World Cup....the REAL football!

Subject: World Cup....the REAL football!
From: Aquarian
Date: 06 Jun 02 - 07:13 PM

So why is it that American Football is actually called 'football'? I mean, what's up with 'soccer'? I certainly think it's time we got it into our heads that a football is a ball that is kicked by the FOOT. Not a ball that one grabs on to and runs! So come on people...call the sport by it's real name...like real people over in the UK do.

P.S. I'm new :-)

Subject: RE: World Cup....the REAL football!
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Jun 02 - 08:15 PM

There are a whole bunch of related types of football. Most of them allow handling of the ball. And they are all quite properly referred to as varieties of "football".

The one which is most popular in any country actually tends to be called Football. In most countries that is the game historically called Association Football, Soccer for short, which does outlaw handling the ball, except by the goalkeeper.

People in England have mostly tended to speak indifferently of either Soccer or Football. Soccer more especially when they want to avoid ambiguity, and confusion with Rugby Football.

Presumably as Soccer becomes the main game in the USA - (and I believe it is already actually played by far more people there than American Football), the same process will happen there. The teasing joke about the name is wearing a bit thin.

Subject: RE: World Cup....the REAL football!
From: GUEST,Boab
Date: 06 Jun 02 - 10:11 PM

Try talking about "ice" hockey in Canada; they don't believe there is any other kind!

Subject: RE: World Cup....the REAL football!
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Jun 02 - 11:39 PM

Doesn't Australian Football allow taking the ball and running?

Subject: RE: World Cup....the REAL football!
From: mousethief
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 01:15 AM

If I remember correctly, "Soccer" came over from Old Blighty. Forgive us if we call it by the name the Brits taught us to call it by. Hardly our fault that they have decided instead to call it Football. We have given that name to another game; too late to go back.

Unless and until soccer replaces american football. Which wouldn't bug me at all; I loathe them both as games, but fewer high school kids are paralyzed for life playing soccer.

Alex

Subject: RE: World Cup....the REAL football!
From: GUEST,ozmacca
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 02:54 AM

Personally, I can proudly state that I loathe and detest any sport - ANY SPORT AT ALL - that implies the use or abuse of a ball of any shape, by however many people who should know better, but yourdictionary.com suggests that the word "soccer" is derived by the

"shortening & alteration from association football"

This being the case, only Association Football (whatever the hell THAT is) should be called soccer, and therefore anything ELSE can be called football - whichever part of the body hits the damned ball. And that includes Aussie Rules, League, et al. In my young day, you only ever heard of playing fitba' or rugby and that was that. Those of my persuasion just ran for cover.

Subject: RE: World Cup....the REAL football!
From: greg stephens
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 03:30 AM

"soccer" isnt used so much in England anymore. It's public school slang/ university originally.The two rules, Rugby and Association, became known colloquially as Rugger and Soccer by a standard verbal process of producing userfriendly versions of names: Greg Stephens would become "Gregger" or "Greggers, old chap".The "s"addition is more common in the 20th century, just the "er" in the 19th.The doubling up rhyming version was very popular, and is still used ironicallyin Oxbridge in a faux-fogey style. Prince of Wales becomes "Pragger Wagger" and so on. So Aquarian would possibly be Acker, Ackers or AckerWacker.There are no strict rules on how the vowels were handled. I would guess if ice hockey co-existed with ordinary hockey in an English school it would have been called "igger","iggers" or possibly "igger-higger". McGrath's point is very valid, that "football" is the general term for whatever version of the rules are used locally in any culture. The old "whole town" games in Britain were called "football", when playing methods not only included kicking and handling, but also killing opponents with weapons: this became frowned on by the authorities c 1600, and has now largely disappeared. An intermediate form is current in France, where weapons are not used but kungfu kicks on spectators are tolerated.

Subject: RE: World Cup....the REAL football!
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 05:48 AM

And of course Rugger is played by Rugger-Buggers.

Subject: RE: World Cup....the REAL football!
From: ard mhacha
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 10:13 AM

I have been around for well over the past half century and the term Soccer has always been used in Ireland to describe Association Football from Gaelic Football. Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: World Cup....the REAL football!
From: Bullfrog Jones
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 12:37 PM

Ebbie, the antipodean game is called Australian Rules Football, which is a wonderfully ironic name for a game that doesn't seem to have any rules -- those guys get away with murder! Obviously the authorities down under don't frown on that kind of thing.

BJ

Subject: RE: World Cup....the REAL football!
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 01:13 PM

"the antipodean game is called Australian Rules Football" - I think it's mostly actually called "footie". (And it's only antipodean from North-West Europe.)

Essentially it's Gaelic Football played with a Rugger ball on a cricket pitch. Very ecumenical.

Beautiful game to watch. As in Gaelic football, it's an offence to punch your opponent.

Subject: RE: World Cup....the REAL football!
From: Ebbie
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 03:08 PM

Yesterday an Australian tourist said, Oh,yes, 'Stralian football- that's the one where they park an ambulance at the sidelines.

I got the impression he was not a fan! You've gotta admit though, it's entertaining - and exhausting- to watch.