The use of "we" when discussing sports teams

[BoMac]

This annoys me to no end.

"We should have traded for that player." or "We missed a lot of scoring chances." or "We are going to miss that player", "We lost the game but we'll win the next one."


I don't know why this bothers me but whenever someone says that I say: "Oh, I didn't see you on the court/pitch/field/ice. When did you start playing for them?"

For me the proper term would be to use "they", but I guess people feel like they are part of the team. I mean, I understand it, but it still bothers me.

 

[randhail]

I hear what you are saying and I'm pretty good about not using the inclusive terms like we, us, etc. I slip occasionally, but don't make a habit of it. The one area where I think it's ok to use these terms is when it comes to school teams if you either attend the school or are an alumnus of said school. If Providence College has a good season in bball, (which may never happen again), then I don't feel bad about saying we since I am part of the school having graduated from there.

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

Didn't headache have a thread about this at some point?

It doesn't bother me at all. I don't think I use "we." I'm sure I have though.

I don't think using "we" implies that the person using it believes they are a part of the team. It's probably just habit.

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

I don't know why this bothers me but whenever someone says that I say: "Oh, I didn't see you on the court/pitch/field/ice. When did you start playing for them?"

For me the proper term would be to use "they", but I guess people feel like they are part of the team. I mean, I understand it, but it still bothers me.

Why would you assume the person thinks they are a part of the team? People use figure of speech all the time. Do you take everything people say literally?

 

[vaz02]

Considering you might be paying to watch your fav team or buy their merchandise or own shares in the team why shouldnt it be "we " ?

 

[phanan]

Didn't headache have a thread about this at some point?

Not Headache, but we sure did have this discussion before...

http://forum.interference.com/t157788.html

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

Not Headache, but we sure did have this discussion before...

http://forum.interference.com/t157788.html

nice work!!

 

[BoMac]

Re: Re: The use of "we" when discussing sports teams

Why would you assume the person thinks they are a part of the team? People use figure of speech all the time. Do you take everything people say literally?

LOL. No, I don't take it literally, it's just a little pet peeve of mine. I just hear it all the time.

It's just that I was reading someone discuss a trade on another board and the poster kept saying "we" over and over. Like I said, I understand why someone would say it, but I still think "they" is more appropriate.

 

[Bonochick]

"We" shouldn't be used when referring to yourself and a sports team. You're not part of the team. When you walk out of a U2 show, you don't say, "Wow, we played an awesome show tonight!"

 

[TheBrush]

"We" shouldn't be used when referring to yourself and a sports team. You're not part of the team. When you walk out of a U2 show, you don't say, "Wow, we played an awesome show tonight!"

I do

perhaps I really am not part of the band afterall.

 

[impy13]

Didn't headache have a thread about this at some point?

 

[LMP]

"We" shouldn't be used when referring to yourself and a sports team. You're not part of the team. When you walk out of a U2 show, you don't say, "Wow, we played an awesome show tonight!"

it's one of my major pet peeves too.

and if i say anything about it, i'm considered an asshole?

how does that work?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Considering you might be paying to watch your fav team or buy their merchandise or own shares in the team why shouldnt it be "we " ?

if you actually own a part of a professional team, then fine... you can say we.

other than that... no. you are not part of the team, you are not at pratice every day, you did not give years of your life, thousands upon thousands of hours of blood, sweat and tears to earn the right to wear that uniform.

you drink beer and buy a foam finger.

it is not "we."

 

[vaz02]

if you actually own a part of a professional team, then fine... you can say we.

other than that... no. you are not part of the team, you are not at pratice every day, you did not give years of your life, thousands upon thousands of hours of blood, sweat and tears to earn the right to wear that uniform.

you drink beer and buy a foam finger.

it is not "we."

And you pay their wages , your the reason they are on that field.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

at one time, yes... fans paid their wages. the reality is that the majority of player salaries in professional sports comes from TV money, not ticket & merchandise sales. the majority of that money goes to upkeep of the stadium, and the rest goes in the owner's pocket.

you are not part of the team. period. to think that you're part of the team, or that you actually make a difference when you yell and scream from the stand... well... that's just silly.

but it's fun none the less.

 

[bayernfc]

Clubs I understand.... how about internationally though? Let's say World Cup, in reference to your country's team "we" isn't that big of a problem, is it?

 

[BonosSaint]

How about if your county (of which you are a taxpayer) owns a franchise? Taxpayer owned. My team.

However, in a year or so when the county who now has the Yankee Triple A franchise sells the team to the fucking Yankees, it will no longer be my team. We were this close to having the Mets Triple A

 

[vaz02]

at one time, yes... fans paid their wages. the reality is that the majority of player salaries in professional sports comes from TV money, not ticket & merchandise sales. the majority of that money goes to upkeep of the stadium, and the rest goes in the owner's pocket.

You think channels would pay teams for tv rights if no one watched them ? Same goes for sponsorship.

 

[shortfuse]

Lol i remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry is talking about this.... he is mimicking happy fans saying 'We won! We won!'.... NO.. THEY won.. you watched!

anyways i think in the case of clubs (franchises) maybe the use of 'we' is wrong(lack of a better word) but in the case of one's country, maybe its not so bad...

 

[indra]

"We" shouldn't be used when referring to yourself and a sports team. You're not part of the team. When you walk out of a U2 show, you don't say, "Wow, we played an awesome show tonight!"

I agree with you.

I do think many sports teams encourage the "we" thing though. If fans are so invested in the team that they think of it as their team they are more apt to buy tickets and merchandise etc. So I imagine for most teams people saying "we" did this or that equals the sound of cash registers ringing.

 

[Angela Harlem]

I disagree with the majority in here. I dont have support for many sports, well, it's only one sport and team I like, actually. And it's a state isolated team in a national game. Half the league is from Victoria and then 1 in QLD, 2 in WA and 2 in SA. Then us. I use it, and refuse to see the fault in that as it my alliance with them which leads to me even discussing it. Talking to one of my AFL buddies, it is always 'them and their teams'. b_m's alliance is Collingwood, for example and it will always be 'his' team in my view. They are 'his team' anyway if we want to get semantic about it.



I appreciate a pet peeve, though. Just dont agree this one is wrong.

 

[Angela Harlem]

*Plus there is the element of using a tool of language to say 'we' anyway. Ths thread made me remember a rant I had just yesterday about 'us' losing the GF, and I got very theatrical saying how 'my boys had let us down'. Exaggeration is a tool. I think it stems originally from that, but people lost their tongue in cheek after a while and it becajme a figure of speech which we now disagree on.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

You think channels would pay teams for tv rights if no one watched them ? Same goes for sponsorship.

listen... if you want to think the .00000001% of the team that your going to games, buying merchandise and watching TV is equal enough to inclde yourself as part of the team by saying "we," go right ahead.

i'm ok with someone saying that a team in a city is "our team," or talking to someone else and saying something like "what's wrong with your team" or whatever... but "us" and "we" infers that you are part of the team, which you are not.

 

[toscano]

No harm in it at all.

If talking about an NFL team, or any other pro team, and I say "we" won, trust me no one is going to look at me and think I was actually on the team !

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

you are not part of the team. period. to think that you're part of the team, or that you actually make a difference when you yell and scream from the stand... well... that's just silly.

Again, I don't think anyone actually believes this. "We" is a figure of speech.

 

[ormy28]

I think its perfectly acceptable to say "we". I nearly always say "we". I also very much believe that shouting and screaming does make a big difference to what happens on the pitch.

In the case if my team (<-- see avatar), we have lost 13 out of the last 27 away matches. Whereas at home we have lost only 3 of the last 31, winning 19 of them. The crowd has a big influence over what happens on the pitch. Popular saying in football is that the crowd act as a 12th man.

I know men who have been season ticket holders for twenty+ years at certain clubs and have seen players and management come and go. The supporters are there for life. Hence I feel "we" is appropriate. The supporters ARE the club.

 

[vaz02]

I think its perfectly acceptable to say "we". I nearly always say "we". I also very much believe that shouting and screaming does make a big difference to what happens on the pitch.

In the case if my team (<-- see avatar), we have lost 13 out of the last 27 away matches. Whereas at home we have lost only 3 of the last 31, winning 19 of them. The crowd has a big influence over what happens on the pitch. Popular saying in football is that the crowd act as a 12th man.

I know men who have been season ticket holders for twenty+ years at certain clubs and have seen players and management come and go. The supporters are there for life. Hence I feel "we" is appropriate. The supporters ARE the club.

Great point.

To throw another comment into the fire its different for each sports :

In america teams can move states cant they ? well in english football / soccer the teams dont move city's so its always Our club.

 

[phillyfan26]

I don't know why this bothers me but whenever someone says that I say: "Oh, I didn't see you on the court/pitch/field/ice. When did you start playing for them?"

That's what pisses me off. I say "we" all the time. When people correct me on that, I want to throw a fit, because you KNOW we don't mean we're part of the team, it's to differentiate from them, the other team. Just stop it. Please. You know exactly what we're talking about. Trying to act smart like that isn't going to make me stop, alright?

My brother does this when I mispronounce names that I always mispronounce (example: Willy Taveras, I say TaVARas), and intentionally plays dumb, "Who's Tavaras?" to piss me off.

 

[randhail]

Re: Re: The use of "we" when discussing sports teams

That's what pisses me off. I say "we" all the time. When people correct me on that, I want to throw a fit, because you KNOW we don't mean we're part of the team, it's to differentiate from them, the other team. Just stop it. Please. You know exactly what we're talking about. Trying to act smart like that isn't going to make me stop, alright?

Saying the team's name also eliminates any confusion as to who you are talking about. Use of proper nouns over pronouns is just good english and we all win with good english.

 

[dawnboo]

It's not as bad as men saying that "we" are pregnant when they are going to be fathers! Sorry, guys, you might be expecting, but you definitely aren't pregnant!