ballplayer n : an athlete who plays baseball [syn: baseball player]

English

Noun

1. An athlete, usally a basketball, baseball, or football player.

A ball game is a game played with a ball. Someone who plays a ball game is known as a ballplayer.

There are many popular games or sports involving some type of ball or similar object. These games can be grouped by the general objective of the game, sometimes indicating a common origin either of a game itself or of its basic idea:

• Bat-and-ball games, such as baseball, cricket and golf.
• Two-goal games, such as basketball and all forms of football, hockey or lacrosse.
• Volleying games, such as volleyball and tennis.
• "Target" games, such as bowling and lotball.
• The original "Ball Game", whose objective is to keep the ball constantly moving but not allowing it to bounce twice upon the ground without being struck between bounces.
• And so on.

Popular ball games from around the world include:

• Badminton
• Baseball (in the United States, a game of baseball is referred to as a "ballgame")
• Basketball
• Basque pilota

  Jai alai

• Billiards (including snooker, eight ball and pool variations)
• Bocce
• Boules
• Bowling
• Bowls
• Canoe polo
• Carpetball
• Cricket (see cricket ball)
• Croquet
• Dodgeball
• Footbag
• Football:
  • Association football (soccer)
  • Gridiron football
    • American football
    • Canadian football
  • International rules football
    • Australian rules football
    • Gaelic football
  • Rugby football
    • Rugby league
    • Rugby union
• Footballtennis
• Four square
• Golf (see golf ball)
• Handball:
  • American handball
  • Gaelic Handball
  • Team handball
• Hockey:
  • Field hockey
  • Floorball
  • Ice hockey
  • Rink hockey
• Hurling
• Indiaca
• Juggling
• Lacrosse
• Lotball
• The Mesoamerican ballgame
• Netball
• Newcomb ball
• PaddleBall
• Paintball
• Pelota mixteca
• Pétanque
• Podex
• Polo
• Quidditch (fictional game)
• Racquetball
• Rapid Ball
• Sepak Takraw
• Shinty
• Skee ball
• Squash
• Stickball
• Stickball (Native American)
• Table football (Foosball)
• Tchoukball
• Tee Ball
• Tetherball
• Tennis
• Tennis Polo/Toccer
• Ulama
• Valencian pilota
  • Escala i corda
  • Llargues
  • Raspall
  • Valencian fronto
• Volleyball
• Water basketball
• Water polo

amateur athlete, archer, athlete, baseballer, baseman, batter, battery, blocking back, bowman, catcher, center, coach, competitor, cricketer, defensive lineman, end, footballer, games-player, gamester, guard, infielder, jock, jumper, lineman, offensive lineman, outfield, outfielder, player, poloist, professional athlete, pugilist, quarterback, racer, skater, sport, sportsman, tackle, tailback, toxophilite, wingback, wrestler