It's not Football, it's Soccer

[Leviathan_]

That was new to me. Though I'll still say fotboll, since I'm swedish (yes, in sweden we only use one "o" in "foot").

Though the real debate should be to remove the word football for american football. As far as I know, they only kick the ball once.

handegg is more appropriate.

 

[Pimppeter2]

I think it's less to do with origination and more to do with the fact that the entire world calls it 'Football' except the USA. It's kinda like how you think we're pricks for driving on the left.

Well that is scientifically proven.

 

[akadian97]

the US's system of measurement also comes from the British

 

[Zio666]

I don't have time to look through page 2 and 3 right now but I'm gonna reply anyway.

You mentioned that this name was devised by 'gentlemen' which is code for 'upper-class wankers'. We the British people generally despise the upperclass and especially the words they use.

 

[Sark]

I call it football or soccer interchangably. Which is what happens in my country. Rugby is also known as Handegg.

 

[Rantling]

As a note most Canadian's also call it Soccer, we are also mostly aware that by majority we're wrong, we just don't have a good name for "football" which we even have our own variety of. Oh also we have a quite enthusiastic Rugby league.
Oh and please don't suggest we call it "handegg", I know it's funny but the only ones who would call it that are people that don't like it in the first place.

 

[Lusty]

I can't remember when it became an issue, because when I was growing up (in England) 'football' and 'soccer' were always used interchangeably. And no one cared. Then suddenly overnight 'soccer' became a dirty colonial word.

Maybe it was when the Internet got invented and teenage boys needed new things to argue about. There was a surge in interest of religion and WW2 history around the same time.

 

[kurupt87]

I already knew this, doesn't change the fact that it is foot + ball, or the equivalent translation, in alot of languages. Football, or more appropriately "footie", is a better description of the sport than soccer.

Finally we have the most appropriate and favourite argument that we Brits use against Americans and other foreign English speakers; it's our fucking language, we'll speak it however we like.

Edit: Seriously, the problem with the word Soccer and the Americans calling Handegg Football is that it conjures up the idea that America loves to project - our way is better than your way. They had no need to use a word that already had a use, that was a name of the worlds most popular sport, but they did to try to lord it over everybody else.

 

[Pimppeter2]

Finally we have the most approriate and favourite argument that we Brits use against Americans and other foreign English speakers; it's our fucking language, we'll speak it however we like.

Which begs the question of; Why you tend to bother us about American English?

 

[kurupt87]

Finally we have the most approriate and favourite argument that we Brits use against Americans and other foreign English speakers; it's our fucking language, we'll speak it however we like.

Which begs the question of; Why you tend to bother us about American English?

We, or at least I and the people I know, do it in a sarcastic teasing way. British humour is very tongue in cheek, we don't actually mean alot most near everything of what we say. Taking the piss and teasing eachother is what we do; we do it to our friends, are polite to those we don't know and put up with those we don't like.

It's a culture difference mainly, Yanks don't realise (because it just isn't a big part of your social norm) we're being sarcastic or tongue in cheek and so in best American tradition, that being a good offense is a good defense, they insult back - and mean it. An insult made in earnest won't be accepted, and so we get the ridiculous back and forth we have.

You also have the difficulties with (successfully) expressing sarcasm without body language.

I know that this won't be the case 100% of the time but I do think it's the main reason.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I think it's less to do with origination and more to do with the fact that the entire world calls it 'Football' except the USA.

Yeah... missing a few other countries where 'soccer' is the majority term, but don't that little fact get in the way of some good old yankbashing.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Oh also we have a quite enthusiastic Rugby league.

Actually, it's more likely to be a Union as most Rugby Union competition level organisations call themselves Unions, and as far as I know Union is far more popular in Canada than League is (especially as it's far more popular in most countries than League is).

 

[Crystal Cuckoo]

I call it football as I am French and, well, FIFA freaking stands for "Federation Internationale de Football Association."

So that right there pretty much sums it up. If the organisers of the World Cup call it football, then it is called football.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

AGH! LEARNING!!!
But in all seriousness, I didn't know that. I always thought soccer was just something the states came up with to differentiate itself from other people. Like using a system of measurment other than the metric system...
Why don't we use the metric system?

Because your country feels it has to be different to everyone else despite the inconvenience it causes.

 

[Muramasa89]

Calling it "Football" has always struck me as silly anyways. Not that Soccer is a great name or anything, but at least it's a name. Football, is a description, not a name. Would I be laughed at if I went around calling Hockey "Stickpuck"? Probably, and rightly so. Whether it be Soccer or something else, give things names.

Stickpuck sounds stupid, that's why it doesn't work. Football sounds at least decent. If it does what it says on the tin - what's the problem? Many things are named after what they do.

 

[zakski]

I think you all need to calm down and learn to play hurling

 

[Jadak]

snip

Stickpuck sounds stupid, that's why it doesn't work. Football sounds at least decent. If it does what it says on the tin - what's the problem? Many things are named after what they do.

And that of course is simply a matter of opinion. To me, stickpuck sounds no stupider than football.

 

[Muramasa89]

And that of course is simply a matter of opinion. To me, stickpuck sounds no stupider than football.

Of course, though just because something is named after what it does, it doesn't necessarily make it stupid. If the name is completely unrelated, what's the point?

 

[Nivag the Owl]

I think it's less to do with origination and more to do with the fact that the entire world calls it 'Football' except the USA.

Yeah... missing a few other countries where 'soccer' is the majority term, but don't that little fact get in the way of some good old yankbashing.

Dude, this thread is about Brit-bashing. Not only that, but I wasn't even Yank-bashing. I was Brit-bash-bashing. Also, "a few countries" compared to global majority is barely even worth considering. Not in situations like this, anyways.