team dysfunction wrote:
I'm with Symmonds on this one. They presented him with a contract. He wanted them to clarify an important point which was worded ambiguously. They instead kick him off the team.
Why was 'official' in quotes?
Makes it seem so vague, like even they're not sure what it means, or want to extend it to anything that might be considered like a team function. I believe the quotation marks were used intentionally, to confuse the athlete, so they would wear nik3 everywhere, just to be sure.
If it was clear what constitutes an official function they wouldn't have to use quotation marks. That is the smoking gun. Deliberate ambiguity IMO.
More like a smoking tank. Quotation marks are primarily used to reproduce words used by another. Clearly this was not USATF's meaning. Here are other uses. Only one of these is relevant. (hint - it's Scare Quotes!)
Other uses of quotations marks
WRITING ABOUT LETTERS OR WORDS
Quotation marks can be used when referring to a specific word or letter. (Some writers instead use italics for this purpose.)
In the previous sentence, “letter” was properly spelled with two “t”s.
TRANSLATIONS
As an alternative to parentheses, quotation marks can be used to enclose a translation. In this case, it is necessary to set the translation off with commas.
His knowledge of Portuguese is limited to obrigado, “thank you,” and adeus, “goodbye.”
SCARE QUOTES
Scare quotes are used to cast doubt on a word or phrase, or to emphasize that the word or phrase is being used as a euphemism. Scare quotes are best used in moderation.
He rarely spoke of the “incident” that caused him to leave his previous employer.
The think tank’s “analysis” of the issue left much to be desired.
NICKNAMES
When inserted in the middle of a person’s actual name, a nickname should appear in quotation marks.
Greg “The Shark” Norman
Nick "The Martyr" Symmonds (ok, I put that one in).