soccer

[Mongo]

I hear alot of Brits and pretty much any one who isn't American bitch about us not calling soccer football.

BLAM THE BRITISH

Why soccer? (by Garry Archer)
I am an Englishman that has taken on himself a personal crusade to respond to comments regarding the use of the "American" word for football. I have seen them over and over again on the worldwide computer news network, USENET, in its rec.sport.soccer newsgroup where I have been an active contributor for several years.
To love the game of football is to love it's rich history also. It particularly disturbs me when modern fans of the game less conversed in this history do not fully understand that the word "soccer" is an English, _not_ American word derived from the second syllable of the word "association".

"Soccer" was originally called "association football" during the formation of the Football Association in England in the 1860s. This was to maintain a distinction from the other football game being organized in England at the same time based on the handling codes, whilst Association Football conformed to the dribbling codes. The other football came to be known as "rugby" football, named after the Rugby School in England, where it is said that a certain young student, William Webb Ellis, picked up the ball in his hands during an association football match and ran with it over the goal line. Master Ellis asked his teacher, who was refereeing, if that was a goal. The reply was, "No, but it was a jolly good 'try'", which is where one of the rugby scoring terms comes from. Rugby Union was formally organized by 1871, but suffered another split by 1893 when Rugby League was formed. I digress.

Near the end of 1863, Charles Wreford-Brown, who later became a notable official of the Football Association, was asked by some friends at Oxford whether he cared to join them for a game of "rugger" (rugby). He is said to have refused, preferring instead to go for a game of "soccer" - a play on the word "association". The name caught on.

English public schoolboys love to nickname things, then as much as now. The tendency is to add "er" to the end of many words. Rugby [Union] Football became "rugby", and then "rugger". Association Football was better know as "assoccer" and naturally evolved into "soccer" which is much easier for a schoolboy to say...

Therefore, the word "soccer" has been used in the mother country of all football-type games since at least the mid-19th century. The word "football", however, was more descriptive of the game (i.e. kicking a ball with the feet!) and was the term more frequently used. The British exported the game, so naturally the word "football" was the name mostly used all over the world. In recent decades it has been noted that the word "soccer" is apparently increasing in usage. The word "football" still appears in formal designations, however, in for example, Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The word "soccer" is more commonly used in several countries around the world that play other forms of football. When Australians say "football", they mean Australian Rules football instead [Well in southern states they do, in the north they mean Rugby League]. The Irish have Gaelic football. In the USA and Canada, of course, there is Gridiron football. Rugby Union, Rugby League, Australian Rules, Gaelic, American and Canadian football all owe their roots to Association football. With the exception of Gaelic Football, they all use an ovoid shaped ball. None is as popular around the world as Association football.

"Football" is the world standard name for "soccer". I always used the word "football" (and still do, wherever I can). The word "soccer", however, is ingrained into the origins of the modern game of association football as much as any other aspect of The Game much of the world enjoys today.

Finally, it must be remembered that British football, both association and rugby, had been organized in the 19th century by people in the upper echelons of the English educational system, from "exotic" schools, colleges and universities as Harrow, Eton, Oxford and Cambridge, just for starters. As I stated earlier, students of the Victorian era, as much as now, loved nicknames and "soccer" and "rugger" were the accepted everyday names for those people. These were sports for gentlemen.

When the games were taken up by those less fortunate enough to have received the higher (and more expensive) levels of education the game of soccer became very popular with the masses. Rugger, less so. As the rules became increasingly divergent between the two sports, soccer became the people's sport and rugger remained more of a "gentleman's" game.

Ever heard the phrase, "Soccer is a gentleman's game played by ruffians and Rugby is a ruffian's game played by gentlemen"?

So "soccer" was a fanciful, gentleman's name for the sport. The mere, common man started to call it "football" for the obvious reason that it's a game about a ball kicked with the foot. The game, and the word, was exported by British workers, students and merchant and naval seamen all over the world in the latter 19th and early 20th century... and the name, and the game, blossomed.

I prefer to call it "footy" myself!

Yours in football,

Garry Archer

[COUGAR_BAIT]

FUCK THE BRITISH!

[Doeshk]

Soccer?

Futbol a la madre!

[Mongo]

Soccer?

Futbol a la madre!

I'll call I.N.S.

[Doeshk]

Que? INS?

Instituto Nacional de Seguro? lol

[El Guapo]

VIVA LA CHIVAS!!!!

[Doeshk]

[jinjaben]

Americans call it soccer for the simple reason that you made your own version of the game which really has more in common with rugby though. Like most instances of existing things, Americans like to claim it for themselves and name it like they discovered it because they lack the confidence to be creative. Also they need their blankys, a juice box and nap as they read this as they will be crying.

At least the Aussies and Irish had the decency to name their version Aussie rules and Irish as a prefix.

Fucking Americans

[Mongo]

Jin read the fucking article. You brits call it soccer. That's where we got the name from you tard.

[Sarge]

hey now...watch your generalizations, some of us in america dont give a shit either way! i personally dont care for american football mainly cause i'm tired of hurrying up and waiting. they play for 5 seconds, and then break for 20, the fact that they integrated time for commercial breaks in that sport just goes to show how bullshit it really is.

soccer (or football, whichever you prefer i really dont give a fuck) is getting really bland these days. im tired of seeing all these players, who get payed millions, fall on their ass and act like they're hurt. granted this does happen in pretty much all sports, it really bugs me though when i have to sit and watch a grown man roll around on the ground for 5 minutes holding his shin in agony, waste time, and pending whether or not the person who "kicked/hit" him gets a card, the fukin crybaby gets up and 5 seconds later is in no pain what-so-ever.

personally the only spot that I truly enjoy to watch is hockey. my reason for that, hockey is a fast paced sport, and also a very physically demanding one. plus there's fighting in almost every game, and who doesn't enjoy a good brawl?

[Mongo]

You might need to adjust your skirt there Sarge...LOL

[jinjaben]

hey now...watch your generalizations, some of us in america dont give a shit either way! i personally dont care for american football mainly cause i'm tired of hurrying up and waiting. they play for 5 seconds, and then break for 20, the fact that they integrated time for commercial breaks in that sport just goes to show how bullshit it really is.

I used to follow American football as kid and loved it and concur that the nfl has really messed up the game with commercialization. I do enjoy the college games though as they are playing with spirit for their schools and of course the chance to make it pro. Go ducks!

[Sarge]

You might need to adjust your skirt there Sarge...LOL

why dont you come over here and adjust it for me mongo!

[Mongo]

You might need to adjust your skirt there Sarge...LOL

why dont you come over here and adjust it for me mongo!

You would like that too much.

[Sarge]

nah, im not like cougar

[DeUltimaPunisher]

I don't get it... What is this socker/feet-balls thing you guys are talking about? Are those even real sports? I can accept rugby as sport; however every Canadian knows the only real sport is hockey! :dance:

[Frostbite]

I don't get it... What is this socker/feet-balls thing you guys are talking about? Are those even real sports? I can accept rugby as sport; however every Canadian knows the only real sport is hockey! :dance:

I concur with the real sport being hockey part, but I'm not Canadian... eh?

[Mongo]

I dont keep up with hockey but if there was a gun to my head I would watch it over soccer, baseball or basketball.

[Doeshk]

Boxing is the real sport



Julio Cesar Chavez FTW

AWEVO

[DeUltimaPunisher]

Boxing is the real sport

Boxing isn't a sport, but it is a component of a sport called "Hockey"...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1-25s4uwFQ[/youtube]

Now that's raw human emotion brother!!! BLAH!!!!

[bmh]

Ya think that maybe if they had played a nice waltz instead of Enter Sandman the outcome might have been different?

Were they ever able to finish? I heard the announcers comment about either team maybe not having enough people left to continue...

[Doeshk]

Boxing isn't a sport...

Qué usted acaba de decir señor ?

[ZERO604]

My opinion of soccer
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqv8UJc72SU[/youtube]