phrase
Sophomore Slump
The disappointing second outing after a strong debut.
Origin
From American college sports โ second-year athletes after standout freshman seasons often underperformed, possibly because opponents had learned their game. The phrase migrated to music (the difficult second album), film (the difficult second feature), and books (the difficult second novel). The trap is real: debuts get years of preparation; follow-ups get months.
Modern usage
Standard in entertainment reviews and now also in startup and product writing ('sophomore slump of the AI hype cycle').
Tags
second-act
decline
career