A common Aussie slang word is now seen as an insult by Gen Z

If you want to offend someone under 30, it is fairly simple: just refer to them by a common greeting that was once seen as inoffensive.

If you want to offend someone under 30, it is fairly simple: Refer to them as “champ,” and they’ll be instantly annoyed – even insulted!

The classic Aussie habit of calling someone “champ” short for champion, is not going down well with Generation Z.

The word used to be a friendly way to refer to someone, pretty similar to calling someone a mate, but the benign phrase has now somehow become loaded.

Gen Z heavily dislikes the slang term and sees it as an insult rather than a friendly nickname. In fact, they’ve got zero tolerance for it.

The evidence to support this claim?

The word champ seemed to confuse the players. Picture: TikTok/manlyseaeagles

The clip amassed 40,000 likes. Picture: TikTok/manlyseaeagles

NRL team, the Manly Sea Eagles, are going viral on social media over an amusing clip of some of the players reacted poorly to being called ‘champ’.

“What is going on here?” one player asked.

“Is that it?” another asked.

“What do you mean champ Why are you calling me champ?” someone threw back.

The clip made it clear: None of the players enjoyed being referred to as ‘champ’ and none saw it as a compliment.

“Why are they so freaked out by champ?” one person asked.

Someone replied and said, “Are you Australian?” and a bunch of people jumped in and claimed calling someone a champion is similar to calling someone a “c**t” in 2025.

“Crazy that calling someone a c**t is better than calling someone a champ,” one mused.

“Is champ to Aussie men what buddy is for American men?” another asked.

“Far worse,” one Aussie replied.

Champ has become loaded. Picture: TikTok//manlyseaeagles

Champ is not a word young people like. Picture: TikTok//manlyseaeagles

Among the young people claiming the word was now an insult were also some confused older Aussies.

“Maybe I’m too old now but champ was always a basic greeting,” one wrote.

“From Sydney and have never known it to be an insult. So confused,” someone else admitted.

“What is wrong with champ?” another asked.

When news.com.au hit the streets of Sydney’s Newtown, it also became clear that young people no longer like the word champ.

One Gen Zer said that if someone called her champ, it would straight-up “weird” her out.

“I can see how it’d be a little bit condescending,” she said.

A young Aussie bloke had plenty to say about the word and explained why it was okay for some people to say and not others.

“It depends on the age of the person,” he said.

“I think middle-aged men that call you champ don’t realise that it is an insult.”

He then pointed to his mate and argued that because they were the same age, he’d “have a problem with it” if he called him champ.

This bloke said it depends who says it. Picture: News.com.au

Gen Zers hate it. Picture: News.com.au

Another young Aussie said if someone called him champ and they had “opposing views” to him he wouldn’t see it as a positive thing but rather a dig.

One man explained that it comes down to “tone of voice” and said there are always “two different ways to say something.

His example?

Someone can call you mate, and that can feel fine and friendly, but other times, someone can use the exact same word, and it can feel threatening or insulting.

A young girl said she knows people can use it and don’t mean to be “offensive” but it isn’t the right word to use anymore.

“There’s probably a better word you can use,” she argued.

One young person didn’t get the memo and said naively that if someone called her, she’d see it as a “compliment.”