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Gridders or Cagers -are those two terms still used?

Virginia Frog

Active Member
When I was at TCU in the mid-70s, I saw the word "Grid" for football and "Cage" for basketball in a lot of TCU publications both athletic press and the official TCU Publication office (like the TCU Mag.) The'd say things like "gridders" and "cagers" when they were reporting on the respective players.

I was not acquainted with those terms at the time but since I have occasionally referred to the football field as the "grid" (and to "gridders") and the person(s) to whom I'm talking have puzzled looks on their faces.

Do we still use those terms or are they a vestige of the 1950s - or am I just "old"?
 
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PurplFrawg

Administrator
The origins are pretty obvious when you see the old time source of the terms. Neither sport has used these venues in quite a while, but it seems like football is still somewhat appropriate as a "grid." In the case of basketball, the ball stayed in play, so the games didn't last as long!

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PurpleBlood87

Active Member
As the son of a sportswriter who covered the Track and Field competition at four Olympic games don't forget thinclads for track athletes.
 

2314

Active Member
When I was at TCU in the mid-70s, I saw the word "Grid" for football and "Cage" for basketball in a lot of TCU publications both athletic press and the official TCU Publication office (like the TCU Mag.) The'd say things like "gridders" and "cagers" when they were reporting on the respective players.

I was not acquainted with those terms at the time but since I have occasionally referred to the football field as the "grid" (and to "gridders") and the person(s) to whom I'm talking have puzzled looks on their faces.

Do we still use those terms or are they a vestige of the 1950s - or am I just "old"?
As a sports writer I will respond: Grid? All, of the time. In fact, I used the word grid on a deck head in this week's issue, and I always use that word. As far as "cage" or "cagers" that kind of left us sportswriters the same as "thin clads" in referring to track and field athletes. I think as recently as a year or so ago I wrote about a "cage tilt" between two basketball teams. You asked good questions.
 
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