by cambgull » 30 Nov 2012, 16:17
happytorq wrote:If it's general knowledge for the average fan...why do people such as yourself feel a need to criticise it every time it's used? Do you picket Sky Sports every weekend when they broadcast Soccer AM and Soccer Saturday?
What was proved was that the word 'soccer' was invented by the English - and it was also used more commonly than 'football' until some time after WW2. It's really only referred to as football because it's become the dominant type. Hey, most on this board will know that I'm usually very happy to engage in a bit of pedantry, but this particular thing has no merit.
sidenote - I've noticed that often, people who complain about the word 'soccer' then follow it up with "bloody Americans". (see also 'aluminium/aluminum', which that Yanks actually do have entirely correct) Even though it's also used in this way in Australia, Ireland, and most other english-speaking countries.
My point is that 'Soccer' is no longer an English word. We may have invented it, but its rarely used by English people talking to other English people about this particular sport. All the countries you mention have their own sports with football in the name which were around before our sport moved over. I'd wager that at least 90% of the top footballing nations in the world call the sport, football or an equivalent in their own language and many that call it Soccer have their own version of football.
The reason I don't like the word Soccer is because we don't play Soccer, we play football. We don't have a team of Soccer players, we have a team of footballers. We don't go down the park to kick a soccer around, we kick a football around. I am proudly British and I refuse to start putting the month first on dates! I fully intend to play my Football match on 1st December 2012, not my soccer game on December 1!
[quote="happytorq"]If it's general knowledge for the average fan...why do people such as yourself feel a need to criticise it every time it's used? Do you picket Sky Sports every weekend when they broadcast Soccer AM and Soccer Saturday?
What was proved was that the word 'soccer' was invented by the English - and it was also used more commonly than 'football' until some time after WW2. It's really only referred to as football because it's become the dominant type. Hey, most on this board will know that I'm usually very happy to engage in a bit of pedantry, but this particular thing has no merit.
sidenote - I've noticed that often, people who complain about the word 'soccer' then follow it up with "bloody Americans". (see also 'aluminium/aluminum', which that Yanks actually do have entirely correct) Even though it's also used in this way in Australia, Ireland, and most other english-speaking countries.[/quote]
My point is that 'Soccer' is no longer an English word. We may have invented it, but its rarely used by English people talking to other English people about this particular sport. All the countries you mention have their own sports with football in the name which were around before our sport moved over. I'd wager that at least 90% of the top footballing nations in the world call the sport, football or an equivalent in their own language and many that call it Soccer have their own version of football.
The reason I don't like the word Soccer is because we don't play Soccer, we play football. We don't have a team of Soccer players, we have a team of footballers. We don't go down the park to kick a soccer around, we kick a football around. I am proudly British and I refuse to start putting the month first on dates! I fully intend to play my Football match on 1st December 2012, not my soccer game on December 1!
