Why is American Football called American "Foot"ball

#1

London Vol

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#1
This is a genuine question.

Can anybody help me, why is American Football called American Football when the only two players who kick the ball are the Place Kicker and the Punter and they are usually regarded as the least important players on the team.

Granted American Throwball or American Runball does seem weird
 
#2
#2
This is a genuine question.

Can anybody help me, why is American Football called American Football when the only two players who kick the ball are the Place Kicker and the Punter and they are usually regarded as the least important players on the team.

Soccer is really an abbreviated form of "Association" football. Soccer, Rugby, Australian Rules and American football all have the same general origin.

At the beginning, kicking did play a bigger role, but as the forward pass became more popular, the ball became less spherical and kicking became a lesser part of the game. Thats why drop kicks are rarely done now, when before the ball design was changed for the forward pass, you saw drop kicks far more often.
 
#6
#6
IIRC Rugby was originally known as Rugby football and soccer as Association football. Our American football spawned off Rugby football and they just cut the Rugby out of the name.
 
#12
#12
This is a genuine question.

Can anybody help me, why is American Football called American Football when the only two players who kick the ball are the Place Kicker and the Punter and they are usually regarded as the least important players on the team.

Granted American Throwball or American Runball does seem weird
Because you kick it. to start the game as well several times during the game. In the beginning, you could not throw the ball. It was invented before most people in the U. S. had ever heard of soccer and was likely derived from Rugby, as was Australian football. Rugby is thought to have originated somewhere around 1845 in England.
 
#13
#13
Americans just say football, not "American Football".
Only foreigners call it American Football.
Well, sort of.

When I was stationed overseas, talking with folks from other countries, I would say "American football" as well. And I'm American. :)

It's not that Americans don't know we play the American version of football. It's just that soccer and rugby are so little a part of our culture that we generally don't need to differentiate. So "football" for short.
 
#14
#14
Because you use your feet on this game and if you aren't on your feet that means your ass got taken out? I don't know, I'm reachin here lol...
 
#15
#15
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#16
#16
Well, sort of.

When I was stationed overseas, talking with folks from other countries, I would say "American football" as well. And I'm American. :)

It's not that Americans don't know we play the American version of football. It's just that soccer and rugby are so little a part of our culture that we generally don't need to differentiate. So "football" for short.

Uhm, we call soccer "soccer" and rugby "rugby." This negates the need here to call football anything other than "football." It really wouldn't matter if rugby and soccer became the most popular games in our country.
 
#18
#18
Uhm, we call soccer "soccer" and rugby "rugby." This negates the need here to call football anything other than "football." It really wouldn't matter if rugby and soccer became the most popular games in our country.
You missed the part about me living overseas, where "football" is the common phrase for what we call "soccer."
 
#19
#19
This is a genuine question.

Can anybody help me, why is American Football called American Football when the only two players who kick the ball are the Place Kicker and the Punter and they are usually regarded as the least important players on the team.

Granted American Throwball or American Runball does seem weird

No, three players can kick the ball. One is the quarterback. It doesn't happen often. But can and does happen. Quarterback punting -- Ben Roethlisberger did this on November 2013. At Cleveland’s 29 yard line, because a field goal try would be 47 yards into a fairly stiff wind. Tom Brady did this January 2012 when playing the Colts.

Quarterback kicking for points -- Doug Flutie(?) did a drop-kick for one point. First time done since the 1940s, I think. So three players can kick in USA football games.
 
#20
#20
I was an "assistant coach" (despite knowing nothing) for for my little guy's soccer team many years ago and the head coach, American guy, referred to himself as the teams "manager" and called it football...I really disliked that guy.

Totally irrelevant, but I dislike soccer very much...And it's boring as hell.
 
#21
#21
You missed the part about me living overseas, where "football" is the common phrase for what we call "soccer."
Yea, my very first internet forum was a video game forum back in 2003. The game had a large intl base and in the politics/general forum it would irritate some people from Europe to see it called soccer. They'd call us ignorant Americans, arrogant Americans, ect ect ect while themselves not knowing why we called American football "football" and their football "soccer".
 
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#22
#22
This thread also reminded me a skit on SNL which I've searched for but apparently the Woke police have purged from the internet. Did find some screen shots and the lyrics.

We are kickers
We kick ball
We play with ball
We kick the ball

I am Raul
I'm kick machine
I play for seven different team
I kick football
I play with the ball
I kick for the team
I ... I ... am Raul.

1%2Bkickers.png

2.png

3.png

4.png


John Lovitz wearing this is likely what got it banned. His verse was something about not wanting to be traded to Green Bay.

Brrr Green Bay!
Brrr Green Bay!

1-24-1987_0.01.57.00.jpg
 
#23
#23
Cause' it's a gentleman's sport. . . let the kicker know he's the most important while the big ugly guys beat everyone up for him.
 
#24
#24
Cause' it's a gentleman's sport. . . let the kicker know he's the most important while the big ugly guys beat everyone up for him.

I dont wish to start another tread but in England we play Cricket and 100 years ago it was between "Gentlemen" (the rich and powerful) and "Players" (the working class). They even had their own dressing rooms and a different gate to enter the pitch. Ah the good ole days !!
 
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