Tejesh Week 5: “Throwball” > “Football”
A couple of weeks ago, my older brother surprised me with a gift: a bobblehead of some random respected football coach at his college.
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| I hope you guys like the cool angle of the photo! I'm trying to be more aesthetic! |
To be frank, he probably gave it to me because it was a nuisance to him. But, hey, you know what they say: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. So, I’ve kept it on my nightstand since, serving as a good luck charm (well, mainly because the name of the bobblehead is “Manager Luck”).
Staring at this bobblehead, though, I’ve come to confront the same question that’s been lingering in my mind for the longest of time: why is the sport called “American football?” The players only kick the ball once every twenty minutes or so, and for every other play, they go back to the good ol’ catch and throw.
As a soccer fan and an American, I have nothing but love for American football, but c’mon man! Basically every single other continent on this planet even recognizes soccer as “football” except for America. Honestly, I feel that even “throwball” would have been a better name. I decided to end this cycle of questioning the logic behind the name.
After a few minutes of digging, I stumbled upon an article with the answer. Apparently, soccer used to be known as “association football,” but newspapers sought a shorter name for the game and decided to refer to it as “assoc,” which eventually became “soccer.” Both soccer and rugby, European games that were meant to be played by foot, made their way to America and were fused together to create our beloved game of American “football.”
Yeah… I still think “throwball” would be a better name.
What do you think?
Hey Tejesh! I really enjoyed reading your blog! It was super interesting, and I liked your small quips throughout your post.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is really weird that American football is called “football” even though you use your hands much more often. And you can’t even call it handball because that’s its own sport!
I also think that it is interesting that America is basically the only country that refers to football as soccer. Being such an influential country, you would think that at least a few nations would also use the term soccer, but at least to my knowledge, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
It was interesting to learn about the history behind the name soccer; I had no clue where it came from. I also had no idea that American football was the combination of soccer and rugby! It makes a lot of sense with all the tackling and throwing.
Personally, I have to say that “throwball” isn’t a better-sounding name. I think it sounds more awkward than American football. I vote for “handball” because, even though it’s already a sport, it's not very popular here in America. Although, I do think that “American football” is here to stay.
Quite the aesthetic photo you have set up there! I think the frustration over the name “American Football” is probably a fairly common issue for both “American Football” and soccer fans, and everyone has felt that pain at least once. Turning shower thoughts into history is my favorite pastime, and this nailed that absolutely on the head. Thank you for the lighthearted read, and I hope the next “tackle-ball” Super Bowl has the best halftime show of all time!
ReplyDeleteHey Tejesh, I totally agree with you. When my friends asked me to play “football” with them, sometimes I would have no idea whether they were talking about American football or soccer. I personally think that “throwball” or “catchball” is a more fitting name, mainly because the goal is to catch or throw the ball. Having two of the most popular sports in the world being called the same thing really is confusing. I think it would benefit not only Americans, but the entire world, to officially rename American football to something else. Though, after you mentioned the history of the name soccer and football, I honestly can see why Americans decided to call it football. Also, the name football might be too iconic now. Changing it might lead to widespread controversy.
ReplyDeleteI also just want to say that I really enjoy your humor and small quips that you add throughout your post. It really adds character and makes reading your blogs super enjoyable. I always find myself smiling or chuckling while reading through your blog. By the way, I love the photo. The Stanford logo is super cool.
Greetings Tejesh! Once again, your creativity in writing left me after reading your blog. I love how you took something as simple as a bobblehead and turned it into an interesting discussion about the origins of American football. I have also wondered why the sport is called football when players spend most of their time throwing and catching the ball. I found your explanation about how soccer and rugby eventually influenced American football very interesting, as I never knew the history behind the name. To answer your question, I personally think American football should keep its name because of its history, even though I agree that “throwball” would be a much more fitting name. Your blogs are always entertaining, and I hope to read more from you in the future.
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