If that original usage of mercenary counts, then "foreign" is a tautologous modifier

I agree it's not racist to call (for example) Bassong a mercenary (and as you rightly point out, he really tries, so he's probably not the best example in any event).

However in its current, popular usage mercenary does not carry a connotation of race. Otherwise the articles you cited wouldn't be referencing Fowler, Bardsley et al; and I doubt when people call lawyers "mercenary" they impute any nationality by the term.

Whatever its origins, mercenary now simply means someone who will do things not for love, honour or duty; but for money - which as I pointed out earlier, applies more or less to all of us in our own careers.

Given this current usage of "mercenary", which all your examples actually follow, calling players "foreign mercenaries" clearly implies that being foreign has something to do with a bad attitude.

Unless you have an old definition of racism to go along with your old definition of mercenary, I'm afraid the cap fits. If the intention was in fact the original usage of "mercenary" then "foreign" is tautologous. But I don't think either of us really thinks that was the intent.

Posted By: Old Man, May 12, 11:41:43