Soccer isn't an american word, why do we call it that?

Looking at the origins and how the word 'soccer' has been used in the past and is currently used, particularly in the United States.
Original video: • (European) Soccer Expl...
0:00 - intro, why i made this video
2:08 - use in modern day us
4:01 - origin
7:05 - usage over time
8:33 - other countries that use 'soccer'
10:46 - conclusions, why you shouldn't care

[@marcovtjev]

Fun fact, if you say "Hockey" in the Netherlands(I assume Belgium too), it will be assumed you mean field-hockey. ice-Hockey exists of course, but has to be explicitly qualified as such

[@ashercampbell8732]

If you say hockey anywhere other than north America it will be assumed field hockey. From Scotland

[@saraccio97]

@@ashercampbell8732 Not true. I'm Italian and if you say 'hockey' here it is assumed you mean ice hockey.

[@andrasszabo1570]

​@@saraccio97 I concur, in Hungary 'hockey' is ice hockey. There is a professional league and purpose-built stadiums were thousands of people go to. On the other hand, field hockey is an extremely niche sport here. During all the years I've worked for sports sites, I've never read nor written a field hockey piece and I hadn't even seen a match apart from the Olympics. The same is the case in Austria, Germany and Switzerland as well. Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports, and field hockey is quite underground.

[@darshodaddelt]

same in Germany. I used to play hockey and have confused some Americans, because I cannot skate at all ;)

[@jordan3119]

I stumbled upon your channel looking for an answer to a baseball question and this is the second video I’ve watched. I gotta say, I like your stuff man. It’s kinda like Jon Bois meets Ordinary Things or Sam O’Nella Academy. I dig it.

[@qwertyTRiG]

In my experience, Irish people tend to avoid the word "football". The three codes played here are Gaelic, Rugby (Union), and Soccer. Yes, Gaelic football is often called just Gaelic. This doesn't cause confusion, as we call the language Irish. Some people in Dublin will call soccer "football", but sure Dubs are only West Brits anyway.

[@qwertyTRiG]

@Moonwaterz Nonsense. It's because Ireland has its own form of football.

[@jacobfoster7726]

I don't know how your videos have as few views as they do - these are incredibly helpful to an American like myself who really only watched baseball growing up, could sort of talk about (American) football with friends, and had no clue why Europeans got so passionate about soccer. I'm now excited to follow the USMNT on their way to FIFA 2022!

[@MademoiselleRed1390]

Here's what I would add to give more perspective and factors at play: I think it has to do with American exceptionalism. The globalization of American media may have contributed to people's resentment especially because it's also sometimes depicted as the "true football" over soccer, despite that not making much sense outside of the US. Plus, a lot of foreigners don't like that idea that they have to accomodate to Americans, when they feel it's not reciprocated. Finally, reason why people roll their eyes at people calling it soccer to instead used football for a different sports is the fact that the soccer one is, if I'm not mistaken, the one mainly played with you feet.

[@joeykoch5664]

In Europe you add "American" before football to make it clear what you mean. In America you call Non American Football "Soccer" because you don't want to specify "American" each time you talk about American Football. . You could also just call it European Football and American Football 🤔 but I guess soccer is already widely known and it is less a like.

[@hollidai]

Saying European football is pretty common in America especially in places where the sport t is popular. If you are a fan of “soccer” in America most if the media you consume about the sport is still European so it seems natural to call it football but that would just be confusing to everyone else

[@zukunftverstehen]

@John Doe I think Europeans would hardly disagree with you on that!)

[@qwertyTRiG]

Gaelic football is also European, as is Rugby football.

[@tim.noonan]

@@zukunftverstehen they’d be stupid to do so as a Brit came up with the word. Honestly I can’t think of a more British way for this whole thing to play out than for them to come up with the word, then to be upset that foreigners use that word. Not sorry.

[@zachmatthews2623]

Here in Australia we call am. Football either Eggball or Gridiron and the Word "Football" Get's REALLY complicated dependind on where you are. In the State of Western Australia Football is Aussie Rules, our national sport same in Tasmania and Victoria, in New South Wales and Queensland football can mean either NRL (Our Rugby league, also the biggest sports in those states) or Aussie Rules. NT, South Australia and ACT are all starting to make a comback to add football in our vocab meaning Soccer. But until that happens this is how it works. Football: Rugby, Aussie Rules or Association Football Footy: only ever Aussie Rules Soccer: Association Football Rugby: Rugby Futbol: Only ever Association Football Hope that helps - 🇦🇺

[@maep3048]

thanks for explaining! so can i call american football “gridder” from now on ? lol

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

Gridiron.

[@everything_usmnt5300]

We don’t really care what you call it. Most people not from America call it eggball. Lol and you wonder why Americans constantly disrespect your sport. (I’m a soccer fan btw)

[@sagnik3556]

@@everything_usmnt5300 don't forget the obviously unfunny "handegg". makes my ear bleed every time i hear it!

[@tim.noonan]

you can, but no one will know what you’re talking about

[@hatillense]

Love your videos, I love both sports too.

[@LM-he7eb]

In South Africa we use soccer and football interchangeably. It is our main sports and the biggest league is PSL (Premier Soccer league). However Soccer is still slang for the most part.

[@kevinbates919]

I hold my hands up… I’m one of those people who “ corrects” Americans who say soccer…. It’s funny but as a kid the word soccer was still in use in England along with “ footie” or “ footy” a simple abbreviation.. footie is still in use whereas soccer isn’t really… interesting listening to your explanation of the development of the usage in America and elsewhere it’s been enlightening… I think as an English person what’s confusing is Americans using the term football for a game that is primarily about holding the ball ( ie not controlling it with your feet) and also using the term “ touchdown “ when the ball isn’t actually touched down… like it is in rugby…. it’s really difficult to not correct someone but obviously from an American perspective it makes more sense to refer to it as soccer… besides.. if this language difference hadn’t developed then we wouldn’t have the wonderful term “ Soccer Mom”

[@TheOnDeckCircle]

I didn't realize how dumb "touchdown" was in american football until i saw rugby and realized it makes total sense the way it works there.

[@zukunftverstehen]

@@TheOnDeckCircle that's true, but I also think, that you're actually not really that wrong, by saying touchdown in American football too. Because it's just different that in rugby you are actually touching down with a ball, while in America football you're touching down with your feet or your back, or whatever it is while the ball is in your hands. I don't know, their both kinda make sense to me, although definitely the rugby one makes much more sense speaking of "touchdowns". I'm a neutral observer from Russia, btw, so for me its kinda even more complexed, or maybe it isn't, I don't know)))😁

[@dubsb540]

My theory: Football = game played on foot, with a ball. No water. No horse. It is not about if the ball is kicked. That is why medieval football, rugby football, association football, and American football all make sense.

[@simothy_]

I enjoy American Football......and I am African

[@everything_usmnt5300]

Thank you for being open minded. Most people from the rest of the world get butthurt and call it eggball

[@retricaz-6698]

@@everything_usmnt5300 eggball

[@xiv1496]

@@retricaz-6698 lmao😂😂😂

[@Pencilman246]

Love your conclusions and the history of the term. Just wanted to add that the only people who call it “football” in the US are European expats or extremely pretentious people. Most of us who know better still call it soccer because that’s just what it’s called here and it would be confusing otherwise. Just like many of us know that the metric system makes more sense but we as a country still mostly use imperial (hmm which empire gave us this system I wonder…) and it would be confusing to try to force others around us to convert to their terms. Before the internet, issues like this were quaint cultural differences that visitors to each other’s countries could laugh about, but now because we talk to people from all over the world now, people get so defensive over their local preferences. So before you Brits call us out for saying “soccer,” perhaps you should remember that you’re the ones who drive in the wrong side of the road… and it’s fine because so does everyone else around you.

[@phenyomonedi9802]

True about South Africa.

[@a.n.6374]

You really missed a chance there to stress on the Italian word which is completely distinct or other successful football nations with literal translation such as Germany, The Netherlands, Croatia, scandinavian coutnries or some less known as Greece and Poland. So the whole "it's football, not soccer" isn't that straight forward once you go out of the comfort of the anglozone and the multiple languages that directly borrowed the word with some adapting it to local spelling. For context I'm bulgarian and for us it's футбол(futbol). Over here in Europe this varies a lot - of the top of my head I've seen it as fudbal, fudbol, fotbal, fotbol, futbal and some of the same with double L.

[@XanderDDS]

is it a true that the final score/outcome in a soccer match outside of north america is known as a 'fixture?'

[@rotten-waffles]

A fixture is just another word for a football match. I guess we call it that ‘cause of the fact that before a new season starts, all 38 matches are given ‘fixed’ dates.

[@melloncraft382]

As an English guy your accent is so bloody funny, love it

[@newsaxonyproductions7871]

Ngl, that's odd. His voice is like the most neutral, middle of the spectra American accent I can think of. I think a bit of identifiable western accent, but yeah

[@arya6085]

Toilet AND procrastinating thankyou very much

[@amazingkook143]

I say futbol when I mean soccer because I learned it in a different language have stuck to saying it like that even though I am an american

[@biggiebusybeever]

Fun fact: European Football > Australian Football > Rugby > American Football

[@frgv4060]

The title has to go to the sport with most foot on a ball. A derivative of rugby football that uses even less the foot on a not quite a ball has no claim on the name. Even king Solomon would agree. Edit: Jokes aside… I understand your desire of bringing the king sport to the US masses. But really, we don’t care. Moreover, I would say that the current situation is preferable. Let Americans do their thing loving their dumbed down rugby. If Americans loved “soccer” as much there would be only America. See the numbers. The money. There would be only one league, the US one, with all the good players going there. And the rest but second tier at best.

[@zukunftverstehen]

That was cool, but you didn't mention, that the split between the two sports for now is not only from where do the words were origin from, but also to what they are refer to now. Because the young people from parts of the world where the word "soccer" is not common, they just simply don't understand that the word "football" in the US refers to the length of a ball, while in the other countries "football" is mainly refers to the game that is played by feet. And also I've heard, that originally it was named "football", just like many other games that had the word "foot" (or maybe "football", can't remember exactly) in their names, because they has been played on foot, rather than being played on horses, at that time. I'm not sure if this version correct, but it sounds quite credible to me, too.

[@newsaxonyproductions7871]

I've never once heard someone relate the name of the football in gridiron football to be from the length of the ball. Particularly since a football isn't (necessarily) a foot long lol. Any idea where you heard that, as I am interested in the idea, however uncommon and unfavoured by sports historians?

[@praetoriancorps]

The only reason I can think of making a big deal about what it's being called is because its fun. kzbin.infobCvRr1b1nH8

[@NotVeryRandomDude]

Lecture - Leccer Breakfast - Brekker Night - Ni- you know what, let's not do that.

[@Titan1930S]

My ranking is football first, bkb second and rugby on third place, I never liked American football or baseball.

[@LM-he7eb]

The reason the NFL made more money than the football world cup is because of. 1. Accounting differences. 2. There are too many stakeholders in football (soccer)- Money is lost to the middle man- Because of government involvement there are little copyright laws enforceable.

[@andrasszabo1570]

Not because one lasts 1 month and 64 matches, while the other lasts 4 months and 286 games which are longer anyway with far more advertising slots? It doesn't matter how many stakeholders there are in football, it doesn't make it cheaper. And there is negative government involvement in the World Cup. FIFA gets all revenue from tickets, broadcasting and even merchandising, tax-free. Copyright laws are enforcable and are enforced everywhere. You don't see World Cup matches on youtube, twitter or reddit, do you? They are all swiftly dealt with.

[@LM-he7eb]

@@andrasszabo1570 No

[@inmyplaylist1493]

𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰

[@dk296]

But why is American "football" called football ? They use hands more than the feet. 😂

[@kvgm]

Because you play on foot. Remember, the sport is also 100+ years old too.

[@degenerateslikeyoubelongon4829]

Both these sports have the exact same origin and used to go under the same name

[@mochrie]

Yep annoys me have to say’. I’m from Scotland and we call it fitba

[@a_person2399]

Its all because Europeans hate when Americans do something different from them (Just to clarify, im not american)