girls basketball team (possessive or descriptive?)

[moonglow]

Should I insert an apostrophe after 'girls', as in The girls basketball team looks promising this year.

Thanks.

 

[owlman5]

Judging from how "girls basketball team" is spelled on websites *sponsored by girls basketball teams, I'd say that the apostrophe is needless.

*Linked to St Mary's High School Girls Basketball

 

[Loob]

Whereas I vote for including the apostrophe (despite the fact that I'm a fully paid-up member of the "Please-please-please-can't we-abolish-apostrophes-Society")

 

[owlman5]

Whereas I vote for including the apostrophe (despite the fact that I'm a fully paid-up member of the "Please-please-please-can't we-abolish-apostrophes-Society")

I wasn't really voting for the elimination of the apostrophe, Loob. Instead, I was pointing out to moonglow that people who care enough about girls basketball teams to write about them regularly omit the apostrophe in that phrase. Being one of the world's least-informed sources of information about sports writing, I looked at what other people were doing rather than recommending what I would do.

 

[Loob]

That's something new to me, owlman: I would have expected The Institution X Girls' Basketball Team to include an apostrophe.

But if that isn't the norm, then that's fine by me, as an apostrophe-abolitionist.

 

[owlman5]

That's something new to me, owlman: I would have expected The Institution X Girls' Basketball Team to include an apostrophe.

But if that isn't the norm, then that's fine by me, as an apostrophe-abolitionist.

It surprised me too, Loob, as did the information about your not liking apostrophes.