Why the football game is called soccer in the US?
355428
In England, the word 'soccer' was originally used in the mid-1800s as short for 'association football'.  This was to distinguish it from another form of 'football' that eventually evolved into 'rugby'.  The English have a tendency to contract words and the schoolboys liked to add 'er' to the end of words. So 'association football' became 'assoccer' and finally just 'soccer'.\n\nWhen 'soccer' got exported to the rest of the world, it kept the term 'football', since that was most descriptive.  It kept 'soccer' in those countries that already had evolved another game called 'football', most notably the U.S. and Australia.
748966
In England football (soccer) was the original ball sport played in many universities and colleges. The legend is that William Webb Ellis, while playing football at Rugby School, picked up the ball and ran with it this became a splinter-game called Rugby Football. When the English football league was established a number of these rubgy football clubs decided not to join in as the league did not recognise the use of hands as a legal method of play. Rugby became a popular alternative to football (soccer) but nearly all rugby clubs were called Rugby Football clubs. The game became immensly popular in America, but without a governing body to ensure uniform rules of play the nature of the American game began to significantly diverge from the Rugby played in England. Since the term 'Rugby' refers to the place where the rules originated it is understandable that the American sport adopted the word football to describe their similar but different game. In short American football was an offshoot of English Rugby football, which is itself an offshoot of the original game of football that the Americans call soccer. The word soccer is purportedly derived from "association football" and actually originates in England, but NOBODY in England calls football soccer at all, unless we have to dumb our programs down for American audiences. \n\nI also completely agree with you that football should only refer to the english game because (1) it is the original sport, (2) the American game has little connection whatsoever with the use of the foot, and (3) outside the US everyone calls this football, that's the entire world. I thought you guys believe in democracy? Billions watch not just world cup matches, but Champions League (the world's greatest sporting competition) and domestic competitions. Oh yeah, and American football sucks!
310180
Because the US cannot except anything that is not their own. Soccer was not created in the US, as opposed to basketball, baseball, and the fake American football. \n\nThey wouldn't know a good sport unless it was deep fried and wrapped in a hot dog bun.
14477
In the nineteenth century, 'football' had no official meaning, and basically just distinguished sports that used bats from sports that didn't. As the century came to a close, several different games evolved from the common football roots, most notably soccer and rugby. In the US, rugby didn't stick, and the rules quickly evolved into American Football. Nobody played the original football anymore, so there was no real reason to change the name.
275696
Both American Football and Soccer (called Football by the rest of the world) have their origins in the game of Rugby, invented in 1823 at the Rugby Boys' School in England.  \n\nA "football-type" game was played on the first Monday of every school year on the Boston Common by Harvard University Students and caught on in popularity around 1860 (about the time of the Civil War).  In 1865, Princeton and Rutgers along with other colleges established standard rules for the game, and that same year, the football itself was patented.\n\nIn the 1890's the game was so brutal that nearly 200 players had been injured badly.  In 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt called upon Harvard, Princeton, and Yale to help save the sport from demise.  These schools met, agreed upon rules for reform, and invited other schools to come and meet about these reforms.  Sixty schools showed up and formed what would eventually be come to known as the NCAA.
19642
Soccer is a fairly new sport in the US.  Other countries have played soccer for decades but the US invented other sports (AKA Football).  Soccer has began to gain popularity though.
340043
US and Canada calls anything they want to anything. I have asked this question to so many people. Why do they call football as football, when most of the time they simply hold it in the hands and run. And why not call football (referring to soccer) just as the rest of the world.
971685
yes because the football you are thinking of is european style better known as socer we have soccer in the us as well but the us football is played with our hands soccer is played with your feet
546335
why is 'football' called 'soccer'?\n\nThe word "soccer" actually comes from England, where the modern version of the game originated.\n\nIn England, there were two types of football: rugby football and association football. The slang term for rugby football was "rugger," and the slang for association football was "assoc." The word "assoc" gradually evolved into "soccer," which was much easier to say.\n\nWhen association football was introduced to North America, gridiron football (the type played by the NFL and in the Super Bowl) was already well established. To avoid confusion, Americans adopted the British nickname "soccer" for the new sport.
1181497
Why soccer? \nI 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. \nTo 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". \n\n"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 organised 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 organised by 1871, but suffered another split by 1893 when Rugby League was formed. I digress. \n\nNear 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. \n\nEnglish 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... \n\nTherefore, 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. \n\n"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 engrained 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
869522
If this is a serious question, I will give you the real answer...\n\nWhen the sport was "created" it was called "American football" because the sport of the world at that time was "football" (what is called soccer in the US).\n\nOver time, soccer became a little known sport in the US, and the "American" became unnecessary, hence American football became football.\n\nThe term soccer comes from the "Football Association"... at one time, football split into two sports: what we call soccer, and rugby.  The Football Association endorsed regular football, so those who played football became "soccers" from "asSOCiation" and those who played rugby became "ruggers"\n\nBest of luck!
769213
We say soccer so the Americans know what are we talking about....But the real Football is the round ball game ....
335498
I play soccer myself, and to Americans, football is more important (American football). Therefore, they are unwilling to change their name. This forced true football (Soccer) to be called soccer, in order to differentiate between the two. It's been a tradition and I doubt it will change anytime soon.
613458
Soccer is a slang word deriving from AsSOCiation Football and originated in England in the 19th century.
1122471
This probably is not true but....\n\nFootball was going to be used for a new game in which players carried the ball with their hands most of the time in America.  Thus soccer was the name given to the previous game known around the world as football.
454202
Soccer it was invented in Egypt and since than it has been around. Plus its played all over the world and it is worshiped by most nations except USA.
4351
It's a contraction of 'Association Football.' The term originated in England in 1863, because there were already other forms of football at the time. Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa also call it 'soccer' or 'association football.' Italy calls it 'calcio.'