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[–] 150 points 1 month ago (5 children)

It’s called football because it’s primarily played with the feet (unlike that other ”football” game).

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  • [–] 44 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    American football has been referred to as just football (in America) longer than football (soccer) was called just football in Britain. It was called association football as a distinct game separate from rugby football and other football games. Football distinguishing it from games played on horseback. Soccer was British slang from association (similarly at the time rugby football has slang term rugger.) Eventually the association part fell out of use but other countries that had developed their own football games tended to still call it soccer. I don't really care either way, I'll call it football when talking to people who call it football and soccer with people who call out soccer, I just think the origin of the terms is pretty interesting.

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  • [–] 19 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Football distinguishing it from games played on horseback

    The problem with this line of argument is that basketball would also be football, as would baseball, cricket, hockey, and even cycling.

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  • [–] 14 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    You had me until cycling. Which would clearly be "ball-less tech polo" or something like that 🤷🏻

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    We sometimes call bicycles "wire donkeys"

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Counterargument. I've never seen cycling done on horseback. Therfore it is football.

    Unless we classify a bike as a mechanical horse. Then we have mountain horsing, road horsing. Trick horsing. And all the velodrome horsing events.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago* (1 child)

    I've never seen cycling done on horseback. Therfore it is football.

    I've never seen it done on foot or with a ball either, though.

    Two-wheel chasies?

    Or as a compromise, Wheelhorsing around?

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  • [–] 7 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    I'm not beholden to what some rich kids (not my class) of the university of Rugby or Oxford or whatever (not my town) in England (not my country) called the sport once upon a time.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    longer than football (soccer) was called just football in Britain

    This may blow your mind but there are other countries and they have always called it football (or the localized equivalent).

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  • [–] 39 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    It’s called football because people run around on their feet, as opposed to horseback for polo.

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  • [–] 35 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    So basketball, baseball and handball is basically football too, neat.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    I suppose they are.

    Except here in America we call them “ketter”, “baser” and “hander”

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