SECTION 3

SECTION 3. GENERAL TERMINOLOGY

DATE AND TIME CONVENTION

Below we explain the way moving forward to write dates and times for specific uses.

Local and National communications

For use on graphics and social copy

  • Saturday, February 25 | 7:30 PM
  • Sat., February 25 | 7:30 PM

For use editorially and in press releases

  • Saturday, February 25 (7:30 pm) or Saturday, February 25 at 7:30 pm

Never include the time zone for communication on our channels, as it is understood to be in Eastern Time, unless we’re sharing an asset with a partner on another time zone (i.e.: Livestream of a match that goes live from both clubs’ platforms) 

International communications

For use on graphics

  • Saturday, February 25 - 7:30 PM (ATL) | 21:30 (ARG) | 14h30 (MEX)
  • Some countries in South America and Europe use military time, which should be reflected when relevant

For use editorially and in press releases

  • Saturday, February 25 (7:30 pm ET / 21:30 pm ARG / 6:30 pm MEX)
  • Saturday, February 25 at 7:30 pm ET

For use on social media copy and on-screen video

  • 02.25.23
  • 25.02.23 (for content created exclusively for Latin America)

SCORE CONVENTION

The home team always goes first in all communications (editorial, social, multimedia. hashtags), independently from where a match is being played.

When Atlanta United play at home:

  • Atlanta United vs Orlando City

  • ATLvORL

  • ATL v ORL

For versus, "vs" should be used when full team names are being spelled out, for any other purposes the "v" should be used (Tricodes or Team Logos)

When Atlanta United play away:

  • Chicago Fire vs Atlanta United

  • CHIvATL

COUNTRIES, CITIES AND VENUES

The proper use of country names in English is important, especially when a country belongs to a larger union of countries or when an acceptable informal name exists. For example:

England vs United Kingdom vs Great Britain

  • England is a country 
  • United Kingdom is a country that includes the countries in the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the British Isles 
  • Great Britain is an island in the Atlantic Ocean 

Netherlands vs Holland

  • Netherlands is the country  
  • Holland is a geographical region with the Netherlands 

For a complete list and correct spelling for each country, please refer to the CIA World Factbook.

When referring to a city, country, or a location where English is not the local language, the proper form in English should be used

  • Montreal (when referring to the city in Canada) but Montréal (when referring to the MLS Club) 
  • Sao Paulo, Brazil (instead of São Paulo, Brasil – the proper form in Portuguese) 

When referring to the name of a specific venue, the spelling in the local language should be used

  • Maracanã Stadium (instead of Maracana Stadium – the use of the accent is important to specify the venue in reference as there are many other stadiums with the same name)

NAMES AND NICKNAMES

The first reference of people’s and clubs’ names should always be their full name in their most common form. The second reference should be the last name of a person or a club’s name in its simplest form. Widely recognized nicknames can be used as a third reference.

For example:

  • Thiago Almada (1st reference), Almada (2nd reference), Thiago or “Guayo” (3rd reference) 
  • Atlanta United (1st reference), ATL UTD (2nd reference), 5-Stripes (3rd reference) 
  • Lionel Messi (1st reference), Messi (2nd reference), “La Pulga” (3rd reference) 
  • Real Madrid (1st reference), Madrid (2nd reference), Los Blancos (3rd reference)  

For names in a foreign language, the proper use of the original language should be used. For example: 

  • Luiz Araújo (not Luiz Araujo) 
  • Club Atlético de Madrid 
  • Amar Sejdić 

However, for people whose nickname is more recognizable than their full name, the nickname can be used as its primary and only reference: 

  • Pity Martínez (not Gonzalo Nicolás Martínez)  
  • Tata Martino (not Gerardo Daniel Martino) 
  • Pelé (not Edson Arantes do Nascimento) 
  • Kaká (not Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite)

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND INCLUSIVE TERMINOLOGY

Recommendation for institutional statements when referring to the Black community

At this time, MLS recommendation for institutional statements when speaking of the Black community in the United States, based on the information they have gathered after consulting subject matter experts / scholars on this topic, is:

  • Use of afroestadounidense in direct translation of the Black community in the U.S. (ie comunidad afroestadounidense)
  • Use of afroamericano/a as a descriptor of a Black or African American person
  • Use of afrodescendiente as a descriptor of a Black person (inclusive of all the different Black communities in and outside the U.S., including Afrolatinos)
  • Use of afrolatino/a to describe the Latinos in the U.S. who are of African descent.

Player perspective is also key in this ongoing research of respectful and appropriate terminology. Clubs to ask their Black players and Afrolatino players how they identify themselves.

  • Keeping in mind and being sensitive to the fact that a player may choose to identify one way in the English-language and another in Spanish (For example: former MLS player Kendall Waston identifies as a Black man when speaking in English and when addressing a Spanish-speaking audience he identifies as an afrocostarricense.
  • Clubs consider their different audiences when using terminology: local Spanish-speakers, national Spanish-speakers, international Spanish-speakers.

NOTE: The League will continue to monitor the evolution of the use of the Spanish-language in media/news organizations, relevant institutions and organizations, as well as listen to our constituents and provide recommendations as appropriate.

Recommendation for institutional statements when describing Americans from the Latin-American diaspora

At this time, MLS recommendation for institutional statements when referring to the Americans from the Latin-American diaspora in the United States, based on the information we have gathered after consulting subject matter experts / scholars on this topic, is:

  • When it comes to describing their identity, most Latin-Americans prefer their family’s country of origin over pan-ethnic terms
  • Individuals from or who trace their heritage from places in Latin America are not a culturally homogenous group. They see themselves as culturally unique. In 2012, 69 percent of Americans who trace their roots to Spanish-speaking countries and Latin America said they don’t see a shared cultural identity, according to the Pew Research Center. A majority (51%) say they most often identify themselves by their family’s country of origin; just 24% say they prefer a pan-ethnic label.
  • If there is a need to use a general term, then Latino (preferred) and Hispanic can continue to be referenced.
  • Also emerging is the use of “Latinx.” The Pew Research Center shows the term “Latinx” hasn't really caught on among Latino adults in the U.S.: While one in four have heard of the term, only 3% use it.

NOTE: The League will continue to monitor trends and data from the Pew Research Center and other relevant organizations, as well as listen to our constituents and provide recommendations as appropriate.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LATINO, HISPANIC, SPANISH, LATIN AMERICAN.

As a club, we've made the conscious decision to prioritize the term "Latino" over "Hispanic", therefore we celebrate Latin Heritage, not Hispanic Heritage.

  • Latino: a person whose origin is from a country where they primarily speak a Romance language, or derived from Latin (i.e: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, etc.). Term used mainly in the United States but also present in Latin America.
  • Hispanic: a Spanish-speaking person living in the United States, especially from a Latin American country. This term is only used in the United States, and most people from Latin American countries do not identify with it.
  • Latin American: a person whose origin is or was born in a country in the Americas where the primary language is Spanish, Portuguese or French. Most common term used by people from those countries.
  • Spanish: term used only to describe the Spanish language or a person whose origin is or was born in Spain.
  • América vs The Americas:
    • In the United States,
      • the term "America" is often used to reference and it's a synonym for the U.S.
      • there are two continents, North America (from Alaska to Panama, including the Caribbean islands) and South America (from Colombia to Argentina), and both conform what it's known as "The Americas".
    • In Latin America,
      • the term "América" is never used to reference the United States by itself and that might be considered an insult for many Latin Americans.
      • the term "América" is used to describe the entire Western Hemisphere.
      • there is only one continent, América, with three sub-continents: North America (Canada, USA and Mexico), Central America (from Guatemala to Panama) and South America (from Colombia to Argentina). The Caribbean is a region on its own, which is part of América, and includes all the Caribbean islands as well as all the countries bordering the Caribbean Sea.