Year Versus Season

I've always been of the thinking that if you're talking baseball, you can say "last year" because the entire baseball season is played during the same calendar year.

If you talk football or hockey or basketball, I use "last season" because they all begin in one calendar year and end in another.

Am I right?

Thoughts?

 

That's how we do it.

 

I would argue that it's OK to use year for football since, a few playoff games aside, the season is played in the same calendar year. For basketball or hockey, you can probably get away with writing "a year ago," but I would mostly stick with "last season."

 

You're right.
Too many people make this mistake.

 

That's how I do it, Pete.

 

Makes sense to me, Pete.

 

I tend to over use "campaign." Yes, it's a personality flaw.

 

Beat me to it.

 

Pete is 100% correct.

And campaigns are for politicians, not athletic teams.

 

Baseball, absolutely, year is fine.

Football's a gray area.

NHL, NBA, college hoops, et al. Season is always right unless whatever is being discussed happened wholly in the year.

 

I've seen enough baseball writers who use "last year" in November or December to prefer season there as well.