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Original poster

American football

25 replies

99redballoonsgobyy · 09/10/2022 15:08

Just noticed American football is on ITV at the moment (no idea why but maybe it has a bigger fan base in the UK than I thought) Anyway I was just wondering why it is called football when they mostly run around with the ball under their arms not much foot action involved. looks like an incredibly boring sport too much stopping and starting. A bit like a wimps version of rugby with all that padding. Obvs British rugby much better!

OP posts:

schloop · 09/10/2022 15:10

I call it hand egg.

YumYummy · 09/10/2022 15:11

My DS is at the match, he’s a massive fan and played for his university team.

Monkeybutt1 · 09/10/2022 15:12

My husband is a big American football fan. Its name comes from its origin which is from Rugby football, in that your feet are used to execute a goal kick.
It has a huge following in the UK, some games are played in the UK in October and are a sell out.

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SenecaFallsRedux · 09/10/2022 15:15

Boring? You've got to be kidding! Watch this.

j712adrian · 09/10/2022 15:17

It's for people who think Formula One is sport.

AllPlayedOut · 09/10/2022 15:21

They're far from wimps. Look at NFL big hit videos on Youtube to see the impacts these guys take. They suffer a lot of injuries including head trauma(hence the concussion lawsuits)in spite of all the padding. It's far from boring. You don't have to understand the appeal. I don't get the appeal of most sports but it's incredibly ignorant to refer to them as wimps. It's also tedious to see people so readily dismissing anything just because it's American.

nocoolnamesleft · 09/10/2022 15:24

I am reminded of a quote from BTVS:

I just think it's rather odd that a nation that prides itself on its virility should feel compelled to strap on forty pounds of protective gear just in order to play rugby.

Hothammock · 09/10/2022 15:31

My husband spends most of the weekend watching it. I'm an NFL widow

Simonjt · 09/10/2022 15:32

Its called football due to the goal kick, I’ve played american football (at an incredibly ameture level), its great fun and you’re welcome of the breather between setups.

Simonjt · 09/10/2022 15:34

nocoolnamesleft · 09/10/2022 15:24

I am reminded of a quote from BTVS:

I just think it's rather odd that a nation that prides itself on its virility should feel compelled to strap on forty pounds of protective gear just in order to play rugby.

As someone who played top level professional rugby, american football is far far more dangerous, tackles that are legal in american football are strictly banned in rugby.

SenecaFallsRedux · 09/10/2022 15:42

Hothammock · 09/10/2022 15:31

My husband spends most of the weekend watching it. I'm an NFL widow

My husband headed out fairly early this morning with a bunch of his friends to attend a game today in person. (I'm in the Southern US.) It doesn't start until 2:00 p.m. He left with a large cooler. I didn't ask what they plan to do from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00. They do have a designated driver, however.

There is quite a large social dimension to American football, NFL as well as college.

FlounderingFruitcake · 09/10/2022 15:53

The tackling is brutal, not remotely comparable to rugby because a lot of the things they do are banned in rugby. The get a lot of injuries, including head injuries. The helmets and pads are absolutely necessary and definitely not wimpy! The offense and defensive are 2 completely different sets of players plus there are special teams- punts, field goal units so they frequently have to do complete line up change, so it definitely does seem more stop start if you’re a rugby fan. And if you are you’ll probably know rugby used to be called rugby football, which is where the football of American football comes from. And there is still a lot of kicking- kick off, punting, field goals, extra point conversions. So it’s not that weird! If you’re interested they call what we call football soccer because it used to be known as association football and association was abbreviated and the ‘assoc’ somehow ended up somehow as soccer. Fine if it’s not your thing but no need to be rude!

Foldinthecheese · 09/10/2022 16:04

We’re in the US. I grew up here and was never a big fan, but since returning after a long period away I understand the appeal a lot more. It can be dull, takes too long and has far too many adverts. But every play presents an opportunity for something amazing to happen. We support the Buffalo Bills and the relationship between Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs is really cool to watch. Allen throws incredible passes and Diggs catches when you think there’s no way he could. It’s also an emotional roller coaster. The last thirteen seconds at the end of a game against Kansas City last season changed everything. I like it best when we’re watching with friends, which helps the boring bits pass.

SenecaFallsRedux · 09/10/2022 16:08

We support the Buffalo Bills

DH grew up in Western New York so he's a Bills fan, too.

The last time they played our local team, he and some other Western New York transplants had a big tailgate party, complete with Buffalo wings and beef on Weck.

Foldinthecheese · 09/10/2022 16:16

SenecaFalls great choices! Beef on Weck is one of my husband’s favourites. We moved to western NY about 18 months ago and I didn’t plan to get into football, but it’s infectious around here. My British husband travels a lot for work and when he wears his Bills cap he gets ‘Go Bills’ just about anywhere he goes. Bills fans are everywhere.

OutOntheTilez · 09/10/2022 16:18

Wimps? Have you seen the size of some of those linebackers? If I saw them coming at me, I’d want all that padding and then some. The hits these players take are brutal.

I’m American and didn’t understand American football until I went to my first NFL game about 30 years ago. I had no idea why everyone would run for a bit and then fall down. Husband explained the rules to me. Once I got the basics, all of the starting and stopping made sense and I was hooked.

SenecaFallsRedux · 09/10/2022 16:33

Foldinthecheese · 09/10/2022 16:16

Bills fans are definitely everywhere!

Beef on Weck is one of my favorites, too. I think the Food Network featured it on one of their programs as "the best sandwich you've never heard of." 😀

IloveJudgeJudy · 09/10/2022 22:54

We went as a family to last weekend's Saints and Vikings game at the spurs stadium - me, DH who's been an NFL fan for 35+ years, DS1 28, DD 25 and DS2 24. DS2 just came along to be sociable and is completely converted. The game started at 2.30 pm, doors opened at 12.30. The organisation was fantastic, all the fans were so friendly and there was none of the English football aggression that you get. DS1 who is a Spurs fan and some other younger men were shocked that they could take drinks into the stadium.

The play is short, sharp bursts. There's loads of other stuff going on in between. There's lots to watch. The players are fast and big. It's a whole spectacle. The commentator encourages the crowd to make some noise.

Rival fans chat, like in rugby and not in football. A great day out.

Brigante9 · 09/10/2022 23:05

The whole ‘Oh, it’s like wimpy rugby’ is a facile stupid argument. Go and watch some of the extremely horrible injury videos (ever seen a knee go backwards?!) then come back and tell me it’s wimpy.

Some teams are playing over here currently, my DH went to see the team he supports last weekend. The behaviour at games is unbelievably polite. When in the US, we bought a beer, it was passed along the line with our change, just amazing compared to behaviour I’ve seen at English football games.

Florenz · 09/10/2022 23:28

It's called football because it's played on foot, instead of on horseback. The same as all the other forms of football, such as soccer, rugby, gaelic and aussie rules etc.

dreamingbohemian · 09/10/2022 23:42

This is hilarious, my whole family are Bills fans :)

I agree it says a lot that there's no separation of fans at NFL games. I couldn't believe it when I went to an arsenal-spurs match and there were police between their sections and then afterward the spurs supporters were escorted out in buses. I mean I get it's necessary but it's so stupid.

KenAdams · 09/10/2022 23:45

nocoolnamesleft · 09/10/2022 15:24

I am reminded of a quote from BTVS:

I just think it's rather odd that a nation that prides itself on its virility should feel compelled to strap on forty pounds of protective gear just in order to play rugby.

I'm reminded of a quote from me, today:

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

Maybe look up CTE as well.

AnApparitionQuipped · 09/10/2022 23:48

I'm far too squeamish to watch American Football. Even rugby is a bit full-on for me.

VeniVidiWeeWee · 09/10/2022 23:56

I can't be arsed to look it up but is there any research that says the padding and helmets cause more injuries than they save?

Florenz · 09/10/2022 23:59

VeniVidiWeeWee · 09/10/2022 23:56

I can't be arsed to look it up but is there any research that says the padding and helmets cause more injuries than they save?

I believe so because players can tackle far harder than they'd be able to if they weren't wearing the protective gear.

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