Why do Americans call football, "soccer".?

Question

See, if you guys want to get good at it, start by calling it by its real name.

Answer 1

Actually, if the U.S.'s better athletes decided to start playing soccer/futbol, the U.S. would get better at it real fast, no matter what they called it.

Imagine Kobe Bryant as a holding midfielder.

Answer 2

It's not only Americans, we Aussies call it soccer too.

We already have 3 codes of football not including soccer (NRL, AFL, ARU).

I think it's time you get with the times and call it soccer too!

Answer 3

because we already have a football

Answer 4

Same reason we say hi in english and hola in spanish.

Origin of words from diff languages.

Answer 5

Because we have real football, and then we have your little girly sport "soccer"..

Answer 6

because we have our own twisted ways of saying things like: hot dogs. What does that mean. I think Europe is better in soccer. Or football. whatever. but try us in baseball.    

Answer 7

because they want to take over everything

Answer 8

Why do foreigners call soccer "futball"?

Answer 9

there is another sport here called football so soccer seen to fit  

Answer 10

ii think its got to do with the americans in 1800's hating england.

when america was a part of england, americans hated england, ( i don't know if they do now or not), they didn't want anything like english used to do.

so when "football" (real football, soccer) had  an association in 1880 ( i think it was) americans didn't wanna go in the footsteps of england and later it was called soccer.

well, in many places they call it soccer. but the name given is usually wrong and only based on other prejudices.

but we, real football(soccer) lovers, don't actually care about wht u guys call it. u know all of us have an right to speak wht we want.

so wht u guys wanna call its ur prob.

but calling a game by two names, i think, is not a big prob. u need to learn it to play and respect it.

and those of the gals that say, it is not famous and they are not good at; is usa really cheating in woman's football?

if they are not, how come they won the worldcup (women's)

last year, when the "girls " from the country say that they are not good at it.

and to the guy who says, that they can nuke the rest of the world, because we don't think baseball and basketball is better, i think even he knows that soccer is better; so he is threathing to nuke us if we don't love baseball and basketball.

seriously, why would u wanna use force to make us love those sport?

sorry guys a bit long, got carried away.

Answer 11

because football here is a totally different sport

Answer 12

becouse they call foot ball to some kind of stupid and boaring sport .  

Answer 13

because americans already have football game so they don't want to confuse it. and the europeans call it football cause its a kicking game the foot with the ball :)

Answer 14

GIRLY SPORT??? i take that as an insult! what is girly supposed to mean anyway? im a girl and i bet i can kick your ***!! FOOTBALL(the real one) is not a girly sport. american football (the cheap imitation) is on the other hand for wusses. WHY DO YALL WEAR ALL THAT PROTECTIVE GEAR HUH? u think your so tough s**t take all that c**p off and play? see in FOOTBALL(the real one) we dont wear all that c**p. The only thing we use as protection are shin guards and thats it. How is that girly for ya?? shut the h**l up if you dont know what you are talking about. <---- this goes to that girl that said soccer is girly not to everyone else.  AND TO ANSWER THE QUESTION AMERICANS CALL IT SOCCER CUZ FOOTBALL (the imitation) was already here. IT SUCKS I KNOW i keep on having to add those quotations in real life when im tryin to explain something to someone about FOOTBALL  

Answer 15

everyone has a different name for it, and that is what it's called here.

if you don't like what things are called here or how things go, then why are you here?

If you can't accept us then why should we accept you?

Answer 16

How about you call it soccer instead.  

Answer 17

hehe because they already have a sport called football, which doesn't actually have much to do with using your feet!!!

Answer 18

its just that everyone refers to football as the american one so we call it soccer because then it would be confusing if we call it football

Answer 19

I don't know; I'm from the US and I cant seem to understand why they call it that, I say "they" because I call it football.  

Answer 20

IDK, another reason i dont want to live in america

Answer 21

because it is association of football the took the soc out of it and added cer

Answer 22

It's a difference in cultures.  That's a stupid question actually.  That's like asking why do the names for anything vary from country to country?  It may come as a shock to you but the original origin of the term "football" applied to a variety of games that were played "on foot", it was not invented to describe what we call soccer.  Last time I checked American football was indeed played on foot and thus the term applies equally.  

Answer 23

Cause we call the real football "football".

and not a whole lot of people care about soccer. so we suck at it. who cares?  I dont even know if there has been a nationally televised soccer game. Oh but football. That is all you see on the weekends in the fall.

Answer 24

because first off, the original name of the sport was soccer, and secondly... as far as soccer is concerned america is full of idiots but starting to learn.

Answer 25

But   we don't care about getting good at it, nobody cares about it here.  Or almost nobody.  We'll keep calling football football and soccer soccer.  Its America!  Its what we do.  We are isolated, we do things our own way, the British measurement system for example, the World Series yeah right world,  all the teams are ONLY from the US but thats what we have always called it.  And of course the wars to amuse our leaders, started to make Jesus happy.  Its just the way we are.  

Answer 26

it's because amercian idiots stole the name football from the real football and used it to give a name to their c**p version of rubgy

(which has been slightly changed and softened up with helmets and armour so the don't die)

ps the MLS sucks

Answer 27

no idea.  

Answer 28

Well actually, FOOTBALL in America is the wide ball where there are quarterbacks, receivers, etc.

In Spain, FOOTBALL is a game played by FOOT, known to Americans as SOCCER.

Answer 29

Good question...  I have always wondered that myelf... it would make sense to call it football, and I don't even know where "soccer" came from. Football should be hand ball, or something else, and soccer, like the rest of the world should be called soccer.

  even in Spanish (being an Arizonian, Spanish is something we need to be able to speak), soccer/football is called futbol, and football is call futbol americano, or American football.

From a website: Don't know if this helps

In 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.

When 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.

Answer 30

Because it's played with A-SOCCER-BALL!

Football is played with a football.

Answer 31

In the 1800s, many sports were referred to as football because they were not played on horses (Hence, on their feet, "football"). So, to differentiate, they came up with different names. Rugby was named after the college that invented it. Soccer came from the term "Association Football,"  meaning the standard football. And American football became just football.

Europeans and others are just going to have to live with it. American football is so ingrained in our society that the name will never change.