If you’ve ever sat through a sports conversation and felt completely lost, don’t worry, because you’re not alone. Sports fanatics like to toss around phrases like they’re speaking a foreign language, and unless you’ve been around it for a while, it can feel nearly impossible to keep up.

That’s where this guide comes in.

Whether you just want to survive the small talk, keep up at a watch party or simply stop nodding along to conversations without actually understanding what’s being said, here’s a breakdown of some of the most common sports lingo.

“Ice in his veins”

Nobody is actually walking around with frozen blood. This phrase is just a way of saying a player came up clutch, staying calm when the pressure was high. Think game-winning shots or free throws being made with the season on the line.

“They choked”

Heimlich not required. This simply means that a team or player fell apart when it mattered most. Imagine your favorite team was supposed to cruise their way to a win, but suddenly forgot how to play in the last five minutes. Brutal.

“Rebuilding year”

This is basically sports talk for, “Yeah, we’re bad right now, but give us a little more time to figure this out.”

A rebuilding team is usually playing younger guys, stocking up on draft picks and focusing on the future instead of the present. It’s the polite way of saying, “don’t expect much from us this season.”

“March Madness/Cinderella”

March Madness is the big college basketball tournament that happens in the spring. A “Cinderella” team is one that nobody expected to make it far, but that kept upsetting bigger schools and made a surprise run at the championship. No glass slippers here, just busted brackets everywhere.

“System player”

This one causes a lot of arguments. A “system player” isn’t necessarily bad, It just means that their success is tied to the scheme or “system” that they’re in. A quarterback might play great in one offensive scheme but look completely lost in another. Fans love debating whether a player is genuinely elite, or if they were just placed within the perfect setup.

“Dynasty”

No crowns, no royal bloodlines. A dynasty is a team that wins consistently over the course of multiple years. Staying in the spotlight and driving rival fans crazy, think of the 2010s Golden State Warriors squad in the NBA or the Patriots’ 20-year run in the NFL.

Phrases People Get Wrong

“Walk-off”

This only happens when the game ends on that exact play. In baseball, a walk-off home run means that everyone goes home right then and there. It’s not just any clutch hit.

“Sudden death”

In overtime, this means that the first score wins. It’s not just extra time on the clock; it’s win or go home immediately.

“Upset”

An upset is when the underdog wins, not when a favorite destroys the weaker team. If the No. 1 seed blows out last place, that’s not shocking. That’s just any given Tuesday.

Why it Matters

Sports talk isn’t just about referencing sports. It’s how fans bond with each other: through inside jokes, shared heartbreaks and arguments that will never end.

Once you learn the basics, you can join those conversations instead of smiling and nodding through them.

So, the next time that you hear somebody say a player has “ice in his veins,” you’ll know that they’re not just talking about a trip to the emergency room.

They’re talking about having nerves of steel, being calm under pressure and feeling the way we all wish we felt while giving a presentation in front of an entire class.

Sports talk may sound complicated, but when you start picking up the language, it’s easier to follow. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even start using it yourself.