A Guelph, Ont., basketball league and Ontario Basketball will drop the term “midget” from their age classifications next year, in an effort to help make the sport more inclusive.

“Midget” is a term that’s long been used in minor hockey, baseball, basketball, lacrosse and many other sports. But it’s also considered an offensive word when used to describe people with dwarfism.

For Chris and Regina Scott, the term took on a new importance when their two-year-old son Jeremy was born with dwarfism.

“It’s tough to educate kids and tell them about the meaning of the word – about how it’s hurtful, about how it’s a derogatory term – when it’s so commonly used in their sports,” Regina Scott told CTV Kitchener.

Chris Scott, a longtime player and now a basketball coach, and Regina shared their concerns with the Guelph Youth Basketball Association’s president Kurt Vosper, who took action immediately.

As of the 2019 season, the term midget will no longer be used for any age classification by Guelph Basketball.

Instead, Grade 9 and Grade 10 players will be referred to as “minor” and “major-minor.”

“It wasn’t something that we had to fight and protest about,” Regina Scott said. “They really agreed that just because it’s always been done like that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing.”

It’s a seemingly small decision, but they hope it will have a huge impact for people.

“We want to be forward thinking and we want to be inclusive to everyone,” Vosper said. “And we want every kid to have a chance to play basketball.”

That sentiment has been echoed by the Ontario Basketball Association.

After Vosper reached out to the organization, it also committed to end its use of the term starting next season.

Chris Scott said the sport community’s willingness to listen to the couple’s concerns brought tears to his eyes.

“Little by little, this change – these changes, will help,“ he said.

And they’re hopeful that the changes won’t stop there.

“I’m hoping this’ll carry over into other sports as well,” Vosper said. “That other sports will realize it’s not an appropriate term anymore and they’ll wanna make the change on their own.”

It’s a change the Scotts hope will keep kids like Jeremy from ever feeling reluctant about taking part in sports.

With a report from CTV Kitchener’s Randy Steinman