The casual fan's
sports glossary.
The sports terms everyone else seems to know, explained the way a friend would explain them. No stats avalanche. No gatekeeping. Bar-friendly definitions, in six leagues.
Sports has its own language, and nobody hands you a dictionary at the door. We made one. Each entry is short — a one-line definition, a sentence about why it matters in the moment, and the thing to say (or just nod about) when it happens on screen. Read straight through or skim by sport.
Pick and roll, technical foul, isolation, and-one.
Football.Hail Mary (yes, that one), play-action, blitz, red zone.
Baseball.RBI, no-hitter, the count, walk-off, ERA.
Hockey.Power play, icing, hat trick, the crease.
Soccer.Offside, stoppage time, clean sheet, nutmeg.
Most-asked questions.
The ten sports terms casual fans search for the most. Each answer here is the short version — tap through for the full entry plus what to say when it happens live.
What is a pick and roll in basketball?
One teammate sets a legal body-block (a 'screen') so the player with the ball can slip past their defender, then rolls toward the hoop for a pass. It's the most common play in basketball — say it once and you'll hear it 400 more times tonight.
What is a Hail Mary in football?
A long, desperate pass thrown toward the end zone at the end of a half or game when nothing else will work. The quarterback heaves it as far as they can and prays someone catches it. Hits about 10% of the time. (Yes, we're named after it.)
What is offside in soccer?
An attacker must have at least one defender (plus the goalkeeper) between them and the goal line at the moment a teammate passes them the ball. If not, the play is whistled dead. The most-misunderstood rule in any sport.
What is stoppage time in soccer?
Soccer's clock never stops, so the ref adds a few minutes at the end of each half to make up for injuries and substitutions. That's why a '90-minute' game ends around 97 — and why a shocking number of goals happen there.
What is a hat trick in hockey?
When one player scores three goals in a single game. Fans throw real hats onto the ice when it happens; arena staff sweeps them up between plays. The tradition is older than most fans realize.
What is a power play in hockey?
When one team is short a player because of a penalty, the other team gets a 'power play' — five skaters against four for usually two minutes. Hockey's biggest scoring opportunity.
What is an RBI in baseball?
Run Batted In — credit a batter gets when their at-bat makes a teammate score. Drive in one runner with a single, that's 1 RBI. Hit a homer with two on, that's 3. The cleanest stat for 'this player drove offense.'
What is ERA in baseball?
Earned Run Average — the average number of earned runs a pitcher gives up per nine innings. Lower is better. Under 3.00 is excellent, under 2.00 is historically great, and over 5.00 means somebody is losing their rotation spot.
What is play-action in football?
The quarterback fakes a handoff to a running back, then throws a pass. The fake makes the defense hesitate just long enough to open receivers downfield. Half of NFL passing is this trick.
What is pass interference in football?
A penalty for a defender grabbing or pushing a receiver before the ball arrives. The offense gets the ball at the spot of the foul — sometimes 50+ yards downfield. The most game-changing penalty in football.
How to use this
Open it on your phone during a game. If someone yells something you don't recognize, tap into the right sport and search the term. Most entries are under 80 words. None of them assume you know what a “pick six” is. (It's in the football hub.)
Why we made this
We built Hail Mary because the door being open isn't the same as being in the room. The boys love you, but they've been speaking this language since they were eight. Ballbot — our in-app AI guardian angel — translates the game live. This glossary is the public version: same voice, same posture, available even when you're not in the chat.
Want this in your pocket?
Hail Mary's side chat decodes plays as they happen, so you never have to scroll to the right glossary entry mid-game. iOS, summer 2026.
Save me a seat →