NationStates

Dyakovo wrote:

Maurepas wrote:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_for_association_football#North_America

The sport's governing body is the United States Soccer Federation; however it was originally called the U.S. Football Association, and was formed in 1913 by the merger of the American Football Association and the American Amateur Football Association. The word "soccer" was added to the name in 1945, making it the U.S. Soccer Football Association, and it did not drop the word "football" until 1974, when it assumed its current name. In 2005 the Major League Soccer team Dallas Burn changed its name to Football Club Dallas. In 2009 Seattle Sounders FC also adopted the affix FC, although the words Football Club do not appear in its name.

My point was that the wikipedia article you linked to is misleading. "Football" does not automatically refer to "gridiron football" in English speaking countries. In some it does and in others it refers to association football...

Dyakovo wrote:

Brewdomia wrote:American cause it requires more intelligence, you have to be aware at all times, and have the ability to be hit thousands of times over the course of a season.

Plus, American Football has some of the richest sports franchises in the world, and thats just one country.

You've never actually watched a football match, have you?

Upper North Yorkshire wrote:

ThisIsNotACountry wrote:

Hydesland wrote:

^This.

brilliant!

Although it is widely assumed that the word football, or "foot ball", originated in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball, this may be a false etymology. The historical explanation has it that the word originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot.[3] These sports were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports more often enjoyed by aristocrats. This explanation is supported by the fact that the word football has always implied a wide variety of games played on foot, not just those that revolved around kicking a ball. In some cases, the word has been applied to games which involved carrying a ball and specifically banned kicking. For example, the English writer William Hone, writing in 1825 or 1826, quotes the social commentator Sir Frederick Morton Eden, regarding a game — which Hone refers to as "Foot-Ball" — played in the parish of Scone, Perthshire:

The game was this: he who at any time got the ball into his hands, run [sic] with it till overtaken by one of the opposite part; and then, if he could shake himself loose from those on the opposite side who seized him, he run on; if not, he threw the ball from him, unless it was wrested from him by the other party, but no person was allowed to kick it.[4] [Emphasis added.]

However, there is no conclusive evidence for either hypothesis regarding the origins of the word.

The word "soccer" originated as an "Oxford '-er'" slang abbreviation of "association", and was popularized by a prominent English footballer, Charles Wreford-Brown. This origin is evident in the sometimes-heard variation, "soccer football."

Brewdomia wrote:

Dyakovo wrote:

Brewdomia wrote:American cause it requires more intelligence, you have to be aware at all times, and have the ability to be hit thousands of times over the course of a season.

Plus, American Football has some of the richest sports franchises in the world, and thats just one country.

You've never actually watched a football match, have you?

Football as in American or Association?

James_xenoland wrote:Football. Too much power, speed, size and skill. Plus way too physical and mental. A soccer team would simply be outmatched/outclassed.

Sun Aut Ex wrote:Soccer is far and away the most skilled of the football codes.

A story comes to mind. In 1964 the best players of the Victorian Football League (who played Australian rules football) challenged the Victorian soccer champions, Slavia, to a game of soccer. They reasoned that since soccer players were such pansies, the VFL team, with a bit of training, could easily win. Long story short, Slavia won 8-0. Over two 50 minute halves. VFL hard man Ron Barassi sustained an injury that eventually forced him to give up football.

And these were only the best soccer players in Victoria, against the best Aussie rules players in the world. Imagine if it was a genuine team of soccer champions, and the game was full length. What would the score have been, 3206-0?

Maurepas wrote:Yeah, but that fehriner shit is full of pansies!

( I kid, I kid, I'm perfectly aware that unless it was Gridiron or a Fight, or another physical sport, they'd likely beat our asses )

Sun Aut Ex wrote:

Maurepas wrote:Yeah, but that fehriner shit is full of pansies!

( I kid, I kid, I'm perfectly aware that unless it was Gridiron or a Fight, or another physical sport, they'd likely beat our asses )

AFL is actually pretty tough. Not as tough as rugby or gridiron, but fairly tough in it's own right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoupKfWPdB8

The Zoogie People wrote:

Upper North Yorkshire wrote:

ThisIsNotACountry wrote:

Hydesland wrote:

^This.

brilliant!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_(word)
Unfortunately, not that brilliant...

Although it is widely assumed that the word football, or "foot ball", originated in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball, this may be a false etymology. The historical explanation has it that the word originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot.[3] These sports were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports more often enjoyed by aristocrats. This explanation is supported by the fact that the word football has always implied a wide variety of games played on foot, not just those that revolved around kicking a ball. In some cases, the word has been applied to games which involved carrying a ball and specifically banned kicking. For example, the English writer William Hone, writing in 1825 or 1826, quotes the social commentator Sir Frederick Morton Eden, regarding a game — which Hone refers to as "Foot-Ball" — played in the parish of Scone, Perthshire:

The game was this: he who at any time got the ball into his hands, run [sic] with it till overtaken by one of the opposite part; and then, if he could shake himself loose from those on the opposite side who seized him, he run on; if not, he threw the ball from him, unless it was wrested from him by the other party, but no person was allowed to kick it.[4] [Emphasis added.]

However, there is no conclusive evidence for either hypothesis regarding the origins of the word.

The word "soccer" originated as an "Oxford '-er'" slang abbreviation of "association", and was popularized by a prominent English footballer, Charles Wreford-Brown. This origin is evident in the sometimes-heard variation, "soccer football."

Summary: football referred to a variety of European sports played by the peasant class on foot, as opposed to by the aristocrats, who played their sports on horseback.

Not American arrogance/stupidity here...just a name thing.

Brewdomia wrote:American cause it requires more intelligence, you have to be aware at all times, and have the ability to be hit thousands of times over the course of a season.

Plus, American Football has some of the richest sports franchises in the world, and thats just one country.

S23Nation wrote:Canadian football is much more enjoyable to watch then American football.
Less running with the ball and more throwing on a much bigger field and bigger ball.

We also have more games played in the snow, which makes things more interesting, its like soccer in the rain

Soccer > CFL > NFL

Brewdomia wrote:Plus, American Football has some of the richest sports franchises in the world, and thats just one country.

Maurepas wrote:

S23Nation wrote:Canadian football is much more enjoyable to watch then American football.
Less running with the ball and more throwing on a much bigger field and bigger ball.

We also have more games played in the snow, which makes things more interesting, its like soccer in the rain

Soccer > CFL > NFL

Should watch some of the classic matches at Tulane, mud, cold, and fuckin wet as hell, those were good games, before my time, but great games...

Upper North Yorkshire wrote:

The Zoogie People wrote:

Upper North Yorkshire wrote:

ThisIsNotACountry wrote:

Hydesland wrote:

^This.

brilliant!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_(word)
Unfortunately, not that brilliant...

Although it is widely assumed that the word football, or "foot ball", originated in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball, this may be a false etymology. The historical explanation has it that the word originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot.[3] These sports were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports more often enjoyed by aristocrats. This explanation is supported by the fact that the word football has always implied a wide variety of games played on foot, not just those that revolved around kicking a ball. In some cases, the word has been applied to games which involved carrying a ball and specifically banned kicking. For example, the English writer William Hone, writing in 1825 or 1826, quotes the social commentator Sir Frederick Morton Eden, regarding a game — which Hone refers to as "Foot-Ball" — played in the parish of Scone, Perthshire:

The game was this: he who at any time got the ball into his hands, run [sic] with it till overtaken by one of the opposite part; and then, if he could shake himself loose from those on the opposite side who seized him, he run on; if not, he threw the ball from him, unless it was wrested from him by the other party, but no person was allowed to kick it.[4] [Emphasis added.]

However, there is no conclusive evidence for either hypothesis regarding the origins of the word.

The word "soccer" originated as an "Oxford '-er'" slang abbreviation of "association", and was popularized by a prominent English footballer, Charles Wreford-Brown. This origin is evident in the sometimes-heard variation, "soccer football."

Summary: football referred to a variety of European sports played by the peasant class on foot, as opposed to by the aristocrats, who played their sports on horseback.

Not American arrogance/stupidity here...just a name thing.

the fact that the 'foot' part originates from on foot is irrelevant, hand-ball is played on foot, as is tennis, yet they've been smart enough to find more appropriate names. like rugby for instance, originally coming from football all my mates who play it call it rugby an admit its ridiculous to call it football. you can't say every game played on foot is football!

btw, i dont think americans are arrogant or stupid, just that they need to admit that in a ideal world football would be football and american football would be called something more appropriate!

Sun Aut Ex wrote:

Brewdomia wrote:Plus, American Football has some of the richest sports franchises in the world, and thats just one country.

Lol.

South Norwega wrote:The US has less NFL franchises than Europe has Soccer franchises, many, many less, and the economic base isn't too different. The US franchises are bigger.

Barringtonia wrote:Frankly I'm not sure how the Americans have the audacity to even call it football,

Throwball perhaps, meatball maybe, football not really,

American football is all tactics and no skill, unless there's supposed to be some skill in running into another 6ft 3" 300lb brainless vegetable of muscle, it's a freak show,

The point of American football is to take any initiative away from the players, the less they think the better,

It's like comparing WWF to welterweight boxing,

Domnico wrote:

Barringtonia wrote:Frankly I'm not sure how the Americans have the audacity to even call it football,

Throwball perhaps, meatball maybe, football not really,

American football is all tactics and no skill, unless there's supposed to be some skill in running into another 6ft 3" 300lb brainless vegetable of muscle, it's a freak show,

The point of American football is to take any initiative away from the players, the less they think the better,

It's like comparing WWF to welterweight boxing,

How bout this BRIT you go climb up in your @#!# of a country and drink some tea USA USA USA

Sun Aut Ex wrote:Soccer is far and away the most skilled of the football codes.

A story comes to mind. In 1964 the best players of the Victorian Football League (who played Australian rules football) challenged the Victorian soccer champions, Slavia, to a game of soccer. They reasoned that since soccer players were such pansies, the VFL team, with a bit of training, could easily win. Long story short, Slavia won 8-0. Over two 50 minute halves. VFL hard man Ron Barassi sustained an injury that eventually forced him to give up football.

And these were only the best soccer players in Victoria, against the best Aussie rules players in the world. Imagine if it was a genuine team of soccer champions, and the game was full length. What would the score have been, 3206-0?

The Archregimancy wrote:This former Melbourne resident and World Cup tragic has a couple of rhetorical question for you...

Did the VFL challenge Slavia to a game of Australian rules football? And assuming they didn't, any guesses on what the final score would have been? Perhaps a 111.111 - 0.5 result?

I far prefer association football to Australian rules, but I still think the above isn't an entirely fair comparison.