Quote:
Originally Posted by woqqqa  Why is American football called football? Other than punting or field goals, no one ever kicks the damn thing. |
Because the only thing you can do with your feet is kick?
Personally, I like the explanation I've heard that it was referred to as football because it was played on foot, rather than on horseback. Here's a
wikipedia quote on that:
Quote:
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While it is widely believed that the word "football" (or "foot ball") originated in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball, there is a rival explanation, which has it that football originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot. These games were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports often played by aristocrats. While there is no conclusive evidence for this explanation, the word football has always implied a variety of games played on foot, not just those that involved kicking a ball. In some cases, the word football has even been applied to games which have specifically outlawed kicking the ball
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