# Where in the wild world of sports did that phrase come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 14, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227 "2004-10-14T17:34:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227/1 "2004-10-14T17:34:47Z")
Where did the phrase “What in the wild world of sports…?” — as deployed so expertly by **Bruce\_Daddy** [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=280894&p=5367883) — come from? ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227/2 "2004-10-14T17:41:09Z")
First place I ever heard it was in “Blazing Saddles” when Slim Pickens used it. “Whut in the wide wide world a’ sports is a’ goin’ on here!?” (use Slim’s twangy accent) I assumed it was a comic play on the normal “What in the world?” expression. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227/3 "2004-10-14T17:50:40Z")
And from ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” program that aired for a while. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227/4 "2004-10-14T17:51:02Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > First place I ever heard it was in “Blazing Saddles” when Slim Pickens used it. > > “Whut in the wide wide world a’ sports is a’ goin’ on here!?” (use Slim’s twangy accent) > > I assumed it was a comic play on the normal “What in the world?” expression. Yep. Correct on all points. It’s worth pointing out that it’s “wide world” – not “wild world” – as in the old TV show _ABC’s Wide World of Sports_. RR ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227/5 "2004-10-14T17:55:24Z")
> [@RiverRunner](#): > > Yep. Correct on all points. It’s worth pointing out that it’s “wide world” – not “wild world” – as in the old TV show _ABC’s Wide World of Sports_. > RR Ahhhhh…The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat : cue horrible ski jump wreck : ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227/6 "2004-10-14T17:56:43Z")
> [@RiverRunner](#): > > Yep. Correct on all points. It’s worth pointing out that it’s “wide world” – not “wild world” – as in the old TV show _ABC’s Wide World of Sports_. > RR I say it that way to avoid copyright infringement. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227/7 "2004-10-14T19:03:49Z")
> [@Bruce\_Daddy](#): > > I say it that way to avoid copyright infringement. > :dubious: I just figured your sports were wilder than theirs. ---
**Author:** ![trupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@trupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trupa)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227/8 "2004-10-14T20:17:29Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Ahhhhh…The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat : cue horrible ski jump wreck : or, when covering marathons or other long distance running, the agony of the feet. :ducks, runs: :o ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227/9 "2004-10-14T21:11:46Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Ahhhhh…The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat : cue horrible ski jump wreck : My favorite trivia question of all time; what was that guy’s name? ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227/10 "2004-10-14T21:52:23Z")
> [@Robot Arm](#): > > what was that guy’s name? A Wikipedia article on him is [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinko_Bogataj). ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227/11 "2004-10-14T22:19:23Z")
The 'net is just killing good trivia questions. **chukhung** , did you already know his name, or did you do a search? ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-wild-world-of-sports-did-that-phrase-come-from/269227/12 "2004-10-15T01:17:32Z")
> [@Robot Arm](#): > > **chukhung** , did you already know his name, or did you do a search? How can you forget a guy named “Vinko”?