Blackcatter - It's called American Football (I think I've heard the term 'gridiron' also) just as soccer is called Association Football and rugger is Rugby Football. Of course there's also Gaelic Football and Australian Rules...

I think that cricket is something you have to be brought up with. It's quite complicated and it's not really easy for a newcomer to understand. Even understanding the rules is child's play compared with understanding the skills and tactics involved. I'm not saying that this is a good thing or a bad thing, certainly both baseball and American Football take some understanding and call for considerable skills. All this is probably why people who have grown up with cricket want to continue playing and/or watching it. Also we who enjoy the game like to share our enjoyment of it with others, so we're sometimes a bit scary. I don't think it's to do with attention span or national characteristics or anything else like that

Hooligan support for soccer has little to do with the sport, it's more about tribalism. Real soccer fans, who vastly outnumber the idiot fringe, look on them the same way that you do.

I must take issue you with you on the history stuff, though. OK you won the first war, you and your French, Spanish and Dutch friends that is. But your country declared war on us in 1812, in an attempt to steal Canada. The excuse was 'Free Trade and Sailors' Rights' and the opportunity was our involvement in a war with Napoleon's France. After that war was over both countries were happy to have peace with no territorial changes on either side. And Japan and Germany declared war on the USA in 1941. But you are right about our food, mate!