The Meaning of Headlines: 'grave danger' - sport

The (Adelaide) Advertiser published an article called ‘Cornes: The grave danger of Dave Granger’ on June 13, 2015. It was about an ex-footballer. But what does ‘grave danger’ mean in this context?

Granger faced court in response to throwing water over a local politician, the Parliamentary Speaker, who was riding a bicycle. Granger attended court on June 11 wearing thongs (flip flops), rolled-up jeans, and a potty on his head – a ceramic pot used as a toilet bowl (often called a ‘piss pot’). Granger said he put it on his head because he was disgusted with himself. Granger, now 60, pleaded guilty, and he was convicted without penalty.

The article was written by his former football opponent, Graham Cornes, as a recollection of Dave Granger. Cornes regarded Granger as a good footballer – ‘perfect size and physique for a footballer’ but ‘Granger could be nasty on the football field.’ Granger was the first footballer to be reported for foul play from a video replay – it was 1982. The person he clashed with was Graham Cornes. Granger was suspended for eight games, from which ‘he felt abandoned and deceived and the psychological impact still reverberates.’

The term ‘grave danger’ simply means serious danger. So who is in great danger?

The term ‘Granger danger’ was a jibe at Granger’s reputation for hurting opponents on the football field. In this article, Cornes suggests that the ‘grave danger’ is the man’s personality – and the danger it is still having in his own life long after he was sacked from his football career. ‘It saddens me, as I’m sure it saddens his old teammates, to see his predicament of recent years.’

The mental health report required for the June 2015 court hearing showed that Granger did not suffer from a mental illness. However, the doctor noted that Granger held ‘extreme’ views about politics and current events and that ‘his narcissist personality influenced how he expressed those views.’

The deliberate exchange of letters (Dave Granger – grave danger) in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched, is called a spoonerism. The term was named after the British Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930) who constantly tangled phrases, such as ‘well-boiled icicle’ instead of ‘well-oiled bicycle.’ Comedians use spoonerisms to deliberately play on words.

Scorecard for The Advertiser headline is 100% - it is a good headline that plays on Dave Granger’s former reputation (Granger danger) and his current ‘extreme’ personality – which is a danger to himself – as well as using a spoonerism as a comedic ploy.