Verb agreement with team names

[austinsportsguy]

Sorry I keep referring to Reformed Hack as TampaTribune, but I'll catch on eventually.

 

[BDC99]

I agree with your Wildcats example, Tampa Tribune. Giants baseball manager, not Giant baseball manager.

But "Giants baseball starts new season" —that would be singular.

Consistency should be the key, but if ESPN can get AP style right, why not print guys?

Why not Giants start new baseball season? There's a lesson here ... almost ANY style/grammar question has a workaround. But Posey IS a Giant, whether you like it or not. LOL. But in other uses, never Giant fan or Giant catcher. As to the original post, Tampa Tribune is right. Totally depends on your paper's style. My old paper, ahem, treated all as plurals. The competition did the opposite. Neither was wrong, and consistency is the key.

 

[reformedhack]

You're still saying "Baseball is," so it's singular. Are you saying "Giants baseball starts" should never be used? Even as a skybox or teaser?

I might have misinterpreted your question. Wasn't saying that at all ... the phrase "Giants baseball starts" would be correct, but I'd recommend recasting it if it sounds weird to you and others.

Bottom line: Use the plural team name as an adjective, and all other rules of grammar apply.

(And no worries about misidentifying me -- I guess my avatar is confusing to some folks, but I'm using it as a tribute to my alma mater, which died May 3 in a shameless sellout/takeover. I'll change it to something else on June 3, after the requisite period of mourning.)

 

[BDC99]

Surprisingly at my last shop most of the writers and some of the editors had no clue about this rule. I was stunned at first. It seemed the bosses didn't know or care about the rule.

Say what, now? Surely, you jest! LOL.

Yeah, I have a problem getting that one down, especially when its a sport with boys and girls teams. Wildcats boys coach, Wildcat boys coach or Wildcats' boys coach? People at my shop always try to sneak the last one through, but I usually change it if I can.

ALWAYS Wildcats boys coach. But again, always a way to rewrite. Wildcats coach, and work boys/girls into the story earlier/later. And easiest way to remember if it needs a possessive? If you think it should be Raptors' coach, would it also be Toronto's coach? Just take the city/school/etc and sub it out and see what sounds right. Not perfect, but neither is AP style, or English, for that matter.

 

[reformedhack]

Yeah, I have a problem getting that one down, especially when its a sport with boys and girls teams. Wildcats boys coach, Wildcat boys coach or Wildcats' boys coach? People at my shop always try to sneak the last one through, but I usually change it if I can.

No need for an apostrophe unless you're using a definite article, such as "the Wildcats' coach." Even then, I think you could make a case for not using one in some instances, but I'd suggest erring on the side of grammar and doing what's, well, not wrong.

 

[BDC99]

Oh, I forgot to ask. Who is Travis Clay? Lulz!

 

[MNgremlin]

And easiest way to remember if it needs a possessive? If you think it should be Raptors' coach, would it also be Toronto's coach? Just take the city/school/etc and sub it out and see what sounds right. Not perfect, but neither is AP style, or English, for that matter.

I see my fair share of those too.

 

[Ace]

Unless your team has only one player, all team names should be treated as plural.

The sudden-death tiebreaker is it's shorter for the headline:

Heat win

vs.

Heat wins

 

[Bronco77]

The sudden-death tiebreaker is it's shorter for the headline:

Heat win

vs.

Heat wins

When in doubt, I'll never argue against a vote in favor of headline-friendliness after struggling to write one-column heads for all these years.

Previous shop used the "Magic wins" construction; my current shop uses "Magic win." Still find myself backsliding to the old way from time to time.

 

[Ace]

No need for an apostrophe unless you're using a definite article, such as "the Wildcats' coach." Even then, I think you could make a case for not using one in some instances, but I'd suggest erring on the side of grammar and doing what's, well, not wrong.

At one of my former places we were forbidden from using that construction. And for good reason. It's long, sounds awkward and now you have do deal with apostrophes and maybe commas (does it need a comma aournd the coach name?). Screw that.

NO: ... said the Plodders' coach Heywood Jablome

YES: ... said Podunk coach Heywood Jablome

 

[da man]

At one of my former places we were forbidden from using that construction. And for good reason. It's long, sounds awkward and now you have do deal with apostrophes and maybe commas (does it need a comma aournd the coach name?). Screw that.

NO: ... said the Plodders' coach Heywood Jablome

YES: ... said Podunk coach Heywood Jablome

Yes, but if you didn't want to repeat a player's name (say, because it was in the previous paragraph a couple times), you might say something like, "The Wildcats' quarterback completed six consecutive passes during the winning drive."

 

[da man]

Another contribution from Old Blighty to our language, of course. I've grown so accustomed to hearing "England are" and "Arsenal are" from their commentators that it's not even jarring anymore.

Not to me. It always drives me nuts and it always will.