Published October 26, 2025
American football coaches, players and announcers often say “he broke contain.” What they mean is the person with the ball got outside the containment of the team trying to stop him.
He broke containment.
Football is hectic and takes up a lot of time, so dropping that one syllable makes a world of difference. It’s like when I say I work 5p to 1a instead of saying 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. I save two beats there! Your move, football guys!
I’m posting about this so you don’t think I’m a hopeless language extremist antifa free radical. I can be cranky about this stuff.
I’ve said before, “I don’t know about ‘break contain,’ but I know you’ve broken my brain. And you are breaking the English language.”
Is it fine to use “contain” for “containment”? Dictionaries don’t seem to be there just yet. But just as rust never sleeps, the language of football and sports never waits.
Word people like me were aghast when commit (short for “commitment”) became a noun in sports. As in, “State U has five commits so far this recruiting season.” Heck, that wasn’t too long after “he’s their fifth commitment” was giving us pause. Suddenly, he was their fifth commit. Now, commit is ubiq.
As in ubiquitous.
See? I can let my hair down!
As I was saying
So, my man up there, the silhouette pointing to a board with what I will insist features a diagram of a football play, is in it to win it, and to contain it.
“Don’t let him break contain,” he is probably saying.
“Oh no, they lost contain,” the announcer would then say, describing it from the defense’s point of view.
If you are the offense, you want to break contain, and if you’re the defense, you don’t want to lose contain. If you’re a coach or an announcer who used to be a coach or a player, you simply want to break my brain.
But hey, it saves a syllable, which saves time!
In 2025, do I really care about this one? I probably don’t. But I’d recommend a writer use “containment.” There’s already too much coachspeak and announcerspeak in modern sports writing for my comfort, but your mileage may vary. You might not even notice.
And now, for therapy, get me to a container store.
The overriding point to all of these posts is that language evolves, one way or another. Sometimes I have to drag people along with me to catch up. Sometimes other people have to drag me along with them, and with the language. The tension is always highest when a word or a phrase is in flux. It can be a drag.
Boldly go or go boldly?
I think about the young people a lot and hope they live a good, long life, well past the time when many of these “rules” have been relegated to the dustbin. Live long and prosper, you bold and beautiful, and make it easier to communicate with language, not harder.
Or take my advice and insist upon communicating only through snacks and interpretive dance. That ought to slow things down enough for clearer heads.
I call that clip “Garr Trek.”
Some of you are LSU fans
Here’s a look at the Tigers’ upcoming games, so you don’t have to find a schedule. You’re welcome.
After a nonconference game at home against Western Kentucky, those SEC games are followed by a road game against Oklahoma. Seems like a rough stretch.
Sending love. Protect your peace.
♥
Thank you
If you appreciate what you find here and feel generous, you can check out the Tip Jar. Thank you for reading. Here’s a butterfly for you.
/”””””\ \ / /”””””\
\ 0 \( )/ 0 /
> l l <
/ o l l o \
\,,,,,,,,,/v\,,,,,,,,,/
Chalkboard with football play by goir via Shutterstock.
Silhouette image © Arcady31 | Megapixl.com
You might not believe this
I heard thunder last night. Looked at the clock. It was 8:43.
We don’t hear a lot of thunder in the Pacific Northwest. To be honest, I miss it.
Food for thought
@carefreebri_ Get ready. #fyp ♬ original sound – CarefreeBri