Final answer:
To find the number of players taking French, subtract the number of players taking both languages from the number of players taking Spanish.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the number of players taking French, we need to understand the relationships between the number of players taking Spanish, taking both languages, and the total number of players. Let's use a Venn diagram to represent this.
Given that there are 12 players in total, 8 of them are taking Spanish, and 5 of them are taking both languages.
To find the number of players taking French, we can subtract the players taking both languages from the players taking Spanish: 8 (players taking Spanish) - 5 (players taking both languages) = 3 players taking only French.
Therefore, there are 3 players taking French.