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This is an All Ears English podcast.
Basketball in English, part one.
Vocabulary for the game.
Welcome to the All Ears English podcast. downloaded more than 200 million times.
Are you feeling stuck with your English?
We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection.
With your American hosts Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA.
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The sport of basketball is about more than just the game.
It can be about family, friends, and human connection.
Today in this part, one of our three-part series, get vocabulary.
You need to watch or attend a basketball game in English.
Hey, Michelle, what's going on?
How are you doing today?
I'm good, Lindsay.
Before the show, we were talking a little bit about basketball.
Do you like basketball?
I do like basketball.
I like that there's so much scoring.
And yes, super fast paced.
And sometimes I wish I were a basketball player, for the amount of calories I'm sure they torch in a game.
It's just they're constantly moving.
It's incredible.
It is incredible.
Sometimes I look at these players and I just think, how do they do it?
It's really what athletes really.
And it's also really fun to imagine how tall they actually are.
I am never I never end up on the ground floor in the first row.
I mean, that's reserved for like Hollywood stars.
Right.
Right.
That's where you really understand how tall they are.
But I'm always studying the stats of how tall this person is and then comparing him to the ref or the umpire or whatever they call the person in basketball, and just trying to understand how tall they really are.
They're huge.
Do you ever go to games in Denver?
Yeah, yeah.
I've been to a few games.
Oh, you do?
I didn't know that.
Yeah, we go to games because we get sometimes from my partner's corporate job.
We get seats in the box sometimes.
Yeah, super fun.
To me, I grew up loving basketball.
I was a huge Knicks fan.
So guys, that's the New York team.
And I was a huge Knicks fan as a little girl.
And I used to cry when they lost.
And I was very superstitious.
And it was just also a way to bond with my brother, especially because he loved them.
And so we really connected over that.
And even to this day, we'll text each other.
Oh, are you watching the game?
Are you watching the game?
And we still talk about it.
So sports is interesting because for a lot of sports fans it's really also just an emotional attachment that can sometimes go back forever, a generation or more, right.
Maybe your grandfather loved sports.
It seems like, oh, it's just a game, but at the same time, it's very deep.
It's interesting.
I mean just the fact that you used to cry as a kid.
It means that even as a young child, for you it was about so much more than the game, right?
It was about family.
It was about your connection with your brother.
It's about the atmosphere, spending time with people.
This is huge.
It's not just basketball.
It's really any sport or any kind of event.
Basketball is a big one in American culture.
Our listeners are going to want to know, if they're living here or they're watching TV here, what it's all about.
Actually talking about how special it can be on the emotional side.
I recently took my son to his very first basketball game at Madison square garden.
And yeah, and he's five and I didn't know how it would be, but it was.
It's interesting because now he's at this age I was telling you where he's starting to be a big boy and he's starting to like these kinds of things.
And so I started.
I opened up the door for him to start learning about basketball, and he's really loving it, and so now i'm building these memories with my own child, and so you can see it, it becomes just so special in that way.
So we went to a game um, and yeah it was.
It was a lot of fun, he was great.
Um, the only thing was i didn't have a chance to eat for the majority of the game.
Oh my gosh, i would be starving.
Yeah yes, but it's okay um so, anyway.
So, but that's what we're talking about today.
We're talking about basketball.
We did an episode way way, way back.
Episode 1207 was why these sports idioms are not out of left field.
So this was all different sports.
But today we're going to talk about specifically basketball and we're going to give you some basketball vocabulary.
Lindsay, do you think this can be useful even if you're not a basketball fan?
For sure.
We're going to show you guys, which ones are actually useful outside of basketball and which ones we want to reserve for watching basketball on TV with a friend or going to a game.
And we'll tell you guys exactly which ones are applicable.
Right, Michelle?
We're going to give it to them straight.
Exactly.
And guys, I'm sure that we have lot of basketball fans who are listening to the show.
So if you are a huge fan already yeah um we, we are giving some of the basics um and, but let us know, let us know what teams you like and um, or maybe you play basketball, let us know.
I mean, i know soccer is so popular around the world.
I have a feeling that a lot of our listeners may have that connection with soccer.
Uh, the way you just described this family connection with basketball.
I mean soccer runs so incredibly deep in so many countries around the world.
So that might be a thing.
It's called football.
Right.
It's called football.
Maybe we'll go into that another day, you know, on soccer.
Yeah, definitely.
So guys, we are also going to be talking about.
You know sports and share that you know.
Maybe you have a question about sports.
So this is going to be... Lindsay, we also...
This is not gonna be the first, the only episode we talk about this, right?
No, we're gonna have a really cool series here, guys, in these next few weeks.
This episode is on today on All Ears English, but your next episode in this series is gonna be over on Business English podcast in a couple of weeks.
So the first thing you want to do right now is go over and find a business English podcast from all ears English.
It's yellow and hit the follow button.
We're going to actually talk over there about how you might build a business relationship, build a relationship with a client or colleague.
If you go to a game with that person, because we know this happens, people take clients out to games at a very high level.
You are a salesperson, you're trying to make a sale.
You very well might end up at a game with this person.
You're trying to get to know, and so we're going to talk about how to do that super high level.
I love it definitely.
This is going to be fun.
So today is part one, so let's get into it.
So the first one is slam dunk.
Right okay, love that.
Uh, slam dunk.
What is a slam dunk, lindsay?
This is when you're tall enough that you can jump up and you can.
Actually, your hand is big enough that you can hold the ball in one hand, which is amazing um, and then dunk it like put it right into the basket.
Usually they're grabbing on to the i don't know if they can legally do that, or what or hanging on the basket.
I'm not really sure, but that's what it is.
It's a slam dunk.
They put it right into the basket.
For example, he's going to.
He's going to do great at the slam dunk contest this year.
Yeah, he's going to do great.
So there is a slam dunk contest every year as part of the All-Star game.
With the Knicks?
Or just in general?
No, in general, like a whole league thing.
Oh, cool.
So a slam dunk contest.
I don't know if it's technically that it has to be one hand.
I think it can be two hands, but I think it's just coming up and slamming it in.
Yeah, I've seen the two hands before.
Yeah, for sure.
Whatever you like.
Lindsay, tell us, would you hear this outside of basketball?
I think yes.
I think you could.
I just think with the caveat you could say this in business, but the caveat of Usually it's said by someone who is also into basketball.
If they're going to use it in the business world.
I just would find it like not unheard of and not wrong.
But I think people who are into the sport might be more likely to say it in the working world.
Like if you just killed it on a campaign, you crushed it.
Slam dunk.
Do you agree with that?
I just feel like, I don't know.
There's some crossover there.
Right.
I think that it can be used.
And in fact, on that other episode 1207, we did talk about that one as well being used in everyday life.
So definitely listen to that one for more examples.
But yeah, I would say slam dunk is used not all the time, but definitely.
What's the next one, Lindsay?
Defense.
Defense.
Defense, right?
Yeah, exactly.
You can say defense, defense, defense.
So common.
I've always wondered about this.
You hear it everywhere.
What do we have to say about this?
Defense.
What do we have to say about this?
Defense is when the other team has the ball and you are either trying to steal the ball or you're trying to get them to not make a basket.
So you are playing defense, you're guarding um.
So yeah, a lot of times at the games.
That's why lindsay is saying the if, if it's a whole game right, you'll hear that everybody's defense done.
Yeah, that's a lot of fun.
Yeah, it's fun.
It always struck me as kind of strange, because i feel like when you're on defense it's kind of boring And it should be more like offense offense when you're going through the basket, but I guess not.
I don't know.
Yeah, no, but that's a good, that's a good point.
But maybe just maybe it's also used maybe to distract the other team.
Hmm.
Interesting theory, Michelle.
Interesting.
Yes.
So you could say the team wasn't doing well when it came to defense.
So they let a lot of shots get in.
Yeah.
So this one, I don't see this translating into the business world very much.
Michelle, or even into everyday life?
Do you?
Do I?
I mean, I think that it Yeah, it is more just about the game.
Yeah, I think so.
You might talk about not defense, but you might talk about being defensive or defending, but not necessarily.
You're not going to find people going defense out in the world.
I don't know.
I agree.
So let's leave that one at the game, but that's a good one.
And you're going to want to know what's going on, because every single game you go to in the U?
S, you're going to hear this chant multiple times throughout the game.
It's just everywhere, right?
It's kind of fun.
Get into it, right?
It is fun.
It is fun.
So the next word is dribble.
So this is about, The ball, Lindsay, what does it mean to dribble?
To dribble is just to bounce the ball up and down.
I'm not a basketball expert and I've never really played basketball, but it's the basic thing, right?
Dribble.
And the opposite of that would be traveling, right?
Where you, I guess you take too many steps with the ball in your hand, right?
Right.
And then the other team, yeah, they stop it.
And I think the other team gets the ball.
So, but to dribble, you got to keep bouncing.
You got to keep bouncing.
So you can say she dribbled the ball up the court right and then, if the person didn't dribble and they traveled, the referee stopped the game due to traveling.
I don't know if this happens in.
Does this happen in pro basketball?
The traveling it sure does.
We were just.
I was just talking about this the other night with my friend while we were watching um yeah, it happens it, it does happen.
Okay yeah, it sure does.
Interesting, i didn't know that.
Okay yeah yeah, i just saw.
I just i remember having this very conversation.
Okay okay, i mean those two expressions, i would say not really a thing in everyday english.
Do you agree?
Traveling, because it's a very specific verb.
Yeah no, you're not going to talk about no no, but the next one.
The next one is foul.
Okay, so a foul is when you kind of touch someone in a way that could hurt them or block them, or just yeah Yeah, for sure.
And I love this one because I think this one definitely translates into everyday English in different ways.
And our listeners know this because fouls exist in every sport, right?
Everywhere we know this expression, this word.
And in everyday English, Michelle, I think you could say, you know, I call foul on that.
Right.
Like someone foul play.
It comes up all over the place.
We could do it.
Yeah, we could.
Oh, my gosh.
I am writing this down.
Foul.
Yeah.
Foul play.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So foul is definitely used.
So that's one that.
Yeah.
So we'll talk another day about how to actually use that in real sentences in English.
But for now guys, just know that when you go to the game that's a term in basketball, as it is in soccer and all other sports right michelle, what can we say?
Do we want to talk about?
What to say if we don't know the rules of a game?
Do we want to go?
What do we think?
I think i think so because um guys, if you are hearing this and you say i'm, i don't really know basketball right, you want to be able to connect with people and to ask.
So one thing you could just say is i never understood the rules of blank.
Can you explain them to me?
So I never understood the rules of basketball.
Lindsay, what's a sport you don't understand?
Definitely football.
I think basketball is straightforward.
But everyone in my in-law family is super into football.
And so football is always on.
But it's kind of complicated, actually, football.
I just can't get into it.
American football.
Right, American football.
I know that.
People love it.
I just – I get the basic rules.
Yeah.
But there's just so much – and like you said about basketball, it's so fast-paced.
I feel like it's so much fun to watch because it just keeps on going and going and going.
And football, I don't understand – we're pausing and the, but the clock is still going down.
I don't understand.
Yeah.
Football and basketball are both very slow sports.
Basketball has gotten faster because they changed the rules this year about how fast a pitcher has to pitch when they're on the mound.
But these are slow sports.
That's why, you know, we're talking about other things.
We're building relationships, and that goes for basketball too, which we'll talk about on the business English show.
Yeah.
Yep.
Yeah.
Yeah.
What's another thing you could say?
OK, which team are you rooting for?
Rooting for is a bonus phrase for today, guys.
Which team do you want to win?
Which team is your favorite?
OK, yeah, exactly.
And then the last one we'll throw out is are you excited for the blank season?
So are you excited for the basketball season?
Oh, and actually we have the football season.
I mean, the Super Bowl season.
Yeah, that's coming up soon.
That's coming up soon.
From the time we're recording today, by the time this comes out, it'll already be over.
So we'll see what happens.
Yeah, but we have a role play for our listeners now, Michelle.
Let's do it.
So here we are.
We are watching a game.
All right.
So did you see that play?
Their defense is incredible.
I know.
Oh, wow.
Slam dunk.
Whoa.
Oh, no.
He got a foul. not a fair call.
The ref is all off here.
I can't believe he called traveling earlier.
I know I saw him dribble.
All right.
So we are really getting into the commentary here.
I feel like I couldn't watch a game with you, Michelle, because I wouldn't know what's going on.
I wouldn't know what to say.
But now I do.
Now that we've talked about this today, I think you, I think you know more than you than you're letting on.
You know when I look at this role play.
I think it's important for our listeners to know about this term defense.
Right.
Instead of their defense, like you say, for example, a defense attorney or the defense on a court case, the defense is is a different pronunciation from their defense.
That's kind of interesting.
Yep, we could do a whole episode on that as well.
We could.
But anytime it's in sports, it's defense.
It's not defense.
We do say defending, to defend as a verb.
So it would be defend in that case.
We're going to have to go into that another day.
Yes, exactly.
See, so much that sports can bring us with language learning.
What else did you say here?
I said, oh, wow, slam dunk.
So I'm watching and the player went up to the basket and just did a slam dunk right in there.
Yeah, I love that.
All right.
And then I said, whoa, oh, no, he got a foul.
Somebody somebody elbowed him or something.
Actually, I just watched on the next game.
The star player got hit in the face and they didn't even call a foul and he got up and his eye was swollen.
Oh, that's bad.
That's bad.
No, not good.
Yeah.
And then you said that's not a fair call.
The ref is all off here.
I can't believe he called traveling earlier.
So a lot of people will criticize the ref in different games.
You'll hear that a lot, right?
Yes.
Yeah.
So the ref is the referee, right?
The person making the calls.
And then I said, I know I saw him dribble.
So I'm just saying this is not fair.
All right.
This has been good.
Michelle, what's the takeaway for today?
Well, sports connects people together.
We talked about why it's more than just a game and how it can really mean something to people.
And I think that's what gets people into it.
I don't really have an emotional connection to football, but so many people do.
But because I have, you know, the emotional connection to basketball, I, you know, I really care.
But it's just good to know about these things.
It could come up at work.
It could come up socially.
Now we also taught you how to ask about it a little bit in conversations.
But give it a try and then stay tuned because we have two episodes left of this series coming out.
So definitely go on over.
You don't want to miss the next episode.
It's on the Business English podcast.
So hit follow and you'll be there for when it comes out.
All right, good stuff.
We'll see you guys over there and we'll talk about how to build a relationship at a game.
What kinds of things would we talk about with someone you work with, whether it's a client, a colleague?
So stay tuned for that coming out in a couple of weeks.
We'll see you guys over there.
Good stuff today, Michelle.
Thanks for bringing basketball onto All Ears English.
You're welcome.
Thanks so much for indulging my interest.
Take care.
Talk soon.
All right.
All right, bye.
Bye.
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