Nicknames

Over the years, there has been a variety of nicknames conjured in the sports world - from "He Hate Me" (WR Rod Smart) to "The Refrigerator" (Lineman William Perry) - nicknames are unique to every person.

In the NFL, there was the great Water Payton, known only to fans as "Sweetness". Then there was "Prime Time" cornerback Deion Sanders, for performing his best at night, "The Bus" Jerome Bettis, for driving over other players, and "The Freak" Jevon Kearse, for his rare athleticism and his style of play.

Also, there are broad nicknames that not only surround players, but entire franchises. For twenty years, from 1980 to 2000, there was the New Orleans Saints, who were known as the "'Aints" until they won their first playoff game in 2000 against the St. Louis Rams. The Dallas Cowboys proudly proclaim themselves as "America's Team", while the Oakland Raiders' Stadium is the "Black Hole." Similarly, parts of the Cleveland Browns stadium is called "The dawg pound". The Green Bay Packers fans are "Cheeseheads", since Wisconsin is home to the largest producer of cheese. Their stadium is infamously known as the "Frozen tundra" since the stadium was home to the coldest NFL game on record in 1967.

Entire teams, or even parts of a team deserve great nicknames. There was the "Fun Bunch" - a group of Redskins WR's and TE's during the early 1980's. Also during that same time, the offensive line coach for the Redskins, Joe Bugel, came up with a nickname for the team's offensive line - "The Hogs". The St. Louis Rams were known as the "Greatest Show on Turf" during their glory years to their historic Super Bowl run in 2000. The 1970's Minnesota Vikings' defensive line was known as the "Purple people eaters" since they would gobble up the opposing team's QB. Similarly, the Steelers' defensive line is infamously known as the "Steel Curtain".

In the MLB, there was the "Sultan of Swat" - the great Babe Ruth, "The Big Unit" Randy Johnson, "Hammerin'" Hank Aaron, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, "The Wizard of Oz" Ozzie Smith, "The Rocket" Roger Clemens, "A-Rod" Alex Rodriguez, "Mr. October" Reggie Jackson, and "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas.


In the NBA, there are tons of NBA nicknames for every superstar.

There was "Air Jordan" which became "MJ" and "Air Canada" which became "Air Carter" or "VC" for Vince Carter.

Other nicknames include the great "Magic" Johnson, who earned his nickname from the magic he does on the basketball court.
"The Iceman" George Gervin got his nickname for his cool composure on the basketball court.
"The Admiral" David Robinson, received his from being in the military after graduating from high school.
"The Doctor" Julius Erving would prescribe new types of dunks during each game.
Gary Payton was known as "the glove" for his ball-swiping steals that seemed almost regular. "Round Mound of Rebound" Charles Barkley got his from his rebounding skills night in and night out.
Then there was "Stevie Franchise" for Steve Francis, who technically is not a franchise player for any team, whether it is Orlando, Houston or even New York.
"The Answer" Allen Iverson, who would constantly answer everyone's questions.
Karl Malone was known as "The Mailman" for his deliveries during each game.
There was the self-proclaimed "Agent Zero" for Gilbert Arenas
"Human Highlight Reel" Dominique Wilkins, for every dunk he made deserved to be a highlight "T-Mac", short for Tracy McGrady, "'Melo", short for Carmelo Anthony's first name, "C-Webb", short for Chris Webber, "J-Rich" Jason Richardson
"The King" LeBron James
"KG" or "The Big Ticket" for Kevin Garnett, who always receives a huge crowd wherever he goes
"Air Gordon" Ben Gordon, on the big shots he hits during games just like MJ
"Big Ben" Ben Wallace, for his resemblance to the clock tower in London
"Big Shot Bob" Robert Horry, on his clutch shots during the NBA playoffs
"The Diesel" Shaquille O'Neal, for his size and bullish way he dunks a basketball, his teammate "The Flash" Dwayne Wade, for the comic book hero who was as fast as a speeding bullet, and "The Matrix" Shawn Marion, my favorite player overall, who received his nickname from another NBA legend, Kennny "the Jet" Smith, who is currently a TNT basketball analyst.

From "The Black Hole" to "The Rocket", nicknames can come from anywhere and can encompass anything, from an individual player on a baseball team to a stadium filled with rowdy football fans.