# play the man and not the ball

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To attack an opponent instead of attacking the ball, which is usually being controlled by the attacked player at the time.
2. To object to someone's argument by attacking them or a facet of their personality instead of the argument itself; to make an ad hominem attack.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball