Why do we call in America FOOTBALL a sport that is played with hands?
465165
With the kick-off, you use your foot.
1076455
Because of us...Americans. We generally confuse your football with our pigskin version of football.
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.
310321
Soccer is what the Americans call Football in order to differentiate it from "American Football" which is a completely different game.\n\nFootball is a British invented sport with a huge worldwide following now where two teams of eleven players try to kicj a round ball into the other teams net.\n\nAmerican Football has more in common with Rugby Football where two teams of players run with, carry and throw an egg shaped ball to each other and attempt to touch it down behind the goal or kick it over the goal.\n\nRugby football was invented at Rugby School in England when someone picked up the ball during a normal game of football and ran with it.\n\nThe origins of football are thought to have been in the middle ages when baying crowds would compete to kick the severed head of someone who had been executed around the streets.\n\nNot much has changed in europe!!
417372
Because the yanks thought football was using your hands to throw the ball and not actually using your FOOT.
1020121
Americans can't play football. They're made of wood.\nSon de madera! Troncos!\n:)
721807
Because the entire world (with the exception of the USA) calls it football, maybe.  You use your feet, so "FOOTball," get it?
484238
Rugby was around long before American Football.  In fact American Football is a spin-off from Canadian Football which is a spin off from Rugby League which is a spin off from Rugby Union which is the game that we normally call Rugby.  \n\nThe famous story is that at Rugby School in England, one fine day while they were playing football (soccer), a cheeky young gent decided to pick up the ball and run with it for a lark.  The other guys ran after him and tackled him.  They soon figured out that this was kinda fun and decided to make a new game of it.  Rugby.\n\nSome scholars doubt the veracity of the story but it is a good one.\n\nAnyway the Rugby game became popular in England and Northern France before the game was ever played in North America.  Of course as Brits came to North America, they brought their games with them too.\n\nRugby was played in both Canada and the US from very early on.  It was actually Canada that developed the North American game first.  Rugby had already subdivided into Rugby League and Rugby Union.  Rugby Union is the game that most associate with the game 'Rugby' but there is another game called Rugby League which is the missing link between Rugby and American Football.\n\nIn Rugby Union, the game continues after a tackle.  In Rugby League, the game stops after a tackle and the game is restarted by the player who was tackled heeling the ball back to a team-mate.  This is the precursor to a snap in football.\n\nThis restart feature developed into an offensive line with a snap to a quarterback.  Canadians pioneered this new game and soon Americans were playing it too but they further refined the rules.  Canadian Football also predates American Football.  (yup, its true!)\n\nThere are still a few remnants of rugby in the game of American football but they are tricky to spot.  The word 'touchdown' refers to the fact that in Rugby you not only have to cross the end zone line, you also have to physically touch the ball to the ground for the score to count.  Its ironic that in American Football, you use the word 'touchdown' but you don't actually have to touch the ball down.\n\nAlso in Rugby you are allowed to pass the ball as many times as you like but it always has to be backwards.  Thus in American football you can 'lateral' the ball as much as you like.  This is from rugby.  \n\nActually in the early days of American football forward passes were not allowed.  This was a feature added later.\n\nThe conversion after a touchdown is also from Rugby.  \n\nIts really an interesting story if you look into it...
382273
American football is a girls sport. They wear padded bras and helmets to stop their hair getting messed up.\n\nRugby is for men and is played all around the world. Thats why they don't mind about getting hurt or dirty. Nuff said.\n\nBaseball is also a girls sport. Thats why it is only played in America because real men play cricket all round the world whereas the world series for baseball only has US teams in it. Its sad. Baseball is another name for rounders played by girls. Cricket involves skill and intelligence hence no US cricket team.
521792
Football (as the world outside of North America understands the game) is in the oLympics. American Football isn't. There are many theories as to why this is the case, but I'm sticking with the fact that nobody outside North America plays it.
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
1140262
It's called "America's favorite pastime". I don't know, but I prefer football.
590180
Football.  We invented it (the UK) and named it, all before America was even discovered, and it's an English word.  So defo football, only americans and australians call it soccer (wrongly).\n\nAmerican football they use their hands as do AFL players so its hardly football
1171882
I think soccer should have been named "football" as well, because MOST of the game is played with the foot.  Why not call what we call soccer "football" and what we call football (american football) soccer? It avoids calling the game "handball" like has been previously mentioned, especially because you use more than just your hands in american football. \n\nAs to WHY we don't call it football, I don't know, but it would be more logical.  Too late now...
859423
First American style football is not only played in the US, but also Europe has leagues, just to name one other location. Both fields are rectangular, with the sidelines (touchlines) being longer than the end lines (goal lines). Both have a midfield, but after these 2 things, it is pretty much over with what is alike.
1001575
Precision amidst chaos.\n\nNo other sport has it to the degree of American Football.\nOne finger can change the course of a game in which 250lb + men are colliding at full speed.
903650
american football we should call it handball because its played with hands\nbut british football deserve that name and its the right name because its played only with foots