hero ball
1
7.7
- noun
- /ˈhɪəroʊ bɔl/
- Jargon
:
juego de héroe
- Fans often criticize players who choose hero ball, saying it disrupts team cohesion and leads to losses.
Examples
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As Dave wrote about earlier this week, the Rockets have relied far too heavily on hero ball for late game offense.
Blog text (18) -
Lillard didn't fall in love with the hero ball.
Blog text (18) -
"Hero ball" stars get you nothing when the pitcher is sharp and the game is on the line.
Blog text (29) -
The mistake that people play is they play hero ball when they don't have control.
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Instead, they're going hero ball.
Blog text (3) -
In the final moments of the game, he resorted to hero ball, attempting to win the match on his own without passing the ball.
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During the championship, his tendency to play hero ball put unnecessary pressure on his teammates and affected their performance.
Antonyms
How Individualistic
Surface Forms
Morphology
hero + ball
The components 'hero' (an individual doing dramatic or standout actions) and 'ball' (sporting play) give a clear hint that this refers to an individualistic style of play, so a learner could infer it relates to a player acting alone. However, the expression is slangy and sports-specific with evaluative nuances (selfishness, trying to change the outcome single‑handedly) that are not fully predictable from the parts, so it requires exposure to the usage.
Etymology
The noun hero ball comes from the picture of one player holding the ball and acting like a lone hero, trying to change the game with one big play. So it means 'trying to win alone' instead of working with the team.