grammar-geek's picture
grammar-geek March 19, 2014 - 5:08pm

What does "It's all academic" mean? I hear it used a lot by sportscasters toward the end of a sporting event.

Thanks.

grammar-geek's picture
grammar-geek March 19, 2014 - 6:48pm

A sportscaster will usually say during the last thirty seconds or so of a game, "This one is academic, folks" or "It's all academic" or "It's all academic from this point forward." I've heard this phrase used in multiple contexts, thinking, of course, that they all mean the same thing.

grammar-geek's picture
grammar-geek March 20, 2014 - 9:45am

I think it means "it's all over bar the shouting."

jyh's picture
jyh from VA is reading whatever he feels like March 20, 2014 - 10:34am

In the context of sports, saying "It's academic ..." means they only have to finish the game, and that the following plays could not affect the win/loss outcome due to the limited amount of time remaining. The results of the plays (which are irrelevant in the short term of the particular game) will nevertheless be noted and inlcuded in the season and career records of the teams and players.

Thuggish's picture
Thuggish from Vegas is reading Day of the Jackal March 20, 2014 - 10:39am

ac·a·dem·ic
ˌakəˈdemik
adjective

2.
not of practical relevance; of only theoretical interest.
"the debate has been largely academic"
 

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated March 20, 2014 - 12:26pm

In general it means that the debate doesn't matter; similar to a debate about what happens after event when humans become stateless that will never happen from an academic theory like Marxist style communism. You can throw a so far in there if it makes you feel better. 

Covewriter's picture
Covewriter from Nashville, Tennessee is reading & Sons March 22, 2014 - 9:04pm

This is interesting. So it's academic means people theorizing over an outcome, but only talking about it. They can't control or do anything about it. Academic I plus higher learning, but in this context the term is a bit negative. 

 

Thuggish's picture
Thuggish from Vegas is reading Day of the Jackal March 22, 2014 - 10:28pm

^

Doesn't have to be negative.  Things can start academic and then translate to the pragmatic.  Physics becomes engineering, that sort of thing.