Why is American Football called American "Foot"ball

[Brave Volunteer]

I dont wish to start another tread but in England we play Cricket and 100 years ago it was between "Gentlemen" (the rich and powerful) and "Players" (the working class). They even had their own dressing rooms and a different gate to enter the pitch. Ah the good ole days !!

Soccer was the same way. Actually there's a movie about it on Netflix called "The English Game." It's quite good.

 

[Enki_Amenra]

Thanks Palardy.

Haha. . . like a rockstar!

 

[OrangeTsar]

Because in America we figured out how to make football more exciting?

 

[OrangeTsar]

Yea, my very first internet forum was a video game forum back in 2003. The game had a large intl base and in the politics/general forum it would irritate some people from Europe to see it called soccer. They'd call us ignorant Americans, arrogant Americans, ect ect ect while themselves not knowing why we called American football "football" and their football "soccer".

NEIN! Es ist Fußball!!!!!

 

[MAD]

This thread also reminded me a skit on SNL which I've searched for but apparently the Woke police have purged from the internet. Did find some screen shots and the lyrics.

We are kickers
We kick ball
We play with ball
We kick the ball

I am Raul
I'm kick machine
I play for seven different team
I kick football
I play with the ball
I kick for the team
I ... I ... am Raul.

John Lovitz wearing this is likely what got it banned. His verse was something about not wanting to be traded to Green Bay.

Brrr Green Bay!
Brrr Green Bay!

I remember it too. It’s so weird that SNL deleted that skit from the episode. If you watch reruns, they skip the opening and go straight to Joe Montana’s monologue.

 

[dobre_shunka]

I remember it too. It’s so weird that SNL deleted that skit from the episode. If you watch reruns, they skip the opening and go straight to Joe Montana’s monologue.

They also deleted all the skits where Buck Henry played the pedophile babysitter to Gilda Radner and Laraine Newman

 

[MAD]

This thread also reminded me a skit on SNL which I've searched for but apparently the Woke police have purged from the internet. Did find some screen shots and the lyrics.

We are kickers
We kick ball
We play with ball
We kick the ball

I am Raul
I'm kick machine
I play for seven different team
I kick football
I play with the ball
I kick for the team
I ... I ... am Raul.

John Lovitz wearing this is likely what got it banned. His verse was something about not wanting to be traded to Green Bay.

Brrr Green Bay!
Brrr Green Bay!

I ended up finding it on the Internet archive, it took awhile for it to load on my laptop.
It's at the beginning.

 

[ACvol3]

Because the kicker is the most important part of the team.

Said no one ever

 

[kckempf]

This is a genuine question.

Can anybody help me, why is American Football called American Football when the only two players who kick the ball are the Place Kicker and the Punter and they are usually regarded as the least important players on the team.

Granted American Throwball or American Runball does seem weird

All football codes derive from informal European games called “football” because they were played on foot rather than on horseback.

 

[kckempf]

You missed the part about me living overseas, where "football" is the common phrase for what we call "soccer."

Of course soccer is the most popular game in Italy, but they don’t call it football since they already had a game called football when association football made it to them. Hence they call it calcio.

 

[Devo182]

Americans just say football, not "American Football".
Only foreigners call it American Football.

Maybe the better question is where did "soccer" come from? Did people play it in socks? Why do Americans call it soccer?

 

[MAD]

 

[BruisedOrange]

Should I start a fresh thread on German soccer and American Foosball?

Yeah, I thought not.

 

[kckempf]

View attachment 374612

Perhaps better to use a more complete list:

 

[FLVOL_79]

Said no one ever

I just did tho

 

[SD189]

The ball is one foot from end to end

 

[overseasorange2]

I ended up finding it on the Internet archive, it took awhile for it to load on my laptop.
It's at the beginning.

I hate to admit it, but I watched the whole video. Thanks it was entertaining. SNL has gone downhill since then.

 

[Old Geezer]

I was an "assistant coach" (despite knowing nothing) for for my little guy's soccer team many years ago and the head coach, American guy, referred to himself as the teams "manager" and called it football...I really disliked that guy.
Totally irrelevant, but I dislike soccer very much...And it's boring as hell.

LOL, right on. But be careful brother. One day, woke PC society will condemn our beloved football as brutal, barbaric, racist, anti-woman or insensitive to trans people or something crazy. Academia and media will go about cancelling football and demonize anyone associated with 'American football' as a stain on society to be condemned by the world. We may get sent to Siberia or re-education camps. Freak might be imprisoned or exiled for crimes against humanity - for giving us a great platform.

 

[molsen81]

Tennis is called Tennis instead of tennisball........hmm......welcome to the 2021 season of College Foot............nah!

 

[MAD]

Maybe the better question is where did "soccer" come from? Did people play it in socks? Why do Americans call it soccer?

I started to investigate your question, I think you are really onto something when you mentioned socks. Here are some of the differences between soccer and football.
Still searching for answers though.

 

[Type Orange+]

Because the kicker is the most important part of the team.

Said no one ever

 

[onevol74]

Why would Americans call it anything else? We invented it and we can call it whatever we want.
But LondonVol, we are glad that you appreciate the sport.

Were you a fan of the Monarchs when they were playing?

 

[London Vol]

Why would Americans call it anything else? We invented it and we can call it whatever we want.
But LondonVol, we are glad that you appreciate the sport.

Were you a fan of the Monarchs when they were playing?

Many thanks for your kind words and yes i did see and follow the London Monarchs at Wembley.

I also had 4 NFL season tickets at Wembley for many years (they cost me about $2,500 a year). Last year they moved the matches to Tottenham (closer to me) but did not season ticket holders to transfer their tickets and within 2 hours they were sold out, so no more matches in England for me. When you moan about College Football be thankful as this is how the NFL works $$$$

 

[VOLstuckinKY2]

I was an "assistant coach" (despite knowing nothing) for for my little guy's soccer team many years ago and the head coach, American guy, referred to himself as the teams "manager" and called it football...I really disliked that guy.

Totally irrelevant, but I dislike soccer very much...And it's boring as hell.

I'm with ya. There are countries that like soccer and there are countries that put man on the moon.....

 

[St. JohnVolCactus]

Yea, my very first internet forum was a video game forum back in 2003. The game had a large intl base and in the politics/general forum it would irritate some people from Europe to see it called soccer. They'd call us ignorant Americans, arrogant Americans, ect ect ect while themselves not knowing why we called American football "football" and their football "soccer".

You should have told them that South Africans, Australians, and folks from New Zealand also call it soccer. In fact on two occasions when speaking with English colleagues, I have attempted to be polite and refer to soccer as "football." Both times they asked me to call it soccer instead because it was confusing for them to hear an American refer to soccer as football. They know what football means to us Yanks.