play the ball and not the man

• play the ball
• play the ball, not the man
• play the ball not the man

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play the ball and not the man (third-person singular simple present plays the ball and not the man, present participle playing the ball and not the man, simple past and past participle played the ball and not the man)

1. (sports) To attack the ball instead of an opponent who is usually controlling the ball. Often considered a positive action, and sometimes a requirement not to concede a penalty.
2. (by extension, idiomatic, colloquial) To object to someone's argument by attacking the argument itself instead of them or a facet of their personality; to avoid or make the opposite of an ad hominem attack. Usually considered a positive action, and an avoidance of a fallacious argumentative technique. Often used in comparison to play the man and not the ball.
   • 2016 Gareth van Zyl, "Stop lying about me, Johann Rupert tells Julius Malema" fin24, 10 November 2016. Accessed 27 August 2018.

     "Billionaire Johann Rupert has called on politicians to play the ball and not the man in his acceptance of the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies Lifetime Achievement Award... “Why attack people instead of debating the issue? Our issues are unemployment and a terrible educational system. It is a disaster,” said Rupert."

   • 2018 April 9, Tom Herbert, “Boris Johnson calling Corbyn Russia’s ‘useful idiot’ was ‘not helpful at all’”, in Metro, retrieved 27 August 2018:

     "‘I would always try and play the ball and not the man when it comes to these things... I think to get personal about it is not helpful at all.’"

• play the man and not the ball

• play the man and not the ball