posted 09-08-2003 02:32 PM                    

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Why do people here call this strange sport with the funny costumes

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The forerunner of American football may have been a game played by the ancient Greeks, called harpaston. In this game there was no limit to the number of players. The object was to move a ball across a goal line by kicking it, throwing it, or running with it. Classical literature contains detailed accounts of the game, including its rougher elements, such as ferocious tackling.

Most modern versions of football originated in England, where a form of the game was known in the 12th century. In subsequent centuries football became so popular that various English monarchs, including Edward II and Henry VI, forbade the game because it took interest away from the military sport of archery. By the middle of the 19th century, football had split into two distinct entities. Still popular today, these two sports were soccer and rugby. American football evolved from these two sports. The sport called soccer in the United States is still known as football throughout much of the world.

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posted 09-09-2003 11:43 PM                    

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Shouldn`t it be more aptly called "armpit egg" rather than "football"?

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ROTFL! Michael, I like that!

Well, if basketball involves a basket, baseball--some bases, and volleyball--well, a volley, then why did the old powers-that-be not name the game known in the USA as football "fieldball?" Or "passball?" After all, the "armpit egg" is being run with or hurled down the field most of the time; the foot only makes contact with the ball during kickoffs and field goal attempts. IMHO, the game known as "football" outside the USA is more deserving of the term, since, after all, the ball is principally propelled by feet (well, save for a head butt or two).

Just my two cents from a resident of a city some say is being held hostage by a mediocre (American) football team...