# The word "ballplayer" and its use in American culture **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 17, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776 "2012-01-17T06:39:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/1 "2012-01-17T06:39:50Z")
Here’s an interesting (in my opinion) topic. It came up during one of many Stoned Fishing Conversations I’ve had over the years. A friend and I were discussing the implications of college athletics for our society, and whether or not Big Ten athletes were getting a legitimate education or just being treated as pawns. (Believe me, this topic is not something I have ever spent a great deal of thought on, being generally apathetic about sports.) But anyway - I spoke the following phrase: “I think there are definitely some college ballplayers who go on to have successful careers.” Immediately my friend said that he thought the word “ballplayers” sounded totally archaic and bizarre, and we both started laughing about it. The conversation then shifted towards the term “ballplayer” and the appropriateness of its use. “I’ve mostly heard it in reference to basketball and baseball,” I said. “But I can’t say I’ve heard it very much in reference to football.” My friend agreed. “Yeah, usually not football players.” (Thinking about it now - could this be that baseball and basketball players, of all positions, generally handle the actual ball more frequently than football players?) “But I guess, theoretically,” I said, “it could apply to any sport with a ball. Soccer, tennis…even GOLF!” Then we both started laughing uncontrollably. What do you say? Do you use the term “ballplayer” or do you think it sounds archaic? And am I generally correct in thinking that it’s typically restricted to baseball and basketball? ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/2 "2012-01-17T09:19:26Z")
To me, “ballplayer” = baseball player. In return, though, “b-ball” refers strictly to basketball. Neither strike me as archaic. ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/3 "2012-01-17T09:44:00Z")
I’m with **AppallingGael.** I have only ever heard it, or used it, in reference to baseball players. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/4 "2012-01-17T13:44:06Z")
Moving from IMHO to Game Room. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/5 "2012-01-17T16:20:19Z")
The term, to me, does seem to connote baseball players more than those from other sports. And, it does feel a little old-timey, too. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/6 "2012-01-17T16:33:31Z")
> [@AppallingGael](#): > > To me, “ballplayer” = baseball player. In return, though, “b-ball” refers strictly to basketball. Neither strike me as archaic. Another vote for this. And if I heard someone shout “Play ball!” I would assume that a baseball game was about to start. All of this is due to tradition, not logic. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/7 "2012-01-17T16:42:14Z")
Agree with the others: a ballplayer is a baseball player. And it doesn’t strike me as especially archaic. > [@AppallingGael](#): > > In return, though, “b-ball” refers strictly to basketball. I’ve never heard this usage though. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/8 "2012-01-17T17:37:09Z")
To join the chorus, a ballplayer plays baseball. Just like a ballgame is a baseball game. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/9 "2012-01-17T18:31:54Z")
In my experience, ballplayer = baseball player b-baller, or just “baller” = basketball player In either case, saying of someone “he’s a ballplayer” or “he’s a baller” would mean “he’s devoted to the game”, encompassing not only great athletic skills but also good sportsmanship, hustle and attention to detail beyond what shows up in the box score or highlight reel (backing up fielding plays, moving without the ball, etc.). To compliment a football player in a like fashion you’d simply say “he’s a gamer”. I would venture to guess that this because (American) football is so specialized, to the extent that body builds are associated with various skills and positions, that one rarely talks about someone being a “football player” except to give an image of “big beefy guy”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/10 "2012-01-17T18:47:57Z")
Absent any context, I would assume “ballplayer” would mean “baseball player”, though in context like the OP describes, it could also be a basketball player. But I agree that the word sounds out-of-place for a football player. > [@](#): > > To compliment a football player in a like fashion you’d simply say “he’s a gamer”. To me, a “gamer” means either someone who sits around a table and plays D&D, Warhammer, Magic, or the like, or someone who sits in front of a high-end computer or console playing FPSes and Starcraft and the like. I would never describe any athlete as a “gamer”. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/11 "2012-01-17T18:51:58Z")
“Ballplayer” I’ve always heard used to refer to a baseball player, and it’s a term in current usage. I’ve never heard it used to describe a player in any other sport. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/12 "2012-01-17T19:10:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To me, a “gamer” means either someone who sits around a table and plays D&D, Warhammer, Magic, or the like, or someone who sits in front of a high-end computer or console playing FPSes and Starcraft and the like. I would never describe any athlete as a “gamer”. Gamer has two meanings - in the athletic context, it means a guy who plays the game very hard, keeps playing through pain, and so on. I don’t think of it as a sport-specific word (in that sense). ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/13 "2012-01-17T19:19:07Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Gamer has two meanings - in the athletic context, it means a guy who plays the game very hard, keeps playing through pain, and so on. I don’t think of it as a sport-specific word (in that sense). In that context, “he’s a gamer” seems to be derived from “he’s game”, where “game” has the meaning “willing”. (“Hey, who wants to go see a movie?” “I’m game!”). So a “gamer” is someone who’s “game/willing” to play no matter what the conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/14 "2012-01-17T20:01:58Z")
Want to be _really_ archaic? Call football players gridders and basketball players cagers. Slightly less archaic, but still out of fashion: basketball players = roundballers or hoopsters. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/15 "2012-01-17T20:03:04Z")
I also automatically think of baseball when I hear the word ballplayer. Something else I’ve noticed: a pitcher is usually specifically called a pitcher rather than a baseball player, whereas a player at any other position can be called a baseball player rather than first baseman or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/16 "2012-01-17T20:22:30Z")
Well, the other positions other than pitcher (and maybe catcher) can move around a fair bit. Generally infielders stay infielders and outfielders stay outfielders, but even that line can be crossed. And if you get two really great shortstops but only a lackluster second baseman, it wouldn’t be at all odd to move one of those SSes to 2B. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/17 "2012-01-17T20:34:35Z")
I notice an inverse correlation between the people that think of baseball and the people that think it’s archaic. I’m willing to bet the people who think it’s archaic don’t spend much time with the sport. ETA: Oh, and “baseball” and “modern usage”. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/18 "2012-01-19T02:58:49Z")
My first thought when I see or hear the word is the taunt directed at prospective hurlers as part of the [Bobo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhiVB413oFQ) schtick: “Can’t have a ballgame without a ballplayer!” ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/19 "2012-01-19T15:30:31Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I’m willing to bet the people who think it’s archaic don’t spend much time with the sport. Not in my case, at least. I follow baseball quite a lot, and it still feels like a bit of an archaic term to me. :shrug: ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-ballplayer-and-its-use-in-american-culture/609776/20 "2012-01-19T15:31:37Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > My first thought when I see or hear the word is the taunt directed at prospective hurlers as part of the [Bobo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhiVB413oFQ) schtick: “Can’t have a ballgame without a ballplayer!” I think of an old routine by George Carlin (or maybe it was Gallagher), talking about how frequently baseball players seem to “adjust themselves”. He theorized that was what the term “ballplayer” meant. 😉