By: Kaja Antic, Sports Writer
Content warning: mention of homophobia.
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” — Muhammad Ali, c. 1964
Before fighting the “unbeatable” world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston, Ali told the media he would “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” This quote remains one of Ali’s most famous, although it’s believed that the phrase was coined by Ali’s former cornerman, Drew “Bundini” Brown. The phrase has been referenced and parodied in many forms, including the 2006 Pixar film Cars, in which Lightning McQueen adapts it to “float like a Cadillac, sting like a beemer.”
“It’s a power play goal!” — Sam Rosen, c. 1980s
When Rosen began his career on the New York Rangers’ broadcasts in the early 1980s, his booming voice announcing power play goals captivated television audiences nationwide. Rosen had previously been a radio play-by-play announcer for the New York Cosmos soccer team, where his goal call of “it’s a Cosmos goal!” had seemingly inspired his power play call during his multi-decade Rangers career. The call is simple, yet iconic with the scoring player’s name followed by a punctuated, “It’s a power play goal!” This continues to be an iconic hockey play-by-play call, with even current Rangers captain Jacob Trouba copying Rosen’s announcement after scoring a power play goal.
“Let’s get ready to rumble!” — Michael Buffer, c. 1984
If you’ve ever watched some sort of sporting event, you’ve likely heard the phrase, “Let’s get ready to rumble!” The phrase was coined by American ring announcer Michael Buffer in 1984, who then gained the statement’s trademark in 1992 — generating over $400 million in revenue for the string of five words. When Buffer was beginning his career in the early 1980s, he was searching for a catchphrase to get the crowd going at boxing matches, yet nothing he tried was working. Buffer then overheard Muhammad Ali say, “rumble, young man, rumble,” adapted it for his announcing routine, and the rest was history. Buffer has since earned revenue from various shows and movies using his trademarked phrase, as well as uttering it at sporting events outside of boxing or wrestling rings, such as the 2017 United States Grand Prix and Game 1 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final.
“We talking about practice, man!” — Allen Iverson, May 7, 2002
On May 7, 2002, Iverson entered a press conference shortly after his team — the Philadelphia 76ers — were knocked out in the first round of the NBA playoffs. After a journalist questioned the 2001 MVP about his dedication to team practices, Iverson unleashed on a tangent, repeating the word “practice” 22 times. This rant was one of the first viral press conference clips in the early days of the internet and quickly circulated due to the defensiveness Iverson showed when his dedication to the 76ers was questioned. It circulated as a comedic moment, though many failed to acknowledge that Iverson had been dealing with the October 2001 death of his best friend throughout the season — something Iverson mentioned later on in the press conference. The speech has been referenced in many different pop culture realms, including the highly-acclaimed series “Ted Lasso.”
“Iggy!” — Sidney Crosby, February 28, 2010
During the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the men’s hockey final took place at the then-named GM Place between Canada and the United States. Canada held a 2–1 lead in the final minutes until Zach Parise scored to tie the game with less than 30 seconds left. With the Americans forcing overtime, Canada kept pushing in the extra period. Then-22-year-old Sidney Crosby stormed into the American zone, attempting to keep possession of the puck until he noticed then-Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla further down along the boards. Crosby left the puck for Iginla, made a beeline to the net, and then called for the puck by yelling “Iggy!” which the ice-level microphones picked up. Iginla passed to Crosby, who then scored the gold medal-winning goal. While Crosby was simply calling out a nickname, this moment just before winning the Olympic championship is a long-standing memory in Canadian sports history.
“A drive into deep left field by Castellanos” — Thom Brennaman, August 19, 2020
During the first game of a doubleheader between the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals, Reds play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman uttered a homophobic slur during the live broadcast. This incident was clipped, and then circulated on social media, leading to Brennaman issuing an apology and being replaced during the second game’s broadcast. In the fifth inning, Brennaman began his apology as Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos was stepping up to bat. While Brennaman was in the middle of his lacklustre apology, Castellanos hit the ball far into the left field, earning a home run for the Reds. Brennaman paused his apology to cynically describe the play unfolding, announcing, “As there’s a drive into deep left field by Castellanos, it will be a home run. And so, that will make it a 4–0 ballgame,” before continuing his statement. The incident became a copypasta meme, with social media users adding the phrase as an unexpected twist to the end of seemingly somber statements, such as former US President Richard Nixon’s 1974 resignation speech. Castellanos has also now made it a habit of earning home runs during serious moments in the broadcast — adding to the meme’s legacy.
