An English member of another message board I post on asked Americans how football got its name:

"Now football (or "soccer" to our friends in the USA) is called football because the object of the game is to kick the ball from player to player until you score a goal. In fact, the only person who is allowed to touch the ball in open play is the goalie.

"So why did you Americans decide to call a game in which the object is to either throw the ball to another player, which he catches, or run with it whilst holding it in his hands, "football," while the only time the foot is used is for a kick off or a field goal? Why is it not called "American handball"? Can anyone enlighten me please?"

Good question. So, does anyone here have a bloody clue?

soccer. . . ??? non-american football?? . . . . . . . ???. . .England???

never heard of 'em. . . . . . . .

lol at bigbucboy

Careful FeverDog. You're in dire danger of being labeled "old England" (as in Old Europe, like those nasty Frenchmen who dare question our foreign policy and pollute the names of our food with terms like "french fries" and "french toast").

Surely you guys must realize that when we wrote a Declaration of Independence and a Constitution some 200 or so years ago we also inherited (confiscated?) the language as well. And like any young beneficiary who hasn't had to earn a thing we don't appreciate it. We therefore reserve the right to abuse that inheritance in any fashion we see fit.

Does that help?

American "football" developed out of both Association football (soccer) and rugby football, both of which are played in Britain. In both games, one can advance the ball by kicking it; in rugby, you can also toss it laterally, etc., and then carry it across the goal line. American football has retained both of these scoring options.

Rutgers and Princeton played the first intercollegiate game in 1869, so New Jersey is sort of the historic home of football. (It's telling that Rutgers has one of the worst Division 1A teams in the U.S., while Princeton has been a middle-of-the-pack team over the last 30 years or so in the Ivy League.) Harvard and Yale systematized the rules in 1876 and changed the name of the game to football.

American football still allows kicking to score points, though now it's been systematized so that only the field goal kick can directly register points, but a punt also drives the ball forward, without the possibility of scoring points (though the ball remains live and can be used to score under a number of conditions).

The forward pass by the quarterback in set formations, so central to the contemporary game, didn't come into being until the early 1900s. Lateral passes, which allow any player to toss the ball backwards or to the side but not forward; reverses, which still have the power to stun defenses when they're beautifully executed; the straightforward run; and the field goal are among the older elements of the game.

Here's Football.com's take on the game. They mention the Harvard-Yale connection and other key info.

History of American Football

Football, as in Everton playing Liverpool at Goodison Park in Liverpool, is my favorite sport. Football, as in the NFL et al, is my least favorite sport (yes, I'd rather watch cricket).

I spend so much time on "real" football boards reading about the comings and goings in England and on the continent that when someone here says "football" my mind has to adjust for a second that they're probably talking about the NFL or *shudder* Nebraska or Notre Dame *shudder*.

Hey Jim Allen -- question for you. My favorite comedian, Eddie Izzard, makes several references to Everton in one of his stand-up routines -- and people laugh -- but I don't get it.

Are they the UK equivalent to the Bills (or the Vikes -- sorry George!) not winning the Super Bowl? Or something like that? I can't remember if it's in the "Dress to Kill" or "Glorious" video.

Football. You gotta love it!

Royal proclamation from the 14th century:

Later Queen Lizzy imposed "church penance" as punishment.

And North Americans think this game is boring?

Other sites:

http://wiwi.essortment.com/americanfootbal_rwff.htm

http://www.football.com/rulesabc/origins.shtml

...and the author of the rules for American football was born on 7 April. His name was Walter Camp.

http://www.waltercamp.org/

"Recognized as the "Father of American Football", Walter Camp was one of the giants of football in the US.

**It was he who sired the game as it is played in the United States, the game that evolved from rugby as it was played in England.**

He is credited with the play from scrimmage, the numerical assessment of goals and tries, the restriction of play to eleven men per side, set plays, and strategy features which have led to the development of the fast, interesting, and organized game which we enjoy so much today."

Thats funny as in Australia, another ex British colony... we play Football as well. Our version is Australian Rules and it was designed so they say as a way for Cricketers to keep fit during the winter. Soccer is in terrible trouble down here, they are lucky to get 1000 people to a National league game. While Aussie Rules and Rugby get over 40,000 regularly with no problems.

I too have found it odd that England has remained tethered to the concept of "football" as accepted by the rest of the world. Meanwhile, her more industrialized ex-colonies have taken the game of rugby, added some unique rules and variations, and re-branded the hybrid game as "football."

Canadian football is the same as American football, but on a slighly larger field. And Aussie Rules, to the untrained American, seems damned similar to rugby. But all three are called football.

Personally, I'd rather watch American, Canadian or Aussie Rules than what we call "soccer."

Then again, we here in the States are still in denial that the metric system exists.

But the ironic thing about you guys being in denila about the metric system is that your monitary system is metric!

aussiecrow

Um, dunno without the actual routines to look at. Any links out there or, if you're anything like I am with Monty Python, can you do them from memory? At the time of his routines--late 90's right?--they WERE pretty bad, but.....

Everton is one of the more successful teams in English FOOTBALL. Only Arsenal has had more seasons in the top division, they have the 2nd or 3rd most FA Cup appearences, 2nd or 3rd most FA cups, won the league 9 times (the leader, the Red Shite of Liverpool FC have 18, though after yesterday, Manchester United now has 15), they've had had success in Europe etc. They had great teams in the 60's and 80's (I got in to them in 1980). Only the f**king Red Shite of Liverpool's f**king knuckle-dragging neandrethal supporter's rioting in the Heysel Stadium during a Europe Cup final match, causing a wall to collapse on Juventus supporters thus killing 39 of 'em, which lead to a 6-year ban on English teams in Europe, prevented more success. Everton was arguably the best team in Europe when the ban went in to effect, so they never got the chance to prove it. The team fell apart, they got an abysmal owner (think Bill Bidwell, Donald Sterling and Disney rolled up in to one--he was a Liverpool FC season ticket-holder for f**ks sake) and generally they were utter crap in the 90's. They are on the upswing now and now have a great manager, the Scotsman David Moyes and they also have one of the best young players in the world right now, the furry-chested 18-year Wayne Rooney (Roonaldo). So, they've not had the success of the Red Shite, Manchester United or Arsenal (aka The Big Red Clubs) but they're not far behind.

*Cough* Sorry 'bout that, I get fired up talking about EFC. Go you Blues!

[ May 05, 2003, 09:05 PM: Message edited by: Jim Allen ]