OT - Why the U.S. calls it Soccer
I thought this was a pretty interesting little article about why people in the U.S. call it Soccer instead of Futbol. Apparently the English actually coined the term, which is weird because they give us the most shit about it, and it has been around for quite some time. So the next time someone gives you shit about calling it soccer, give them this little bit of info.
http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/its-football-to-you-soc…
I have always wondered this. Ever since in elementary school when people used to say "they call soccer football and football soccer in England"
It's from the original english name for the sport "Association Football"
As Brits will do, they called Rugby Football "Rugger" for short, and Association Football "Soccer" for short.
Hence the term Soccer.
Now it makes total sense.
What amazes me is that so many people insist on referring to it as "futbol." It's not like the game belongs to the hispanic, and really, that word is more or less pronounced as "football."
with (American) football.
Calling it Soccer works just fine too.
We've been calling (American) football just "football" since the 1860's. So that name is staying.
Were calling it soccer, drive on the right hand side of the road and a meter will forever be referred to as a little more then a yard. Now take your celsius and convert it into fahrenheit so I have an idea of what to wear today.
Driving on the right is significantly more common than driving on the left. In that case at least, the English are the stubborn holdouts refusing to adapt to modernity.
Not to mention that most of the English-speaking world calls it "soccer." It's the predominant name for the sport in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and coexists with "football" in Ireland and South Africa. The UK is the only major English-speaking society that insists on calling it "football."
Association-rules football is Soccer, then what is American-rules football?
Yanker?
But seriously, is there a common British slang for our football?
Pretty sure that would be "gridiron". That's what they call it in Australia/New Zealand anyway, pretty sure the U.K. too.
"Gridiron football" makes sense and is probably more useful than "American football." Plus, if anyone cared, I suppose it could be "gridder" in the slang with rugger and soccer.
But does rugger refer to rugby league or rugby union? Or does it not matter?
Funny commercial showing what rugby fans (and I think most of us) think of soccer...
it was only Rugby that was played. And it was generally a Gentlemen's game, played in universities or in clubs for gentlemen who of course had the proper university education.
But the rules weren't rigidly controlled and disputes over the variations are what pushed for the British Clubs to get together and agree on how the game was to be played. Of course this is hard to envision if you look at how Soccer Football, and Rugby Football are played now. But that video is perfect for demonstrating the original argument that caused the split.
"On October 1963, eleven London clubs and schools sent their representatives to the Freemason's Tavern. These representatives were intent on clarifying the muddle by establishing a set of fundamental rules, acceptable to all parties, to govern the matches played amongst them. This meeting marked the birth of TheFootball Association. The eternal dispute concerning shin-kicking, tripping and carrying the ball was discussed thoroughly at this and consecutive meetings until eventually on 8 December the die-hard exponents of the Rugby style took their final leave. They were in the minority anyway. They wanted no part in a game that forbade tripping, shin-kicking and carrying the ball. A stage had been reached where the ideals were no longer compatible. On 8 December 1863, footballand rugby finally split. Their separation became totally irreconcilable six years hence when a provision was included in the football rules forbidding any handling of the ball (not only carrying it)."
(My bolding of course)
Clearly the soccer variation is more accessible to a greater portion of the worlds population, since the key physical characteristic is the ability to run around constantly for 90 minutes. Add on that the cost is the price of a ball. poof, global appeal, and no reason to differentiate it from the non-existence of the brutish variety, Rugby Football.
Bangor was already taken???
because the name Football is already taken by a sport played by men who act like real men (i.e. don't flop around on the ground in pathetic display of their lack of cahoneys).
...kernel of truth in your otherwise unhelpful contribution -- specifically the fact that we call association football by its Brit-created bastardization "soccer" because the term football was already taken (here in the US).
And why do we do that? Because by the time soccer became sufficiently popular in the US that its name even mattered, (American) football was already termed football and well established as a major American sport (behind only baseball).
So the real question is why is football called football? I think it comes down to the fact that football was derived from rugby football (rugby), and since rugby football is called rugby for short, its sports derivation ((American) football) took its name from the other half of "rugby football." Remember also that in the 19th century, (American) football emphasized the kicking game significantly more than it does now (drop kicks, no passing game so more punts, etc.), so "football" wasn't as silly in that context as it seems today.
This wikianswer provides a pretty good rundown on the origin of the term "football".
When soccer and rugby split, the association game simply adopted "football" as its name, while rugby football focused on the first part of its name. That doesn't mean one game is football while the other isn't. They're still both football games with a shared origin.
What's more, since the soccer/rugby split, other football-related games have evolved to emphasize other parts of the body to propel the ball. In fact, of the world's six major football codes -- soccer, rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football, American (gridiron) football, and Gaelic football -- soccer is the only one that prohibits use of the hands. And they all employ kicking strategies to a greater or lesser extent.
Is there British slang for that too?
IMO Gaelic football looks like it would be fun to play. I know there are some leagues around the country. Anyone here ever play?
Gaeball?