# Re "Athletes With Illegitimate Kids" slideshow - Is this word still widely used?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-athletes-with-illegitimate-kids-slideshow-is-this-word-still-widely-used/684728>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 28, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-athletes-with-illegitimate-kids-slideshow-is-this-word-still-widely-used/684728 "2014-03-28T01:51:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-athletes-with-illegitimate-kids-slideshow-is-this-word-still-widely-used/684728/1 "2014-03-28T01:51:14Z")

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Re this click baity slide show[Athletes With Illegitimate Kids](http://www.thefumble.com/galleries/athletes-illegitimate-kids/) is the world “illegitimate” still widely used in describing out of wedlock children?

I ask because I had not heard it used in a while and guessed it had gone by the wayside in general use until I say this slideshow. Still a popular term or not?

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**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-athletes-with-illegitimate-kids-slideshow-is-this-word-still-widely-used/684728/2 "2014-03-28T04:43:20Z")

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Versus what, bastards? If we go the other way, then it’s all baby daddy / baby mama drama. Blegh.

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**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-athletes-with-illegitimate-kids-slideshow-is-this-word-still-widely-used/684728/3 "2014-03-28T20:58:44Z")

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You’d think some of these guys could afford a box of condoms.

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**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-athletes-with-illegitimate-kids-slideshow-is-this-word-still-widely-used/684728/4 "2014-03-28T21:01:43Z")

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they aren’t illegitimate kids, they are long term young fans.

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**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-athletes-with-illegitimate-kids-slideshow-is-this-word-still-widely-used/684728/5 "2014-03-29T02:49:55Z")

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I wonder if the athlete gene was passed on?

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**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-athletes-with-illegitimate-kids-slideshow-is-this-word-still-widely-used/684728/6 "2014-03-29T05:29:08Z")

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When the West Co. set out to create a systematic encyclopedia of American law in the 19th century, they developed topic headings to cover every possible subject, and one of them was “Bastards.” At some point midway through the 1900s, they realized that this was now an insensitive term, and changed it to “Illegitimate Children.” Relatively recently, they realized once again that the term they had chosen was unwise, and now they are going with “Children Out Of Wedlock.”