Christine Brennan's column

if you go up to 100 random people and tell them you want them to create a mental image of "basketball", then immediately ask them to describe the gender of who is playing, I'd guess that 95+ will say men.

if almost the entire population thinks of men when they hear the term "basketball", there is no need to use that modifier when talking about it. it's ASSUMED without being said.

the word "women's" is only needed when you're trying to distinguish it from what is generally assumed when the generic term "basketball" is used.

 

???

 

ahhh and posting a bunch of times on a message board has made you smarter and more logical?

riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

I love how people think number of posts has anything to do with anything. it's classic insecurity.

 

Please, for the love of humanity, get the fuck out of this business.

 

and the NCAA has such a tremendous history of making intelligent decisions!

yep, that's the horse I'd hitch my cart to. well done.

 

Yes, because I'd love to hitch my cart to the patriarchial society that didn't allow women's basketball to become a sanctioned sport until 1982.

Yours is much more enlightened, I must admit. :

 

I remain amazed at the lack of ability of the supposed professionals here to craft a coherent counter-argument.

the hit-and-run with an insult and/or profanity is just pathetic.

although it helps me understand why this business is heading the way it is.

 

Lane is right about one thing. Big mistake in that column not having the fact that Tennessee held the women's basketball and football championships at the same time. Very sloppy.

 

at least buck is attempting a dialogue, flawed as it is. I appreciate it.

I make no claims of enlightenment. I simply point out... quite accurately... that the public doesn't need the word "men's" before the word "basketball" to understand that you're talking about "men's basketball". it is universally assumed.

this point has not been disputed.

all we're doing now is debating how politically correct we need to be.

 

What about the public in Knoxville, Tenn.? I bet they need qualification as to which team is being referred to. Storrs, Conn. also. Oh, and Lubbock, Texas; Albuquerque, N.M.; Ruson, La.; West Lafayette, Ind.; South Bend, Ind. and I'm sure a few other places.

 

What the "public" assumes, in your mind, is also inaccurate.

And as someone who understands that there is a difference between men's and women's basketball, I -- as a member of the working press that serves that public -- need to make sure I differentiate between the two.

I'm not going to repeat the cliche about assumptions. Everybody knows it. ... But I don't think it's very good policy to base your publication's style guide on "universal" assumptions that aren't very universal.

 

Every paper I've worked at has differentiated it women's basketball and men's basketball, but I'm just a silly girl so what do I know.

And Cadet, you can add Missoula, Mont., to your list of places where you have to differentiate.