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Reader question:
Please explain the expression “move the goal posts”, as in this passage:
Apple fans always move the goal posts when discussing Microsoft. The iPhone sells 17m units, and it’s a hit, despite having relatively small market share. The Xbox 360 sells 28m units (about 30% market share in its generation) leads its segment, and it’s not a hit somehow.
My comments:
“Moving the goal posts” is unfair.
In the above example, if 17 million units sold is considered a “hit”, 28 million is, by logic, an even greater success. However, since the 17 million were iPhones made by Apple, Apple fans, who favor iPhones over the Xbox 360, see it differently.
Lest we get deep into the Apple or Microsoft squabble (and controversy), let’s focus on “moving the goal posts” the expression, which may have come from the game of soccer, or rugby or American football where goal posts are used.
In soccer, for instance, the two goal posts standing 7.32 meters apart support a bar 2.44 meters in height. This represents the goal, into which a player kicks the ball for a score.
Now suppose the goalkeeper move the goal posts, metaphorically speaking of course, after a player shoots the ball in the direction of the goal, what will happen?
The ball will fly off target, because the original target has been moved from its usual position.
Moving the goal posts hence becomes synonymous to the unfair practice of someone changing or bending the rules in the middle of a game (in order to deny opponents victories).
Sales people sometimes find themselves at the receiving end of such unfair treatment. An employee for an advertising agency that I know of, for instance, once was able to meet his annual sales quota in six months. Naturally he was happy because he thought he could take his feet off the pedal, so to speak, for the second half of the year. That is, he could relax and not work as hard as he did in the first six months of the year. That’s what he thought. In July, management moved the goal posts by raising the annual quota by 50 percent.
Fortunately, this particular employee went on to meet the revamped figure as well, but you get the idea of what “moving the goal posts” feels like. I mean, you should know what he felt after what could’ve been a really productive as well as financially rewarding year of honest good work.
Not very good, to say the least.
Anyways, here’s a soccer example of “moving the goal posts”:
Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given has slammed FIFA’s decision to protect the traditional bigger nations by seeding the European World Cup play-offs as “disgusting”.
FIFA announced last week that there would not be an “open draw” between the eight nations which make it through to November’s two-legged knockout ties. It means that there is no chance of Germany and France playing each other for a place on the plane to South Africa should they both end up in second place in their group.
If the draw was made now the seeded nations would be Croatia, France, Greece and Russia. And they would be drawn against either Bosnia, Ireland, Slovenia or Sweden. Of course, those teams could change by next Wednesday.
It is a tactic which both FIFA and UEFA have used in the past for qualifying play-offs, seemingly afraid that a tournament without one of those big names is unthinkable. In 2005, Spain were seeded and drawn against Slovakia, the weakest of the six teams in the play-offs.
Given is furious at the decision, which he understandably feels could hurt Ireland’s chances of making it to the finals next summer.
He said: “I think it’s pretty disgusting, to be honest. Before a ball is kicked, these things should be made clear. Now they change it because some of the big nations are struggling. It’s beyond belief, if you ask me.
“It’s pretty disgusting because we are a smaller nation and for them to move the goalposts a few weeks before the end of the campaign is pretty poor. The smaller nations should maybe put up more of a fight because it is not fair.”
- Given slams FIFA's decision to seed play-offs, soccernet.com, October 7, 2009.
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