Soccer? football.

[YouCallMeNighthawk]

I've always wondered why Americans call the game of football, soccer. I mean it's the same sport and in which many other foreign countries call it football as so does the UK.

So was just wondering why is football called soccer over in the US?

By the by, i'm not saying they can't call it soccer, just always wondered.

 

[Yumi_and_Erea]

Because they've got American Footbal there (worst name for a sport ever, btw) and they didn't want people to get confused.
Still, as Graham Stark once said:

'Memo to the US: What you call "football" the rest of the world calls "rugby played by pussies wearing armor".'

 

[Brotherofwill]

Because they couldn't tell a handegg from their balls.

They named it American Football, probably because football was the most famous sport in Europe at the time and the NFL was their most famous sport. It's pretty stupid since it has absolutely nothing to do with feet or balls, and it's a lot more similar to rugby anyways.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

Interesting... here is what Wikipedia has to say on it:

Spoiler

While it is widely assumed that the word "football" (or "foot ball") references the action of the foot kicking a ball, there is a historical explanation, which is that football originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot. These games were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports (such as polo) often played by aristocrats. There is no conclusive evidence for either explanation, and the word football has always implied a variety of games played on foot, not just those that involved kicking a ball. In some cases, the word football has even been applied to games which have specifically outlawed kicking the ball.

I quite like that explanation, as it means we have less to argue over. Heh, 'Football' a variety of games played on foot, with a ball. Makes sense.

 

[OMGMOO]

Because Americans' version of the contact sport involving the oblique spheroid with the objective to take said oblique spheroid into the opponents territory has taken on that name, possibly because the ball gets kicked at some point in time.

As you said, it doesnt matter what you call it, it's stil the best game in the world (subjective)

GO AUSTRALIA FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 WOOOOO!!!! WE WERE ROBBED IN 2006, SO LETS BRING IT TO 'EM!!!

 

[Srdjan]

Well what first came to my mind it's because they are idiots, they call what is feminent rugby a football, why they don't call it american rugby of rugby for pussies. I don't get their sports, their basketball is weird non tactical game where players just rush to make attractive points (so unlike european basketball, baseball is shit, and I already mentioned am. football.

 

[King of the Sandbox]

Interesting... here is what Wikipedia has to say on it:

Spoiler

While it is widely assumed that the word "football" (or "foot ball") references the action of the foot kicking a ball, there is a historical explanation, which is that football originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot. These games were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports (such as polo) often played by aristocrats. There is no conclusive evidence for either explanation, and the word football has always implied a variety of games played on foot, not just those that involved kicking a ball. In some cases, the word football has even been applied to games which have specifically outlawed kicking the ball.

I quite like that explanation, as it means we have less to argue over. Heh, 'Football' a variety of games played on foot, with a ball. Makes sense.

Heh, that's pretty cool.

As for me, I'm American and I dislike both 'football's. The only thing I care to see are the big tackles in American and amazing (if a little spread too thin) goal shots. Oh, and the headbutts.

It's just a word though, why can't it mean both, like run or table or ninja?

 

[Adzma]

Because they call their own national sport football perhaps? Same reason why Australians call it Soccer.