World Championship?

[MightyMouse]

I've been editing an inordinate number of "World Championships" out of copy lately, and I was wondering what everyone else's thoughts were on the subject.

For me, it's a pet peeve, but I feel it's more than that, because it's also inaccurate.

The Yankees are not 27-time world champions. They have 27 World Series titles. The Saints are not the defending world champions. They are the defending Super Bowl champions or NFL champions. Etc ...

 

[Shoeless Joe]

you are correct

 

[TwoGloves]

Hate it. The World Series isn't a true world championship. They don't play the Japanese. Isn't being World Series or NBA or NFL champions good enough?

 

[VictoryGallop]

At our shop that has always been explicitly stated: "The World Series champion is to be referred to as the World Series champion, not the world champion." Same rationale with all others...

 

[MightyMouse]

At our shop that has always been explicitly stated: "The World Series champion is to be referred to as the World Series champion, not the world champion." Same rationale with all others...

That's reasonable ... more than reasonable, actually. Probably what was most annoying about it last week was that I was editing a Yankees fanboi story written by the SE. It was everywhere: story, breakouts, cutlines. Ugh.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

I probably should resist this, because this is a legitimate discussion, but every time I see the term "world champion" I'm reminded of an exchange during my college baseball days. The Pirates had a scout on our campus to look at one of our players, drawing a lot of curiosity from the rest of us. One guy said, "hey, he's got a world championship ring." Another guy quickly responded, "yeah, he can suck my world championship ****."

 

[SnoopyBoy]

I totally agree. It's World Series champions, Super Bowl champions, etc. Except for the World Cup, of course.

 

[Reese]

OK, so ... San Francisco Giants World Series champions. Sounds damned good to me.

 

[Batman]

Hate it. The World Series isn't a true world championship. They don't play the Japanese. Isn't being World Series or NBA or NFL champions good enough?

So can you call the winner of the World Baseball Classic the world champions? Sure, the Japanese (or Koreans, or whoever the hell won it last time) might have beaten the best teams, but they haven't beaten them all. Bring on Finland!

 

[Batman]

Also, just for the hell of it...

 

[clutchcargo]

Figure skating has world championships. I guess an Olympic gold medal counts as a world championship. Little League World Series? Etc.