AGS Steam Games

Forums → The Tavern → Why is football called 'football', you mostly use only your hands?

9 3086
schuetteg6
offline
schuetteg6
270 posts
Nomad

Ive been wondering why its named football and not something else... Anyone got any suggestions of to why its called that.

  • 9 Replies
Drink
offline
Drink
1,621 posts
Blacksmith

im not sure either all i know is football is what other countries call soccer...it makes ALOT more sense idk why our football cant be called handball..which im pretty sure is the name of another sport but still..

Cenere
offline
Cenere
13,657 posts
Jester

I think someone explained this in an earlier thread on the name. I can't remember exactly how it was, but I think it was something about how this looks more like what was called football back in the days (like rugby), where the name referred to something being occasionally kicked, which is what American football is, while the rest of the world transferred the name into something a bit more logical, where you would be actually using your feet at most/all times.

master565
offline
master565
4,104 posts
Nomad

I don't see anyone using their hands on this

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TqWqkmjdagc/TIBimd9wflI/AAAAAAAADic/Cu_lAOi5SSs/s1600/soccer-ball.jpg

I'm pretty sure it was called this because, at first, rugby was a break away from what Americans call "soccer" in which they changed the rules and you were allowed to use your hands rather than just your feet. When this game reached America, they changed the rules up some more to create modern American football, and they called it that under it's original name.

This link has a lot more on it.

xNightwish
offline
xNightwish
1,608 posts
Nomad

He means American Football.
Where you do the Touchdown thing and some countries call it rugby.

partydevil
offline
partydevil
5,129 posts
Jester

He means American Football.
Where you do the Touchdown thing and some countries call it rugby.

the rules from american football and rugby are slightly different.
the same kind of differenses you see in basketball and korfball.

delossantosj
offline
delossantosj
6,672 posts
Nomad

some countries call it rugby


nope rugby is a completely different sport.

Because it developed from Rugby Football.
American football is called football because of its origin. It, like soccer, can be traced back to rugby football where you use your feet to kick a ball at a goal or successfully carry a ball over a goal line. Over time, some rules were changed such as the concept of line of scrimmage and of four downs and a certain distance required to get more downs and, of course, the forward pass. In earlier times, football had virtually no rules. If you wish, you can trace its ancestry back to the 1600's.
JellyBear
offline
JellyBear
229 posts
Nomad

The origin of Gridiron (American football) is in the history of the world's most popular sport: Football (soccer). When soccer--more universally known as "football" (which of course makes sense because football players use their feet)--players decided to change their centuries-old game with restrictions such as the no-use-of-hand rules, people who disliked this broke away to create rugby. More information can be learned from here if you're curious.

It isn't just because football players kick a ball... delossantosj was right about why it is named "football".

Cenere
offline
Cenere
13,657 posts
Jester

I think this is answered. If not, wiki it or something, it will probably lead to better replies anyway.

Showing 1-8 of 9