Federer's loss to Murray

He "threw the match"? He "tanked" it?

Every native speaker of English (and a good many millions of others) know what that means. And that's a serious accusation.

Athletes throwing contests that people bet on is a surefire way to corrupt a sport. So, it's a no-no in sports. A very, very big no-no. That strict rule is what keep the underworld out.

And yet, I'm disappointed in the furor over this. Why? Because the media have been abusing language this way -- by calling things what they ain't -- right and left about vastly more serious things that tennis. Every single day!

Why? To make the news sizzle with controversy (read $$$).

And nobody seems to mind that. But let the media do that to an athlete, and everyone suddenly knows right from wrong.