Chick Hearn: The Modern Day Shakespeare

To me, Chick Hearn was a modern-day basketball Shakespeare. For 45 years, Chick broadcast basketball games and, for those of us lucky to watch games he called, was a welcome addition to any living room or sports bar. It’s been over 12 years since Chick passed away, but it’s still hard to watch a Lakers game without him. For generations of NBA fans, he may as well have been Shakespeare.

Words Crafted by Shakespeare: 

“Words, words, words” is a quotation in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet when Hamlet responded to Polonius’ question, “What do you read, my lord?” Polonius sought a reason why Hamlet was reading but Hamlet took the word matter to mean what was wrong with him. The quotation, “Words, words, words” came to mind because Shakespeare is one of the greatest crafter of words we know of.

He coined words such as:

1. Advertising in Measure for Measure.

2. Circumstantial in As You Like It.

3. Zany in Love’s Labour’s Lost.

4. Swagger in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (actualized in Nick Young)

5. Rant in Hamlet

As a Lakers fan I believe that the modern day Shakespeare is Chick Hearn. Other sports fans can say the same of their favorite announcers.

Picture of Chick Hearn and some of his Chickisms Image via Laker Nation and rareink.com

Chickisms:

Chick Hearn coined most of the lingo used in the game of basketball including:

1. Give and Go (one player passes the ball to his teammate and cuts to the basket after he passes the ball).

2. Air Ball (a shot that does not hit anything involved with the basket such as rim, net or backboard).

3. Slaaaaaaam Duuuuuuuuunk (when a player authoritatively dunks a basketball).

4. Charity Stripe (Free Throw Line where players shoot a shot after they get fouled).

5. Dribble Drive ( A player driving to the basket while dribbling the basketball).

Just as Shakespeare penned most of the words we use today, sports announcers speak words we use as sports fans.