Competition & Strategy Vocabulary

a series of games to determine a championship

“The team clinched a spot in the playoffs.”

Origin: From play + off, originally meaning a deciding game

a competitor thought to have little chance of winning

“The underdog defeated the reigning champions.”

Origin: From dogfighting, the losing dog ending up under the other

an unexpected victory by a weaker opponent

“The upset shocked the sports world.”

Origin: From up + set, originally meaning to overturn

ranking competitors to determine tournament matchups

“The top seed receives a favorable draw.”

Origin: From seed, metaphor of planting competitors in brackets

a tournament structure showing matchups and progression

“March Madness brackets drive office pools nationwide.”

Origin: French braguette, from brague `breeches` (from shape)

additional playing time when scores are tied

“The game went into triple overtime.”

Origin: From over + time

a game in which one side fails to score

“The pitcher threw a complete-game shutout.”

Origin: From shut + out, preventing opponents from scoring

a game with a lopsided score

“The blowout was over by halftime.”

Origin: From blow + out, like a tire bursting

the psychological advantage from a series of successes

“The comeback gave them all the momentum.”

Origin: Latin momentum `movement`, from movere `to move`

a team that dominates its sport for an extended period

“They built a dynasty with five consecutive titles.”

Origin: Greek dynasteia `power, lordship`, from dynastes `ruler`