The Importance of Word Choice (or How Not to Anger Your Fans)

One thing I plan on writing about a lot on this blog is word choice. After all, the rules of grammar are needed to ensure we communicate clearly – but what’s the point of being grammatically correct if you use the wrong word and your message is completely misunderstood?

Case in point: Let’s say you’re the head basketball coach at a fairly large state university in the Midwest. When you joined the program, it was in pretty bad shape, and in your five years there, you’ve turned things around. You still haven’t taken a team to the Final Four, but you went to the Elite Eight a couple of years ago, and the fans love you. Then the university where you served as an assistant coach for 17 years fires its coach and comes sniffing around. What do you say to the media when they ask if you’re interested in that position?

“I plan on being at [state university in the Midwest] for a long time, retire here. I’m happy. I think that’s the most important thing. It’s always about being happy.”

Note the word used in the first sentence: “retire.” Now let’s look up “retire” in Webster’s New World College Dictionary:

to withdraw from one’s position or occupation: conclude one’s working or professional career 

Ah, so what you’re saying is you’re going to stay in this position until you’re done coaching and ready to chill out with your millions on a tropical island. You’re 51 years old, so fans can rest assured that they probably have at least a good 15 years left to cheer you and your teams on.

But wait! Less than three weeks - not 15 years - later, you say this:

“I am extremely excited to once again be a part of this special [other university]. With the continued passionate support of all [other university's mascot] fans, I am confident that we will have the opportunity to succeed on and off the court and continue to build on the [other university's] championship tradition.”

This is a prime example of using the incorrect word. You didn’t mean “retire.” What you meant was “stay here until someone offers me a lot more money.” Perhaps you didn’t understand the definition of the word “retire.” Perhaps that involved too many words and your mouth was already tired from talking out of both sides of it while negotiating contracts with the two schools. Perhaps that was simply too straightforward.

Whatever the case, your word choice stunk, and you did not communicate clearly. Perhaps your new university should’ve saved some of that cool $2.2 million they’re paying you to buy you a dictionary.