This is worth a separate reply.JohnTurney wrote:Again, sorry for the hand-wringing. But I'll take that over ignorance anyday
People use these terms as a means of communication, a shorthand. It is not, generally, intended to be the start of an extended debate or conversation. "3/6/60's" gives you an encapsulation of the player's awards, and it is accurate enough to make whatever point one is trying to make. I assume that that's why everybody on this site uses it. Of course Total Football goes beyond that. It's an encyclopedia. That's what it's there for. Same thing with the Official Record and Fact Book. Their mandate is to be complete.
The media doesn't work that way. They're communicating a point, not writing a dissertation, and, it appears, they get their statistical info from PFR.
Total Football is awesome. It's also 19 years old, and been out of print for how long? That's not where people get their information, and nor is it even remotely useful in the 21st century.
Meaning is what people agree it is. You determine agreement by looking at how a term is used. And as I said, it's about communication. I understand the motives of the people on this site are a little different, and the people here to at least a limited extent march to the beat of a different drummer. "Communication" takes a back seat much of the time. That's fine. I fully support neurodiversity. But it's not ignorance to say, "I just don't need to split those kinds of hairs to make my point. I don't need to factor in the Dallas Morning News to the equation."