives and ridiculous haircuts...just Manny being Manny.

22. 'He's Got Nimble Feet for a Big Guy'

He still has the personality and demeanor of a California redwood.

21. 'We're Going to Shock the World'

Until a new quote is produced, we've yet to be truly shocked.

20. 'He Overcame Adversity'

An old, old wooden ship?...No wait, that's diversity.

19. 'This Is a Must-Win Ballgame'

We were once under the impression that every game was a must-win.

18. 'Their Go-to Guy'

Having anyone else touch the ball seems counterproductive...where's he going to anyway?

17. 'That Was a Gutsy Performance'

If being paid millions of dollars to kick or carry a ball, swing a bat or shoot a puck is considered gutsy, then yes, yes it was.

16. 'Jets Will Win the Super Bowl'

Two rings and counting in Rex's fantasy world.

15. 'They're a Great Team on Paper'

Years of amazin' heartbreak, amazin' disappointment.

14. 'They Have to Come Together as a Team'

Or they'll die as individuals...yeah we've heard the Al Pacino speech thousands of times.

13. 'That Was a Rookie Mistake'

A veteran mistake must be forgetting to use the John before kickoff.

12. 'At the End of the Day...'

...We still hate this segue statement that essentially refers to life naturally moving along.

11. 'A Game of Inches'

Kevin Dyson was a bit off on his measurements.

10. 'They Wanted It More'

Time to make some serious in-house changes; desire should never be measurable in professional sports.

9. 'It's a Mental Game'

Uh not exactly, otherwise we'd likely see Ivy-Leaguers dominating the sports domain (cough...Jeremy Lin...cough).

8. 'They're Going for Back-to-Back Championships'

We considered taking the year off, but figured we might as well go for a second title.

Only for the confetti and champagne, though.

7. 'God Was on Our Side Today'

Really tempting the fates with this passionate exclamation.

The friar haircut certainly swayed his holy decision making.

6. 'Tremendous Piece of Hitting'

We often see disgusting displays of bat on ball: what an ugly home run.

5. 'We Must Play Within Ourselves'

While we'd like to blame Phil Jackson's zen-like mindset for this baffling quote, we'd rather try to understand the art of playing within.

So are we supposed to stand still and focus on our inner feelings?

4. 'He Gave 110 Percent'

If we're going to create our own measurements, 110 percent doesn't seem so stellar.

3. 'We're Taking It One Game at a Time'

For 162-game baseball seasons, taking it 30 games at a time seems more proper.

2. 'They Have to Get on the Same Page'

We believe a team thrives best when every member is thinking something different.

1. 'They Need to Generate Some Offense'

Thanks, Einstein. How about generating some quiet time?