Thread: Soccer vs Football!?

Why is that we in England call Football, Football and the Americans call it soccer? The thing that they call football is the NFL... which hardly looks like football cause they use there hands to throw the ball?



Any explainations?

Haha, well....that's an interesting question coming from an Englishman. The word "soccer" is actually derived from the old England slang term "socca", which was morphed out of the word "assoc" (short for association) that UK universities used in the late 1800's. "Soccer" had it's birth in your country, not ours.

And even more interesting is that the term for American Football outside the USA is more commonly called "Gridiron", with only in recent years as the NFL has infiltrated Europe more has the term "Football" become more used.

On top of all that is the fact that the NFL is an evolved game of what was originally based on Rugby, and not soccer at all.

In summary: We call Soccer "soccer" because the word for the game came from the UK. We call Football "football" because it originated from Rugby which was a kicking game more than the current NFL hands game it is today.

That and "Handball" was already taken.

I live in Canada and have called it soccer, but I'm more likely to call it football now. I'm disappointed at how this American football can be called football at all. I'll sum it up in a youtube rant video for you:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sD_8prYOxo]YouTube - John Cleese rants - Soccer vs Football[/ame]
and maybe a picture too:

love the rant and the pic's too. It's true about the socca bit, but the word football has been used worldwide to describe soccer for some time now. Even the french use it!

He-he, that's true. When you watch American Football you never call it football :) It's more Rugby with Wrestling stuff.
By the way, just look at US football team at WC 2010 in South Africa. It's solid and getting better.

No doubt about it. I feel the same, good rant too lol.

Didn't know American Football was called Gridiron, but it makes sense from that Gridiron Gang? with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in it. Was wondering where the Gridiron came from actually lol.

love the picture of Beckham and the guy with the egg, haha funny stuff.

Yes they call it rugby....
and the others call it soccer...

Soccer FTW!!! I just don't get football at all...

I call it whatever the other person wants to hear as to not start an argument, the main thing is I love and enjoy both sports.
So glad both the NFL and Premier League are back, I have missed thee beyond words