Under The Pump

Metaphorical terms in sport are OK in moderation, but they are better when they are not overused, and when they actually make some sense.

What is this pump that teams are under, and what is it actually doing while they are under it?  Who came up with it in the first place, and why has every single sports broadcaster thought that it is just so brilliant and appropriate it must be used at every available opportunity?

Unlike other exhibits in this series, the term is not confined to a particular sport or even country.  It is at its pumpiest in the contact sports, but you still hear it in cricket and tennis where you would think the analogy seems a little stretched.

Even Tiger Woods gets alleged to be under the pump from time to time, although there might be other reasons for that.

It is like we are living under the shadow of some giant evil hydraulic overlord.

There are far larger crimes against sports jingoism than under the pump, but it is past time that people gave it a bit of a rest.