History FanNickname / Sports

** Courtney Vandersloot, of the Chicago Sky, has been called "Sloot" at least since her college days at Gonzaga, if not longer.
** Speaking of Sloot, she and her spouse and backcourt teammate Allie Quigley are known by some fans as "The [=VanderQuigs=]".
** Elena Delle Donne, Sloot's teammate until being traded to the Washington Mystics in the 2016–17 offseason, is "EDD".

** Breanna Stewart, of the Seattle Storm, is "Stewie".

* Jeremy Lin, now playing in the G League after years as an NBA journeyman (plus a season in China), managed to amass dozens of nicknames in the wake of his out-of-nowhere star turn with the New York Knicks after he began substituting for an injured Carmelo Anthony. "Linsanity" is the most popular, and many of them follow that pattern ("Linvincible", for instance). A few of the more creative ones are "[[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles Mr. Lincredible]]" and "[[Manga/DragonBallZ Android 17]]" (after his jersey number).

* During the late 90's, the Houston Astros duo of Hall of Famers [[HeterosexualLifePartners Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell]], along with Derrick Bell and Lance Berkman, gained the named "Killer B's" for their prolific offense. It's also pulled out whenever the 'Stros have two or more people with "B" names.

* Former corner infielder Kevin Youkilis was known as the Greek God of Walks, for his incredible patience at the plate that led to a lot of base on balls, twice having streaks of 45+ games of reaching base safely.

** His resemblance to a Na'avi from ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' has not escaped the fans, either.

* The Miami Dolphins, for a good 30 years, had good to great [=QBs=] that got their own well-deserved nicknames. First was Earl Morrall, The Patron Saint of Backup Quarterbacks, who in the course of his 21-year career was the starter for 6 of them, with three of those six years ending in a Super Bowl appearance. Then there was [=WoodStrock=], so named because of starter David Woodley and backup Don Strock. Woodley would start, and was average at best, before Strock would come in and jump-start the offense. This lasted 3 years before Miami drafted Dan "The Man" Marino, who would go on to replace Woodley his rookie year, and then rewrite the record book for passing and become the face of the franchise.

** His teammates in the backfield, [[HeterosexualLifePartners Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick]], were known as Film/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid. %% Yes, the latter's name is spelled with two "i"s.

* Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is often referred to as "Omar" because of his resemblance to the ''Series/TheWire'' character Omar Little (ironically, ''The Wire'' is set in Baltimore, home to the Steelers' division rivals, the Ravens).

** And then back in the Eighties, when a disproportionate number of Cowboys were busted for possessing/using [[HookersAndBlow nose candy]], they were known as "South America's Team".

** The No-Name Defense: the defense of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, because Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry couldn't name anyone on it.

* Before the Houston Astros, the Killer B's were the Miami Dolphins defense in the 80's, as as many as 9 of the 11 starters had a first and/or last name that began with the letter B, with a handful of their backups also having name that began with B, and two of those players had their own nickname, Glenn and Lyle Blackwood, the Bruise Brothers.
* Other times, teams in the midst of ''really'' bad stretches of play get less flattering nicknames. The most well-known is the first dozen or so years of the New Orleans Saints; they were so bad year in and year out fans started wearing paper bags over their heads and they became known to history as "the Ain'ts". Others include the Cincinnati "Bungles" (mid-90's and early 2000's), the New England "Patsies" (pretty much the times before Tom Brady), the Tampa Bay "Yucs/Yuccaneers" (mid-80's through mid-90's when double-digit loss seasons were common), and the Atlanta "Falcan'ts/Failcons".

** "The Swamp"
*** Best known as the nickname for Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, home of the Florida Gators in Gainesville. The nickname actually originated in 1991 with Florida's then-head coach, Steve Spurrier, but the fans quickly bought into it.

* Nico Rosberg, a baby-faced driver with long, blond hair, is often referred to as "Britney". The name originated from Mark Webber during the 2006 Brazilian GP. While being the son of Keke Rosberg, Nico actually competed under the German flag (his mother's homeland) instead of the Finnish one(Hence he was never reported to have adopted the "Flying Finn" moniker below.)

* Nico Rosberg, a baby-faced driver with long blond hair, is often referred to as "Britney". The name originated from Mark Webber during the 2006 Brazilian GP. While being the son of Keke Rosberg, Nico actually competed under the German flag (his mother's homeland) instead of the Finnish one.

*** The starters on the 1947–48 NCAA champions, who were also the core of the 1948 Olympic gold medalists, became the "Fabulous Five".

** Cleveland Stadium was known as "The Mistake by the Lake" due to its proximity to Lake Erie. The lake had caused games to be postponed due to fog, and Indians games rarely sold out due to its massive size.

* The "Losers' Series", a seven-game affair between the biggest {{Memetic Loser}}s of the National and American Leagues: the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians (since renamed Guardians). The Cubs won.
* Local fans of the Indians started calling the team's historic win streak in 2017 the "Window(s) Streak" after the fifteenth win, as a local window company, in celebration of their fifteenth anniversary, offered all fans who bought from them in July of that year a refund on their project if the Indians won at least fifteen straight games.

* Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton was referred to as "Sweetness".

* The Intimidator – UsefulNotes/DaleEarnhardt (Sr.) His nickname was so famous, the minor-league baseball team he partially bought was called the Kannapolis Intimidators until 2020 (after Earnhardt's family had sold its stake in the team; the team is now the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers).

** Actually, the "Amazin's" nickname dates to the Mets' early DorkAge. It was coined by the team's first manager, Casey Stengel, when he told media, "Come out and see my amazin' Mets. I been in this game a hundred years, but I see new ways to lose I never knew existed before." Needless to say, the nickname picked up a whole new meaning in 1969.

** In general, the Pirates are also referred to as "the Bucs" or the "the Buccos" for short. During their [[DorkAge twenty-year playoff drought]], the latter nickname was often twisted into the derogatory "Succos".

* Detroit Red Wings - The [[DorkAge "Dead Wings"/"Dead Things"]], during their long stretch of terrible play from 1967-1983, when they only made the playoffs twice (remarkable for a time where as many as 16 out of 21 teams made the playoffs each year).

* Creator/TomBrady, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was often called T[[PrecisionFStrike F]]B by fans of the New England Patriots, where he played the first 20 years of his NFL career. (His full name is Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.) There's also "TB12" (12 being Brady's jersey number). He has also been called "Tom Terrific".

* During his first season as the Cincinnati Bengals' starter, current Chicago Bears backup quarterback Andy Dalton endeared himself to the fans with his surprisingly effective play (he would lead Cincinnati to the Wild Card Round of the playoffs in what most people believed was a rebuilding year) and by about midseason had earned the nickname "The Red Rifle" for his playing prowess and bright ginger hair. "The Ginger Ninja" and "The Ginger Hammer" are popular as well.

* Matt Ryan, quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, got the nickname "Matty Ice" from his Boston College days for his cool and collected play under pressure. [[{{Irony}} Critics can twist the nickname and use it to allude to how he frequently freezes up in the NFL playoffs.]]

*** Before the Linc was built, there was "The Vet" for the Eagles' old home of Veterans Stadium. The old 700 Level (the highest and therefore cheapest seats) was notorious for ''really'' rowdy behavior[[note]]The Vet had its own judicial court and jail cells built in the basement just to deal with them[[/note]] and is most responsible for the reputation of Philly fans in general of being classless louts.

** "The Blue" – Albertsons Stadium (Bronco Stadium behind the [[TropeCoTropeOfTheWeek corporate naming rights]]), Boise State University. So named because of its distinctive blue playing surface.

* UsefulNotes/JackNicklaus – "The Golden Bear", from his blond hair and hefty build in his early days as a pro. He slimmed down considerably by the end of the '60s, but the name stuck. So much so that it's become a RedBaron; on [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]], "The Golden Bear" redirects to his page.

** After the acquisition of Chris Paul, the Clippers themselves came to be known as "Lob City", because of the large number of alley-oops (a lob pass near the hoop to set up a dunk, usually a flashy crowd pleaser) - most of them from Chris Paul to Blake Griffin. In fact, on [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]], typing in "Lob City" redirects straight to the Clippers' page (more specifically to a section on the "Lob City" era).

* Anfernee Hardaway, former NBA star and current college coach, was nicknamed "Penny", either because his number was 1, or because his grandmother mangled the nickname "Pretty". Many NBA fans never realized it was a nickname. His article at [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]] uses [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Hardaway Penny, not Anfernee]].

* The sport itself was once nicknamed "the cage game", and basketball players were commonly known as "cagers", due to many pro teams (especially in the northeastern U.S.) playing their games [[https://vault.si.com/vault/1991/11/11/when-the-court-was-a-cage-in-the-early-days-of-pro-basketball-the-players-were-segregated-from-the-fans inside literal cages]] prior to the 1930s. The usages stuck around for decades after the cages were eliminated.

** "The Trapezoid of Terror": Jersey Mike's Arena, more often called the RAC,[[note]]pronounced as "rack" and stands for Rutgers Athletic Center[[/note]] home to the Scarlet Knights. The building has an unusual trapezoidal shape, and punches ''far'' above its capacity weight class (about 8,000) when it comes to crowd noise.

* Bo "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PBvOxicz-0 Tecmo-Super-Bowl-Version]][[GameBreaker -So-OP]]" Jackson's real name is Vincent Edward. He was constantly getting in trouble at a young age and his family called him a "wild boar hog", which got shortened to "Bo".

* "Gronknandez," or “the Boston TE party” - Used to refer to the tight end duo of [[TheBigGuy Rob Gronkowski]] and [[EnsembleDarkhorse Aaron Hernandez]] that broke out during the 2011 season, and completely changed the dynamic of the New England Patriots offense.
* Tight end George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers is a massive fan of professional wrestling, leading to him gaining multiple nicknames that reference the biggest names in the industry. These include [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin "Stone Cold Kittle"]] and [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson "The People's Tight End"]], the latter of which is notable for being ''endorsed by The Rock himself''.

** "The Jungle" - Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati Bengals.

* Nico Rosberg, a baby-faced driver with long blond hair, is often referred to as "Britney". The name originated from Mark Webber during the 2006 Brazilian GP. While being the son of Keke Rosberg, Nico actually competed under the German flag instead of the Finnish one.
* Lewis Hamilton is sometimes referred to as Sir Lewis (owing to his knighthood), the GOAT (for holding many all-time Formula One records - up to and including most race wins, most pole positions and most Drivers' Championship titles tied with Michael Schumacher), and Lulu (as an abbreviation of his name).

* Sliced Bread – Joey Logano, bestowed by NASCAR great Mark Martin after he saw the then-15-year-old Logano racing.

* Longtime Yank great Lou Gehrig was known not just for his stellar play, but his [[MadeOfIron unbelievable durability]], garnering the nickname "The Iron Horse".

*** After he announced at the end of 2011 that he was signing with the Los Angeles Angels, he was simply known in St. Louis as "Benedict Albert" for several years. However, this died down greatly over time,[[note]]especially since he and his family still live in the St. Louis area in the offseason and remain heavily involved in the community[[/note]] and Cardinals fans gave him standing ovations when the Angels visited St. Louis in 2019. Pujols has since returned to St. Louis for what will likely be his final season in 2022.

* Teammates Fred Lynn and Jim Rice, of the Boston Red Sox, were known as the Gold Dust Twins, as they both came up at the same time and were a big reason for the Red Sox making the World Series in 1975, as Lynn won Rookie of the Year and the MVP (the first player ever to win both awards in the same season) with Rice coming in 2nd and 3rd respectively, before winning his own MVP and going on to a Hall of Fame career.

* Noah Syndergaard, who made his name with the Mets but is now with the Angels, is nicknamed "Thor" (after the Norse god and Marvel Comics superhero) due to his height (6-6), long blond hair, and the similarity between his last name and the fictional location Asgard, where the superhero is from. It began in 2014 after he shared a picture of himself on social media dressed as the superhero, and the nickname stuck when he debuted in 2015 for the Mets. When lightning struck the Empire State Building in 2016, Noah tweeted "Wasn't me."

** "The Ted" for Turner Field, former home of the Atlanta Braves, named for then-owner Ted Turner.

** Jordan's former Bulls teammate, Dennis Rodman, was known as The Worm for the way he'd wriggle his way into position to get rebounds and was one of the best rebounders in league history.[[note]] Although the nickname actually dates to his teenage years, because of the way he wiggled while playing pinball.[[/note]]

* Tyreke "The Freak" Evans, who recently completed a two-year suspension from the NBA for drug use, because he plays like a man possessed.

* Unless it's "Coach K" for longtime Duke Blue Devils coaching legend Mike Krzyzewski, thanks to his [[TheUnpronounceable near-unpronounceable]] last name.

** 1998 first overall pick Michael Olowokandi is the "Kandi Man," but it has nothing to do with candy.

* In another play on "Splash Brothers" and "Bash Brothers", Oklahoma City Thunder centers Enes Kanter and Steven Adams became the "Stache Brothers" in the 2015–16 season, for their quite prominent facial hair.

* Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, a 7-1 center from France who emerged as one of the league's best rim protectors in the middle of the 2010s, is the "[[JustForPun Stifle Tower]]".

* Other times, teams in the midst of ''really'' bad stretches of play get less flattering nicknames. The most well-known is the first dozen or so years of the New Orleans Saints; they were so bad year in and year out fans started wearing paper bags over their heads and they became known to history as "the Ain'ts". Others include the Cincinnati "Bungles" (mid-90's and early 2000's), the New England "Patsies" (pretty much the times before Tom Brady), the Tampa Bay "Yucs/Yuccaneers" (mid-80's through mid-90's when double-digit loss seasons were common), the Atlanta "Falcan'ts/Failcons".

* "Big Dick Nick" - for Chicago Bears backup QB Nick Foles, who was UsefulNotes/SuperBowl LII MVP for his first team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

* "Gronknandez" - Used to refer to the tight end duo of [[TheBigGuy Rob Gronkowski]] and [[EnsembleDarkhorse Aaron Hernandez]] that broke out during the 2011 season, and completely changed the dynamic of the New England Patriots offense.

** "[[AddedAlliterativeAppeal The Track Too Tough to Tame]]" – From its deserved reputation as one of the most difficult tracks for NASCAR drivers. It's an oval with two dramatically different ends, making it difficult for crews to set up cars' handling to be effective at both ends. It's not uncommon for a driver to circle the track for many laps with no trouble, only to scrape the wall on the next one.

* Carolina Panthers and former New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, accrued a startling amount of nicknames in his first year with the Panthers. Among all his monikers, two really stand out, "[=SuperCam=]" (known in his rookie year for occasional superhuman plays. Also, his touchdown celebration references {{Superman}}.) and "Ace Boogie".

* Quarterback Kyle Orton (currently with the Dallas Cowboys) was once known more for his unfortunate facial hair he sported while with Chicago than any of his on-field accomplishments, leading to the nickname "Dread Pirate Neckbeard".

* Nico Rosberg, a baby-faced driver with long blond hair, is often referred to as "Britney". The name originated from Mark Webber during the 2006 Brazilian GP.

* The Closer - Kevin Harvick, due to his ability to win races that he wasn't a threat to even win.

* The sport itself was once nicknamed "the cage game", and basketball players were commonly called "cagers", due to many professional teams (especially in the northeastern U.S.) playing their games [[https://vault.si.com/vault/1991/11/11/when-the-court-was-a-cage-in-the-early-days-of-pro-basketball-the-players-were-segregated-from-the-fans inside literal cages]] prior to the 1930s. The usages stuck around even after the cages were eliminated.

Let's face it - sports, whether professional or "amateur", don't have a lot of meaning if not for the fans who watch them. And those fan bases can get rather creative when it comes to naming stuff -- to say nothing of the many analysts, sportswriters, and radio/TV commentators, many of whom are essentially professional sports fans. Not to mention the occasional cases in which players give one another nicknames that fans latch on to. So it's only appropriate that the world of sports has a wide and colorful list of nicknames.

Let's face it - sports, whether professional or "amateur", don't have a lot of meaning if not for the fans who watch them. And those fan bases can get rather creative when it comes to naming stuff - to say nothing of the many analysts, sportswriters and color commentators, many of whom are essentially professional sports fans. Not to mention the occasional cases in which players give one another nicknames that fans latch on to. So it's only appropriate that the world of sports has a wide and colorful list of nicknames.

* The sport itself was once nicknamed "the cage game", and basketball players were commonly called "cagers", due to many professional teams, especially in the northeastern US, playing their games [[https://vault.si.com/vault/1991/11/11/when-the-court-was-a-cage-in-the-early-days-of-pro-basketball-the-players-were-segregated-from-the-fans inside literal cages]] prior to the 1930s. The usages stuck around even after the cages were eliminated.

* The sport itself was once nicknamed "the cage game", and basketball players were commonly called "cagers", due to many pro teams, especially in the northeastern US, playing their games [[https://vault.si.com/vault/1991/11/11/when-the-court-was-a-cage-in-the-early-days-of-pro-basketball-the-players-were-segregated-from-the-fans inside literal cages]] prior to the 1930s. The usages stuck around even after the cages were eliminated.