English Dictionary

play the ball and not the man

動詞

広義 口語 慣用表現

(sports) To attack the ball instead of an opponent who is usually controlling the ball. Often considered a positive action, and sometimes a requirement not to concede a penalty.

日本語の意味

（スポーツにおいて）ボールを対象に攻撃することで、通常、ボールを支配している相手選手ではなく、ボール自体に焦点を当てるプレーを行うこと。フェアなプレーやペナルティ回避のために重視される行動。

Defenders must always play the ball and not the man when attempting a tackle to avoid conceding a penalty.

タックルを試みる際、守備側は反則を避けるために常にボールを狙い、相手選手を狙わないようにしなければならない。

意味（1）

(sports) To attack the ball instead of an opponent who is usually controlling the ball. Often considered a positive action, and sometimes a requirement not to concede a penalty.

意味（2）

(by extension, idiomatic, colloquial) To object to someone's argument by attacking the argument itself instead of them or a facet of their personality; to avoid or make the opposite of an ad hominem attack. Usually considered a positive action, and an avoidance of a fallacious argumentative technique. Often used in comparison to play the man and not the ball.

Billionaire Johann Rupert has called on politicians to play the ball and not the man in his acceptance of the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies Lifetime Achievement Award... “Why attack people instead of debating the issue? Our issues are unemployment and a terrible educational system. It is a disaster,” said Rupert.

plays the ball and not the man （ present singular third-person ）

playing the ball and not the man （ participle present ）

played the ball and not the man （ participle past ）

played the ball and not the man （ past ）