Football vs Soccer

[paolo lodi]

In England Football born. In Italy we call it Calcio which means kick (the ball with your feet). In USA you call this sport Soccer and I don`t know why? What does it means Soccer precisely?

 In the USA the Football ( we call it American Football) is very similar to the Rugby that is played mainly by hands! So why you call it Football?

[Deano]

In England Football born. In Italy we call it Calcio which means kick (the ball with your feet). In USA you call this sport Soccer and I don`t know why? What does it means Soccer precisely?

JD >>In 1863, the Football Association (FA) was formed and set the rules for the modern game. To set it apart from the other types of football (Gaelic, Rugby, Shrove Tuesday, Aussie rules etc) they took the 'soc' from Association and devised the word 'soccer' to be short for Association Football. It never caught on in England though, because it is obvious why it's called football (as you point out)
hth

 In the USA the Football ( we call it American Football) is very similar to the Rugby that is played mainly by hands! So why you call it Football?

Americans don't know any better, that's all    Grid-iron football is based on Rugby, but the armour & helmets came at the insistence of Theodore Roosevelt who was horrified at the apparent barbarity of the 'ruffians game played by gentlemen'. Of course all this protection meant was that the players could tackle harder & so the injuries sustained are the worst of any contact sport. Another well-meant gesture gone wrong.

[ruisu]

a student recently asked me the same thing,  so I had the chance to research it. There's much more about this on Wikipedia.  Bit interesting to know the historical reference in English goes back to 1321!
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brief summary from Wikipedia article:
football:
• Football is the word given to a number of similar team sports, all of which involve (to varying degrees) kicking a ball with the foot in an attempt to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer". The English language word "football" is also applied to "gridiron football" (a name associated with the North American sports, especially American football and Canadian football), Australian football, Gaelic football, rugby football (rugby league and rugby union), and related games..... The first definite reference to a football game comes in 1321 at Shouldham, Norfolk, England....
• Association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is ... widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world. ....The modern game was codified in England following the formation of The Football Association, whose 1863 Laws of the Game created the foundations for the way the sport is played today. Football is governed internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football), commonly known by the acronym FIFA. The most prestigious international football competition is the FIFA World Cup, held every four years. This event, the most widely viewed in the world, boasts an audience twice that of the Summer Olympic Games.[4]
• Gridiron football
Gridiron football is an umbrella term used to refer to several similar codes of football played primarily in the United States and Canada. The term refers to the sport's characteristic field of play, which is marked with a series of parallel lines resembling a gridiron. The term Gridiron, although rarely used in Anglo-America (where the sport is more commonly known simply as "football"), is most commonly used in areas outside the United States, particularly Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain.
Gridiron football is distinguished from other football codes by its use of heavy protective equipment, the forward pass, the system of downs, a line of scrimmage, distinct positions and formations, free substitution/platooning (the use of different players for offense and defense) and the ability to score points while not in possession of the ball ... The game descends from rugby football, itself an umbrella term for various similar codes.
• American football
American football resulted from several major divergences from rugby football, most notably the rule changes instituted by Walter Camp [1859~1925]), considered the "Father of American Football". Among these important changes were the introduction of the line of scrimmage and of down-and-distance rules. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, game play developments by college coaches....
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cheers, louise

[Jimmie]

In the USA the Football ( we call it American Football) is very similar to the Rugby that is played mainly by hands! So why you call it Football?

Americans don't know any better, that's all   

I often hear the complaint that "American" football is misnamed because it allows the use of hands unlike the "other" football which is 'pure' football using feet. Well, I note that in that "other" football, you also hit the ball with your head so it has no more claim on the name "football" than the American version. Both use the feet to kick the ball but not only feet.

As for injuries, they are to be expected. The "other" football is just a game; American football is war. The frequent pauses in action allow for deeply considered tactical and strategic maneuvers and this is reflected in the terms used ("long bomb," "blitz," "platoons," etc.).

Jimmie

[Tall Paul]

As for injuries, they are to be expected. The "other" football is just a game; American football is war. The frequent pauses in action allow for deeply considered tactical and strategic maneuvers and this is reflected in the terms used ("long bomb," "blitz," "platoons," etc.).

Jimmie

I have to disagree with you on one point, Jimmie: The long pauses are for TV commercials, not for deep consideration. I feel very sorry for the poor saps sitting out in the old watching games at the stadiums. Sometimes we here in Japan can see live games where one play is followed by 5 minutes of standing around, followed by another play. *yawn*

-Paul

[Jimmie]

I have to disagree with you on one point, Jimmie: The long pauses are for TV commercials, not for deep consideration. I feel very sorry for the poor saps sitting out in the old watching games at the stadiums. Sometimes we here in Japan can see live games where one play is followed by 5 minutes of standing around, followed by another play. *yawn*

-Paul

They're not poor saps! They're holding their own discussions of strategy and enjoying every minute of it. In most stadiums, the whole of the audience is like a big family. In Denver, for example, 100% of the seats have been sold as season tickets since sometime in the 60's. If you're lucky and your Uncle Vinnie gives a ticket to a game because he can't make it, as soon as you get to your seat, someone will ask you, "Where's Vinnie?" and you'll get introduced all around the nearby seats. Then, when they learn you're Louie's boy, they'll remember Louie from when he took Vinnie's seat for a game last season and ask after him and tell you the next time you come to the game to be sure to come early and join the tailgate party in the parking lot before the game. Rather different, all around, than the drunken head-bashing that seems to be the usual fare at Association football games.

And if you want to yawn, just watch a bunch of lads kicking a ball endlessly around and around and back and forth for two hours before finally having to decide the game by having kicks at the goal with the winner is determined by how many times the goalie correctly guesses to which side the ball will be kicked. ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz........

Oh, and the pauses in the game came decades before TV came along and used them for commercials. Yes, some of them have be lengthened for TV but it's not the end of the world.

[Denny Crane]

a student recently asked me the same thing,  so I had the chance to research it. There's much more about this on Wikipedia.  Bit interesting to know the historical reference in English goes back to 1321!
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brief summary from Wikipedia article:

• American football
American football resulted from several major divergences from rugby football, most notably the rule changes instituted by Walter Camp [1859~1925]), considered the "Father of American Football". Among these important changes were the introduction of the line of scrimmage and of down-and-distance rules. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, game play developments by college coaches....
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cheers, louise

For those not old enough to remember <g>, Walter Camp of Yale University was an extremely famous sports figure, coach and proselytizer for a healthy life based on all the usual things including exercise. He became an advisor on exercise to the US military in WW1 and introduced Camp's "Daily Dozen" exercises. To learn more, check his book "Keeping Fit All the Way" which is now available from Project Gutenberg.