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Singular team names

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Clever username, Jul 11, 2007.

  1. RedCanuck

    RedCanuck Active Member

    So AP actually encourages the style "Metallica are playing a show in Phoenix," rather than "Metallica is playing a show in Phoenix." Interesting.
     
  2. SF_Express

    SF_Express Active Member

    Actually, that IS interesting, and I wonder how often they follow that with regard to band names.

    Oddly, as the guy who defends "Heat are," I don't think "Metallica are" seems right at all.
     
  3. Clever username

    Clever username Active Member

    You're not going to write Miami 27 times in a story when referring to the Heat. In my particular case, there is no city name. It's just a stupid travel softball team that was trying to be too cute when it named itself.
     
  4. forever_town

    forever_town Well-Known Member

    I say go singular for team names that aren't plural and for band names.

    The team is, the band is, etc.
     
  5. Football_Bat

    Football_Bat Well-Known Member

    Everybody: Quit calling it a SINGULAR PLURAL! It either is singular or it is plural. Period. It doesn't have to end in "s" to be plural. Thank you.
     
  6. gospringboks

    gospringboks Member

    Simple answer: Different papers have different style.
     
  7. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    Creeping Euro-Britization.

    You wanna speak British, go to Britain. In America, we speak American.
     
  8. Central-KY-Kid

    Central-KY-Kid Well-Known Member

    Online AP Stylebook for sports:

    http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:ueU1G8kRuPwJ:fredericksburg.com/FreeLanceStarCompany/Newsrooms/newsroom/APStyle/APtxt/Sprtguid.htm+AP+stylebook+team+nickname+plural&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us
     
  9. EStreetJoe

    EStreetJoe Well-Known Member

    I agree with all those that have said to treat it as a plural noun -- the Heat are

    However I'm surprised nobody's said the wise-ass obvious answer yet "ask your sports editor what your paper's style is and if you are the SE, set the style yourself"
     
  10. Twoback

    Twoback Active Member

    It should be "are". In too many U.S. publications, it's "is."
    I've been fighting this battle for years.
    Still losing.
     
  11. sportsed

    sportsed Member

    Uh, there are words that are both singular and plural.

    Quoting from the AP Stylebook again, this time under plurals ...

    WORDS THE SAME IN SINGULAR AND PLURAL: corps, chassis, deer, moose, sheep, etc.
    The sense in a particular sentence is conveyed by the use of a singular or plural verb.


    You're welcome.
     
  12. Bucknutty

    Bucknutty Member

    This is now the greatest day of my life. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
     
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