I’ll state it right at the start; I’m tired of the term “game changer.”

The term had an innocent beginning in the commentary on sports.  Let’s say an announcer was watching a football game.  One team was ahead but their quarterback threw an interception that was run back for a touchdown.  Suddenly, the game was close.

That interception really changed the course of the game – it was a game-changer.

Today, the term pops up everywhere:

• A chef promoting his air cooker on television mentions the single-hand French doors on the appliance: they are a real game changer.
• A doctor changes the heart medication he gives a patient, so it doesn’t make him as tired: a real medical game-changer.
• A new toothpaste allows the pretty girl to attract more men: a real social game changer.
• A majority of Democrat voters realize Biden really is as dopey as he seems: a political game changer.
• A rich relative dies and leaves me a fortune: my life has experienced a game changer (one that isn’t likely to happen).
• I upgraded the memory on my phone and can store all pictures I have of the grandkids: a family game changer.
• You fall off a mountain while rock climbing and break both legs: now there is a serious game changer.
• I’m running to catch the train, trip, and fall over a little old lady: here come multiple game changers.

It isn’t that the term “game changer” is inherently offensive or especially inaccurate. It simply has been overused to the point of becoming trite.

I have arthritis in both shoulders and every few months the pain and stiffness get troublesome.  So I go for some physical therapy.  I had a session today and the highly skilled therapist pulled, twisted, kneaded, and massaged my shoulders and arms until the joints loosened and pain subsided.

When she was done, she asked if I felt better. No, I didn’t tell her what she had done was a game changer. I just said I felt great and thanked her for her hard work and skill.

The therapist is a talented athlete and has worked on the aching muscles and joints of many other athletes. (I’m just an old guy trying to keep up with the grandkids.)

Given her clientele, she really is a game-changer.