Why don't English people ever play American Football?

Question

I love watching the British premier football (soccer) league and root for Chelsea, my brother is big on Westham and my other brother follows New Castle.

However, in the states, we also play American Football, 100-yard field, oval-shaped ball. Instead of kicking the ball towards the goal, the offense can either run with the ball towards the end zone or pass the ball in the air to another player on offense, hoping the pass in complete and not intercepted by a player on the other team.

If you run the ball all the way to the end zone, it's called a Touch Down. That's 6 points, plus an extra point opportunity to make it 7 points.

The defense has to tackle the player with the ball in possession. The offense gets 4 chances (4 downs) to carry the football more than 10 yards from the starting point or else the ball gets handed over to the other team.

It's also more complicated than that, you have penalties, punts, field goals (3 points).

Do you like American football?

Answer 1

We like free-flowing fast paced action sports, not the stop start sports that you have, American Football here is regarded as a woman's game, pads, helmets, as others have stated we have Rugby which you could say is a full contact sport without the use of Armour. We just can't get our heads around a 3 hour game where you watch more advertising than you do action.

As for me liking American Football, well i would rather put a glass of water in a hot room and watch it evaporate, than watch that game.

Answer 2

American Football is boring, like when it stops after every tackle, then they have a 5 minute break to set everything back up again, it sends me to sleep

we have a better version in England called Rugby Union and Rugby league  ... a fast paced intense game where play doesn't stop like the NFL and there is no padding or helmets.

American Football is in fact descended from the game of Rugby Football

Rugby has it's own world Cup because it is played all around the world and it is the 2nd biggest sport in England, American Football will never be more popular than Rugby

why i love Rugby ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJyH9vAxt...

take a look at the link and see the beauty of Rugby

Answer 3

There are small numbers of people in the UK that do play American Football, as well as there being a small Lacrosse league. And baseball I think, but I'm not sure.

However original football ('soccer') is our national passion and we also have rugby union and rugby league, so when it comes to two bunches of guys trying to get one ball to opposite ends of the pitch, we're pretty much sorted.

There is too much stop-starting, and too much padding, in American Football. You can play original football with just two people and a ball, or with a hundred people, which is part of its international appeal.

Answer 4

What the Americans call Football, is called Rugby in England.

Rugby is much more fun to watch.  I watched American Football once on TV, NEVER again - watching paint dry is more entertaining.

Answer 5

I already knew what American Football is,

What is your question?

Answer 6

Why are you explaing what American Football is ??

I am Scottish and we play football and rugby here. Football is what you call Soccer and Rugby is very similar to AMerican Football.

The winners from each of the European countries top Soccer leauges compete in the Chmapions Leauge whic is very similar to the Superbowl.

American Football isn't very common over here, just as Soccer isn't very common in America.

PS. When you said English people i hope you actually meant English people and not British people as some Americans do. Wer are seprate nations.

Answer 7

Because we play rugby and rugby = awesome :)

Answer 8

I am English and i find American football the most boring game ever , Sorry if this offends you but i think most English people would agree with me.

Answer 9

More importantly, why is American football called football when the players don't use their feet?  OK, at kickoff and a few other times a tiny weed of a guy comes on, kicks the ball, collects his $100k and goes and lies down because he's exhausted, but everyone else uses their hands...

Answer 10

English (and indeed British) people have no history of playing this sport - with the popularity of football ('soccer') and rugby here (which is a distant cousin of gridiron) there probably just isn't room for another carry/kick team ball game.

In terms of US sports generally: Ice Hockey and basketball are reasonably unique and are played on a smaller scale here. Baseball isn't really played at all as (particularly but not exclusively the English) have cricket which is a very distant cousin.

The reverse is probably why rugby and cricket aren't at all common in the US.

There were attempts at spreading gridiron over here, with a world league established in two seperate periods. I was there at Murrayfield when Scotland became World Champions of American football in 1995! I always enjoyed the games and watch the superbowl, but its never going to catch on when the alternatives are so well established here.

(ps you can tell your brother Newcastle are in terminal decline and he needs to re-select like perhaps Sunderland!!)

Answer 11

Because it's a rubbish game, play seems to be halted as soon as anyone moves! And they wear silly clothes.

P.S. Your brothers support:

Newcastle not 'New Castle'

West Ham not Westham.  Silly I know, but that's what we're like about football here!

Answer 12

Each country has their own sports . Here in America , football and baseball are the big sports . In many countries , what we call soccer is the big sport .

Why don't the English like American football ? Probably for the same reason that Americans aren't too crazy about fighting over a dead calf , while on horseback . In Mongolia ,it's the big sport .