Soccer is an embarrassing name for a FOOTBALL (FOOT BALL ) Yes or No?
459826
Not to Americans...because our football is a very different sport.  \n\nHaving said that, I never understood why we called our game foot ball, as there are only 2-4 players in the game that ever touch the ball with there feet.
571760
Soccer is a wordplay on the word association as in the following text:\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.
567224
If you're talking about the sport which is stupidely called "soccer" by US people, then you're right, football is really the greatest sport. Basket is boring, and US football doesn't look like nothing.
1036122
My first thought was "meatball". Jockes aside this is a great sport for real men but it has very little to do with "foot" and you can hardly call that thing a "ball". So maybe we could change the name to something like "mensport" or maybe "catch&run"
342622
I dont no what that is its called the super bowl and this aint called football its called soccer
300631
I truly believe that it's a "stupid name" for this sports and people who are responsible for it should have find a better name like "throw ball"; if not smarter people in charge should have changed it a long time ago. I don't know why they pick the name, however I can tell you why they should not have:\nthe sports name usually gives a good idea of it: Hand ball, volley ball, foot ball... but then they come and call this sports that I love by the way football, damn it people stop going the opposite way of others especially when you are being "irrelevant".
1108744
The accepted origin of the word "soccer" is that its a contraction of the word "Association" with reference to "Association Football". The Football Association was formed in October 1863 when the rules were standardised by a meeting of eleven clubs. With one of the written rules now being that the carrying of the ball was not permitted this finally set in stone the biggest practical different between Association Football and Rugby Football.\n\nIn 1889 the word was "socca", later it was "socker" in 1891 and finally seemed to settle on "soccer" by 1895. The word is supposed to have evolved in University slang, created by shortening the word "Association" and adding "er". They had other expressions such as "brekkers" for "breakfast" and "rugger" for "rugby."\n\nWhile this seems a relatively acceptable version of the origin, and it does seem reasonble if these references started appearing in literature a couple of decades after the "association" was formed, there are a couple of things which put doubts in my mind.\n\nFirstly it doesn't exactly follow the established rules for these Oxford contractions. Instead of merely chopping the last syllable off the word and adding "er", they remove the last two syllables, also remove the first letter of the word, then change the soft "c"s in the word to hard "c"s, before adding the "er". Okay, so maybe following the normal rules does produce the less desirable "asser", but why didn't this word become at least "sosser"?\n\nSecondly, there is an alternative theory which fits rather well and, like the game itself, is considerably older than a hundred and fifty years.\n\n"fut ball" edict origin of soccerFootball has roots thousands of years ago across many countries of the world but in England it became taken up by the working classes and frowned upon by those in authority and the upper classes. It was a very rough and dangerous sport at first, known as "mob football" and was little more than a violent street battle. The first use of the phrase "football" or rather "fut ball" was in 1424 in the editc reproduced on the right, but what about "soccer"?\n\nIf you look up at the closest-sounding modern word, "sock", a couple of interesting points appear. The modern word comes from an old English word spelt "socc". More interestingly this was not a snug, fabric covering as it is today, but back then it meant a light shoe and it comes from the Latin "soccus". The word "socc" to mean "shoe" first appeared in 725AD but was there any evidence of it relating to football?\n\nWhen Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in Carlisle Castle in Tudor times it is documented that she watched the game of football, indeed her retinue played for two hours "strongly" and "skillfully". And, by an amazing coincidence, on this map of Carlisle Castle, it is remarkable to note that certain fields are labelled "Castle Soceries".\n\nSo could this be proof that in medieval times the game was also known as "soccer" and played by those wearing "soccs" on ground known as "soceries"... with the players "socking" the ball? It is certainly very far from being proof and sadly this circumstantial evidence is all there is to this theory. There appears to be no written evidence putting the word "socc" in the context of football but it remains an interesting mystery.
305023
I think it has no meaning at all, just a word to differentiate football (for the rest of the world) and football (for american). Only nations that leans towards american football use the word soccer. For others, it will always be football.
989147
When you kick off, you kick the ball with your foot.\nWhen you try a field goal, you kick the ball with your foot.\nWhen you try an extra point, you kick the ball with your foot.\nWhen you punt, you kick the ball with your foot. \n\nWhy is a Soccer ball called a soccer ball?
424559
Having Englishmen and Scotsmen as blokes, I would have to say that in general they know a lot about football (soccer)... or at least a hell of a lot more than North Americans. I am Canadian and even I would rather refer to the game as football. It makes sense doesn't it?... I mean you kick the ball with your foot, yet in football (American) you throw the damb thing and rarely kick it.
71193
The games of american football, soccer, and rugby all originated from the same basic game but with different rules.  We have to thank the students of the 1880s for the word "soccer". It was the practice amonst the well bred students of Oxford to abbreviate words whilst adding "er" to the end; "brekkers" for breakfast for example. They would be asked if they wanted to play "rugger" ("rugby rules") a student replied "no, soccer", an abbreviation of "association", or the "association rules", also known as the rules of the Football Association in London. As'soc'iation (doesn't really fit with our pronunciation of the word exactly but i see how it makes sense).  Footer was also used and for whatever reason the evovled term "football" became more popular in the UK while the term "soccer" popularized in the US although it was used in the UK for a brief period of time.
687502
Well, considering the Scots invented it, and called it FOOTball, cos you kick the ball with your FOOT, it kind of makes sense to me.  Less of the language please.
129703
Soccer is basically the American term for the game of football as it is known in the rest of the world.  What you call football, we call soccer.  What WE call football, you guys call American football.... or worse!
475234
It's the most popular sport in the world.  However, it is really known as football around the world.  American's named it soccer because, well they needed a silly name to call it, since they had a sport named football that really doesn't make sense to call it football.
1152287
none.... we should call it.....futbol!!
1140910
It depends on what "Football" you are refering to.\n\nSoccer is the American word for what the rest of the world calls Football, because American's have a different sport called Football.\n\nAmerican Football is nothing like the world's Football.\n\nFootball (Soccer):\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer\n\nAmerican Football:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_football
1086145
Superb answer voetbal, I couldn't have said it better myself.\n\nBeing from the US, I'm constantly being berated by the "jocks" in this country for being a football fan.  Yeah thats right, a football fan.  The word "soccer" makes me cringe.