Do you correct people who talk about the ‘world cup’ and insist that they refer to it as the 2006 FIFA World Cup[sup]TM[/sup], as it is offically titled? Do you have a problem with the Rugby World Cup (because it doesn’t specify league or union)? Does anyone confuse the World Series with anything else?
I do not correct people, as those are acceptable abbrievations of factually correct titles. Similarly, the Rugby World Cup does at least involve countries from all over the world- but calling it the “World Series of Baseball” is about as correct as calling it the “Paraguyan’s Mixed Women’s Tennis Doubles”*
And whether people are confused by the name or not is not the issue- nobody is complaining that they don’t understand when people say “ATM machine”- they are complaining because such a description is factually incorrect (something that is also not true for the Rugby World Cup).
*[Homer Simpson]Mmm, hyperbole.[/Homer Simpson]
So NFL football, MLB baseball, NBA basketball and NHL hockey bother you. What’s the alternative listing that you would find more acceptable.
Should they list:
Football, as provided by the NFL, Baseball as provided by MLB, etc., (sounds clunky to me).
or
Pro football (how do we know that it’s not Arena Football)?
or
Profession baseball (how do we know it’s not a minor league game)?
Come to grips with the fact that NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL are the registered trade names of the leagues and accurately describe the type of programming you will be seeing.
Well, no, that’s wrong, and it’s wrong because you’re simply ignorant of the facts. But that’s okay, I’ll be glad to correct you. That’s what we’re here for.
“World Series” is a term that dates back to the 19th century, and was in fact used before the modern World Series began. In the context of the 19th century, the term “world series” did not mean “a championship open to everyone in the world.” “World” in that context meant “big” or “really, really important,” “a clash of two championship teams.” Anyone who referred to the NL-AA series as the “World Series” would have simply meant, and would have been understood to mean by anyone listening, that it was a big, season-ending series. “World” was essentially the same as using a modifier like “Ultra” or “Super.” When the modern World Series began in 1903, they adopted the name everyone had unofficially used for the previous series, and again it was understood to mean “Super.” The (unofficial) habit people have of calling a World Series champion a “world champion” came afterwards.
The term “World Series” is perfectly appropriate, because it’s a proper name based on an entirely correct usage of the term “world,” not a literal description. The London Eye is not literally an organ used for sight, but that’s its proper name.
Of course, there is the added, and very important, point that the World Series champion really IS the best pro team in the world, but that’s a separate issue.
That’s not as much of a given as it used to be. I’d like to see a WBC-like tournament where the winners of the World Series face the teams that won in Japan, Cuba, Korea, etc. Granted, a lot of those guys are MLB players, but in the case of the three teams I mentioned, a lot of them (all, on the Cuban team) aren’t.
It’s never called that, and other posters have assisted in pointing out the error
So, Happy, what’s your opinion on the Miss Universe pageant?
If you bought a motor from GM, it would be inaccurate to say you bought “a GM.” You’d say a “GM motor.”
Same deal.