How did a football get its name?

Question

Why do they call it a FOOTBALL? Most of the time you throw and catch it. There's not much "foot" in the game, unless you punt it. Maybe I'm thinking too literal...

Answer 1

"Football" is what most of the world calls the game we call "Soccer".

American Football is an off-shoot of another Brittish game - rugby.  In some respects, Football borrows both from rugby and soccer (though more from rugby), so why soccer's name (football) got attached to it, I am not sure.

Answer 2

The First American Football game was played in a field near where the current Rutgers Gymnasium sits in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was the Gentlemen from Princeton versus the Gentlemen from Rutgers on six November 1869, in a game won by Rutgers 6-4. The game, whose rules were decided upon by the contestants, bore a resemblance to Rugby, upon which it was based. The two teams consisted of 25 men each and to tell them apart, the Rutgers Gentlemen donned red scarfs which they fashioned into turbans Hence the Team name "Scarlet Knights". Each team stationed two players near the opponents goal line in hopes of him being able to sneak across unguarded for a score. The other 23 players were divided into groups of 11 defenders and 12 Bulldogs. The Bulldogs played offense, attempting to advance the ball into the oppositions goal for a score. During this and the other early college football games the only way to advance the ball was by kicking or batting it with the feet, hands, head or sides. Since most players kicked it with their feet, it was called football. The original football was a rugby ball, it would be a few years before the football we all recognize was made. Even in photos from the early years of the National Football League, the ball seems a tad, er, round. The game itself evolved over the years, becoming a game where advancing the ball by carrying, or throwing it became the norm. But, originally, it was all about the feet.

Answer 3

Maybe because it it a foot long in length?

Answer 4

it was actually named after the soccer or "football"

our football is a variation of "rugby" which was made by a group that broke away from "football"(soccer)

so we named it after the original football

theer is an article about it i just cant find the link

but yeah most outside countries and sometimes in the US people refer to it as "The Gridiron" which i dont mind haha