Politically Correct Sports Terms
Living With Balls put together a list of politically correct sports terms which mainly focuses on football and baseball. I thought I’d add a few that relate to basketball.
Project / Tremendous Upside
A term used in football for a raw quarterback or a player being converted to another position. In basketball, it usually pertains to a player that has very little skill but has all the natural athletic ability to be a star. However, most of the time, projects do not pan out.
The media might say something like: “Hasheem Thabeet is a project, but he’s 7′ 3″ and can play defense and rebound. It may take a while for him to contribute on the NBA level.”
Translation: “This guy can’t play a lick, but he’s SEVEN-FOOT-THREE! Did I mention that he was 7′ 3″? He’s SEVEN-FOOT-THREE! The Grizzlies can coach him up, right?”
Other example(s): Shawn Bradley, Hassan Whiteside, Darko Milicic, Kwame Brown, Robert Swift, Tyrus Thomas, Greg Oden, Anthony Randolph, Jordan Hill; anyone with more physical ability than actual skill
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