WITHIN in sports journalism

[Frank Abate]

Mike et al.

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough, but the problem I have with this usage is that it seems to extend the core meaning of prep. "within", which is 'inside of' or 'not beyond (a specified limit)'.  But the specified limit of the second sense, if concrete, denotes being inside the limit (e.g., "within a mile").  If the difference in a score is exactly one point at a given time, I would think the precise way of stating this would be using "at" or "to" or otherwise (e.g., *"with that basket, the Bulls are at one point/move it to one point/are one point behind").   I'm asking because the OED and other dicts don't seem to cover this usage, which seems an extension of the literal, however slight.

Frank Abate


salovesh at niu.edu wrote:
>
>
> Frank Abate wrote:
> >
> > Have others noted the use of "within" in sports play-by-play reportage as in:
> >
> >   "with that basket, they are now within one" [when the score differs by one
> > point]
> >
> > I've heard it during basketball, baseball, and football games, at least.  Is
> > it new-fangled for one to say that the team behind is "within" the specified
> > number of point(s) that they are actually behind by?  OED examples at "within
> > prep." don't quite point out this usage, as I read them.
> >
> > Frank Abate
>
> What it suggests to me is "within one . . . " [point of tying the
> game].  An alternative would be "need two . . . " [points to take the
> lead].  Expressed that way, it doesn't sound all that new-fangled.
>
> -- mike salovesh  <salovesh at niu.edu>  PEACE !!!
>