Why is it called American Football?

Question

When they spend most of their time carrying the ball, Surely from the name "Football" you would guess it is meant to be kicked not carried.

Answer 1

Even americans don't know the answer, I totally agree with you the only time the ball touches the feet is when they kick a field goal. Plus why do they call it a touchdown when all they do is run over the line with it? Stupid if you ask me.

Answer 2

Actually, soccer is a very strategic game, at least as much so as American Football. You can't just run across the pitch alone towards the goal and shoot, that's offsites. You have to be able to move your team forward together, passing the ball from one player to another, until a player can find a space through the enemy's defences and kick the ball into the goal. Soccer is a strategic, fast-paced game. At times it can be boring, but with good players, it can turn from boring into extremely fascinating and interesting in a nanosecond.

Answer 3

It's just called FOOTBALL!!

Answer 4

So tired of this question...

Why is the rest of the world so insecure because Americans have a game that is more fun than soccer and decided to call it football. I'm thinking of starting a petition to change the official name of the American sport from football to:
"THE GREATEST GAME IN THE WORLD AND TONS BETTER THAN DUMB STUPID SOCCER BALL"
We'll still call it football for short though and insist that persons from Europe must call it by it's formal name. Anyone want to sign up?

If you are really interested in how American football got it's name, see the link below. Everything you ever wanted to know.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/football...

Answer 5

After America won its independence from England people in the colonies were so mad at England that they decided not to practice a game created in England. Americans then decided to create a new game, because of lack of imagination the game started looking like Rugby and to differentiate it and also to get back at England they decided to call it Football. At the time Americans didn't realized that Football was called Football because in England they use the foot and a ball to play it.

Answer 6

They call it Football in South America too, and everywhere else all over the World, except the State's (soccer), and they play rugby too, oops sorry American Football, i think that's what your refering to.

Answer 7

It is called American Football, because it was origanally just rugby but when it hit America they didn't like the game as rugby so changed a lot of the rules to suit them. And as rugby is just the short name for Rugby Football when the americans changed the rules they changed the name from Rugby Football to American Football.

Answer 8

According to Wikipedia there a several types of football and that all football games involve scoring by moving the ball(sherical or ellipslce) into, onto or over a goal area or line defended by the opposing team. And since there are several versions of this game around the world and in Europe soccer is referred to as football they need a way to differentiate.

Answer 9

its not football obviously what we play is football but back in the days America found it too rough too play real rugby so they had to invent a new game so they could wear pretty colours and padding and that was it and they are the only nambi pamys that play it so hence the American bit! sorted :)

Answer 10

a) they cant play europeand football,
b) in US you call it just football so we call it American Football to see what you are talking about
c) they kick ball as here
http://sports.main.jp/20040620/18.jpg
and here
http://tell.fll.purdue.edu/JapanProj/FLClipart/Nouns/Sports/football.gif

and as you probalby know European football is called Soccer

here is some explanation of word football:
Any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal

soccer:
A football game in which two teams of 11 players try to kick or head a ball into the opponents' goal

Answer 11

Well for starters it EVOLVED out of SOCCER. Will you people EVER LEARN? I keep explaining this. Now stop saying it came from Rugby. It came from Soccer and it is TOTALLY AMERICAN. We didn't use rugby rules. We used soccer rules and then changed them until it became a new game. A guy playing soccer and his team was losing so bad that he picked up the ball out of anger ran down and threw it in the net. It made a great story. So then they kind of made a game from that. Of course it kept evolving and changing until it reached the game it is today. As to the American's not being able to play rugby I'd like to see them try to play the orginal football. Under the box score was the lists of the people killed. Oh and the padding was only recently added. It wasn't added at the start. Heck the helmet was required until recently. We won't even mention how it started as a leather helmet.

Hey let's start going to the soccer board and ask them why Americans call it soccer.