The good old debate: soccer or football? Well, we all know that the answer depends on which side of the Atlantic you are on, but have you ever wondered how we end up calling the same sport with two different names? Let’s find out.
Surprisingly, it’s the Brits that originally called it soccer, not the Americans. However, it’s the Americans that now refer to the sport as soccer and it all has to do with how the sport developed in each country.
In 1863, England’s newly formed Football Association sat down and wrote a set a rules that defined the sport we now call soccer. The game became insanely popular but it wasn’t the only one played throughout the country. Rugby football was already established and in order to distinguish the two, people started referring to the new sport as “association football” mainly because it was played under the rules of the Football Association. (the article continues after the ad)
The names were shortened in the 1880s at the University of Oxford when some… creative students distinguished the sports by calling rugby football as “rugger” and association football as “assoccer”. The latter one was shortened to soccer and due to its popularity, by the 20th century it earned the title to be called as just plain football.
Meanwhile, during the late 19th century in the US, a sport emerged that borrowed elements of both rugby and association football. That sport was known was gridiron football (or just football) and soon became more popular than either of them. As a result, the United Stated Football Association chose the term soccer in order to distinguish the sport from the gridiron football. But what started as a nickname, it eventually stuck and the United Stated Football Association changed its name in 1945 to the United States Soccer Association.
If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: Why Do Americans And British Have Different Accents?
Photos: Southport Visiter, Guardian Liberty Voice
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Source: Why Do Some People Call Football “Soccer”? | This Is Why We Call It ‘Soccer,’ Not ‘Football’
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