“ Tear ’ em apart! ” “ Kill the fool! ” “ Murder the referee ( 裁判 )! ” There are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made, they may seem innocent enough. But let ’ s not kid ourselves. T hey have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed. V olumes have been written about the way words affect us. I t has been shown that words having certain connotations ( 含义 ) may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior . I see the term “ opponent ” as one of those words. P erhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms. T he dictionary meaning of the term “ opponent ” is “ adversary ” “ enemy ” and “ one who opposes your interests ” . T hus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to take every action, no matter how gross it is. I recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player ’ s request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. T he player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then exclaimed, “ Are they wet enough now ?” I n the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reaching to his opponent ’ s intentional and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. O ff the court, they are good friends. D oes that make any sense? I t certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior. T herefore, I believe it is time we elevated ( 提升 ) the game to the level where it belongs, thereby setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. R eplacing the term “ opponent ” with “ associate ” could be an ideal way to start. T he dictionary meaning of the term “ associate ” is “ colleague ” “ friend ” and “ companion ” . R eflect a moment! Y ou may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term “ associate ” rather than “ opponent ” .