For everyone outside the US and Australia, the opening game of the 2014 baseball season in Sydney between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks probably didn't register. But for most of us -- including Australian baseball fans, all six of them -- this article shows how the American national pastime has permeated everyday life.
It's not just things like "getting to first base" (*snicker*). What's amazing is how much of this stuff gets said in business meetings. "Let's touch base", "playing hardball", "knock it out of the park" -- all of it comes from the diamond. (That's part of a baseball field. It's framed by four bases set at 90-degree angles from one another. Actually, it's more like a square sitting on one of its points. But we digress.)
It's not just baseball. There are many examples of sports lingo that have come to dominate the boardroom. Soccer/ football: "offside" (a way you don't want to catch your client). Basketball: "slam dunk". American football: "hand it off" (also relays), "Hail Mary".
Any others out there we're missing? More importantly, how many of you non-sports fans say some of this in business situations without even thinking about it?