Sports Soccer and Football

[Kutcher]

I know the difference between soccer and football, but I've noticed that there are some people who say football when they mean soccer. Do you come across this often?

 

[Tolly]

It's a location thing. For people in the US football is the armour-wearing oval-ball version and soccer means the kicking game. Just about everywhere else 'football' refers to the game the US calls soccer and the US football game is American football, or 'hand-egg' if they're being sarcastic.

 

[kenzow]

I use both terms interchangeably though as Tolly says, there's a sport called American football which has a huge following in the US. The Americans therefore refer to soccer when talking about the other version of the game. I haven't seen many betting sites with an option of betting on the former.

 

[Club_Me]

Kenzow and Tolly are correct, it is a location thing. Everywhere except in the US, soccer is called football. Everyone else calls the US' version of football American Football.

 

[QueenOfHearts]

I assumed every one all over the world knew the difference between soccer and football. What I don't understand though is if American football is the same as Rugby?

 

[AlltheAces]

I assumed every one all over the world knew the difference between soccer and football. What I don't understand though is if American football is the same as Rugby?

No. If you know American Football, then imagine it with 15 players, a ban on protective gear, two forty-minute halves without breaks, and let the players hit each other, with a lot more tackling. It isn't something I bet on, but there's probably someone here who does!

 

[zohan]

Not everyone knows the difference in these terms unless they are actually playing in them or are fans. American football is probably the same as rugby in terms of the tackles involved and the shape of the ball. It isn't common to hear people betting on this sport though.

 

[Tolly]

Rugby betting is huge in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the other countries it is played in, but not so big in Europe where football is the national sport, or America because of American Football. Rugby is fast-paced and there are more tackles because the clock and play never stops. There's a comparison here, but its pretty biased towards American football (things like comparing the highest American Football records to the average of a non-league rugby team).