User:Sillyfolkboy/Resources/MOS:SportsFlag

Note: This is a working document. The discussed proposal shows wide differences in opinion on the subject of flag usage on sports articles, including different interpretations of what constitutes "appropriate usage" in the relevant high-level Manual of Style.; Since the creation of Wikipedia, flags have been used widely in sports article and many instances are against the defined best practice of Wikipedia as a whole. I believe a sports-specific document is required to narrow this gap. The initial focus of this draft will be to (A) define and clarify what is widely agreed as bad practice in a sports context and (B) specify what types of usage present the main sticking points towards a consensus. SFB 14:27, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

MOS Sports

Flag usage

This Manual of Style is designed to define acceptable usages of flag icons specifically within sports articles. Its purpose is to give a greater level of detail on this subject, but remain within the spirit of the main Manual of Style

In sports articles, national flag icons must only be used when sporting nationality is a key feature of the aspect being described – this almost exclusively relates to international competitions where individuals or teams are representative of their nation within the competition. Flags visually draw a reader's attention to nationality over other content, hence they should not be used in circumstances where nationality is not a defining factor. Flags should never be used in situations where stating the country name would also be inappropriate.

Flags should not be used within prose (full sentences), header text, or where they disrupt the flow of text
Flag icons should at a minimum display the relevant three-letter country code for the given flag, or show the full country name in text where such emphasis is appropriate.
- The sole exception to the above is when a flag without text directly follows a previous flag usage which shows the full name (example)
Flags should not be used to demonstrate locations of competitions, events, or teams
Flags should not be used for non-playing sportspersons (such as managers, referees, support staff, or organisational staff), unless that person is representing a national body within an international context
Flag icons should not be used if the sports topic is entirely national in nature (except for international guests) – e.g. 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
To prevent excessive duplication in the case of sports team rosters/squads, flag icons should not be used for the same nationality in which the team is located – a hatnote specifying the location nationality should be used instead (e.g. All players are of Argentine sporting nationality, unless stated otherwise)
Flags should not be used for sportspeople's nationalities when the context is not competitive, but purely descriptive (e.g. List of middle-distance runners)
Flag icons for sportspeople should be used in the above contexts to demonstrate sporting nationality only (i.e. not the legal nationality)
Flags may only be used in infoboxes if accompanied by the country name in full text and the given countries are central to the topic (e.g. 1966 FIFA World Cup Final)
National flags should not be used when there is dispute over an athlete or team's nationality, or if flag usage may be misconstrued or misrepresentative
Where nationality is irrelevant to the sport, already implied in the article context or redundant, then such decorative flag usage should be avoided

Disputed usages

The following flag usages are subject to further discussion and there has not yet been conclusive agreement upon their removal or approval:

Situations where individuals or teams are not representing their nation, but nationality and flag usage has a prominent usage within the corresponding sport's culture (e.g. 2012 Formula One season, 2013 Wimbledon Championships and 2012 IAAF Diamond League)
Situations where individuals are not representing their nation, but their nationality affects their eligibility for the corresponding sports competition (e.g. Manchester United F.C.#Player squad and 2012 Ryder Cup)

Summary of proposal response

Following the initial proposal and discussion of this guideline at Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style/Icons, my personal summary of the response is as follows:

About half of the editors here believe (MOS Uphold):

The MOS should not allow for sports flag usage outside of an international competition situation
Many see defining acceptable sports flag usage in greater detail within MOSFlag as a negative step (some so even if that guideline is entirely complaint with the current MOS)

About another half of the editors here believe (MOS to change):

Usage of flags to display a national aspect of people and teams in a sporting context is acceptable and a useful way to display the information
The MOS should be refined to further clarify sports flag usage (and be more amenable in respect of the above two points)
Usage of three-letter country codes to represent a country name alongside a flag is acceptable

Other view points

Some editors see abbreviations of country names alongside flag icons as unacceptable and country names should be given in full with the flag
Some editors are not happy with the current MOSFlag guidelines and want current guideline to be revised for a stricter interpretation
Some editors in the sports area do not see an issue with using flagicons without text to denote the country (against current guideline)
Some editors wish to see flags used in infoboxes to denote sporting nationality (against current guideline)
Some believe there are accessibility issues with flag icons in general
Some editors believe Wikipedia articles should mirror the style of their sources

The general tone of discussion on this topic has been combative at times. Some feel sports editors have gone rogue in terms of the Wikipedia-wide guidelines. Many sports editors believe there is broad consensus for sports articles to use flags widely – some see supporters of the current guideline as simply trying to impose their preferred style on a topic area they have little interest in.

Positions appeared somewhat entrenched before the proposal was even fully developed. I think the greatest impediments to the progression of the proposal are the general tone of the discussion and fact that there are editors arguing for opposite changes to the current MOS in relation to flags (stricter vs. more liberal usage). The last point around source style is an interesting one – I cannot find any previous discussion as to whether sources should affect style (rather than just content). The one thing all parties agreed on was that flag usage is a significant problem (though interpretations of what that problem is vary a lot). SFB 17:46, 7 July 2014 (UTC)