Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihuxq.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!ihuxq!amigo2 From: amigo2@ihuxq.UUCP (John Hobson) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: football/soccer Message-ID: <795@ihuxq.UUCP> Date: Wed, 21-Mar-84 13:59:09 EST Article-I.D.: ihuxq.795 Posted: Wed Mar 21 13:59:09 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 22-Mar-84 01:39:07 EST References: <926@sdcrdcf.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 26 "Soccer" is a shortened version of "association football", after the body in England that codified its rules. It is often referred to in England as soccer to distinguish it from Rugby football (of which there are two types, Association Rugby and Rugby League; Rugby got its start in a game at Rugby school in England, when a boy playing in a soccer game picked up the ball and ran with it), but soccer is still "generic football" in most of the English speaking world. In the late 19th century, two U.S. colleges (I think that they were Lehigh and Yale; someone will, I am sure, correct me if I am wrong) arranged to play a variant of Rugby. This is recognized as the first football game in the U.S.; and, since soccer was rarely played, the game was called football. American football has become generic football in the U.S. There is, as I am sure you know, a Canadian football, which is a variant of the U.S. game; and is generic football in Canada. There is an Australian football which is a variant of Rugby (reported to be the world's roughest game), and I do not know whether it or soccer is generic football in Australia. John Hobson AT&T Bell Labs--Naperville, IL ihnp4!ihuxq!amigo2