For about 3 or 4 seconds after the first athlete uttered those words, we may have been duped. The words seemed deep, philosophical and cool. Then we realized the phrase was the cheapest, silliest and lamest tool of evasion out there. Just answer the damn question, athletes. Define what the it is.
Origin: Although the phrase may seem fairly modern—a Slate article named it the "reigning sports cliché"—its non-sport use dates back centuries. English theologian and philosopher Joseph Butler (1692-1752) is credited with the witticism, "Every thing is what it is, and not another thing," which most likely spawned the version we know today.
