Comments on: Vocab

By: Chris Bertram

Chris Bertram — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 15:04:55 +0000

Having just watched the end of Argentina-Serbia, the correct term is “magic”.

By: Ray

Ray — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 14:23:36 +0000

I like ‘freedom ball’ myself. Or maybe ‘USAball’. What’s not to like?

By: Cryptic Ned

Cryptic Ned — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 13:49:22 +0000

The problem is, being an American speaking to a European, I don’t want to be an uncouth boor and use the word “soccer”, the game played by American children, when referring to “football”, the game played by highly skilled professionals everywhere else in the world. I feel like I should call it “football” when talking to Europeans.

But then I wonder if, what with me being American and all, when I say “football” they assume I mean American football.

So I end up identifying the two as “soccer football” and “NFL football” or something like that.

The only reasonable solution to the “football” vs. “soccer” dispute (admittedly a rather unimportant matter since Americans are so marginal to football) is that the Americans agree to calling football football and find another and more appropriate name for that peculiar game the Americans insist on calling football instead.

I thought that it was called “gridiron” in a lot of places.

By: Tim Worstall

Tim Worstall — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 11:29:59 +0000

Soccer? At the risk of being called prissy by John Q it is “association”.
Football is rugby.

Well, it is in towns like Bath, when the football team is in the Premiership and the association one in the Beazer Home Leagues South West Division Two (or whatever they call it these days).

By: stostosto

stostosto — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 11:13:09 +0000

That game has no real ball in it, and whatever ball there is, is only touched by foot with the utmost infrequency. Fortunately, there is a straightforward natural candidate for what to call it: Oddball. Consider: The “ball” is odd, the game is played by oddballs, and it’s watched by still other oddballs. In fact, calling the American game football is irrefutable evidence of this all-round oddness.

In light of the latter, I know it might be unrealistic to expect Americans to ever adopt such an evidently logical solution.

A more realistic, pragmatic alternative might be “freedom ball”.

By: john m.

john m. — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 11:07:28 +0000

Ooops…my bad..genuinely can’t think why I thought that to be the case…must be that the All Blacks have failed to win any since (if you follow me).

By: psg

psg — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 10:50:33 +0000

‘Soccer’ and ‘rugger’ are English Public School terminology, acceptable enough to lead to the the longest-running British football magazine,’World Soccer’adopting and retaining that name but never heard where I grew up (for instance) in largely working-class Wigan.
The correcting of Americans is an attempt to make them sound like the English-speaking masses rather than the public school ‘elite’

By: duaneg

duaneg — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 09:50:35 +0000

tracy w:
Neat trick, I’ll have to keep it in mind. Myself, I quite enjoy gratuituously using the word “soccer” around brits. Always a good way to get a friendly argument going with my co-workers. Some people take it a bit personally though. Discretion is advised.

john m: “…as the All Blacks have never actually won the rugby world cup…”

We won the first one, dammit, in 1987. Not that I’m defensive about the AB’s world cup performance in any way. Ahem.

By: Chris Bertram

Chris Bertram — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 08:54:11 +0000

p.s. T&T had a player whose name sounded rather like Chris Bertram. A couple of us watching certainly did a double take the first time the commentators mentioned it…

Chris Birchall, plays for Port Vale. Had never been to T+T until selected (his mum was born there). Known to the rest of the team as “Da White Boy” (according to Radio 5 Live).

By: john h

john h — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 08:43:47 +0000

Call it thickball. Everyone will know what you’re talking about.

By: snuh

snuh — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 08:41:20 +0000

as the All Blacks have never actually won the rugby world cup

sadly, this is untrue. they won in ‘87.

By: nick s

nick s — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 07:53:56 +0000

Apparently lots of US fans of the game are watching Univision (despite not speaking Spanish at all) because its more fun to watch on that channel than the dire ESPN commentating.

I’ve been flicking back and forth. ESPN has a god-awful graphics package with top and bottom tickers; Univision blocks less of the picture. And the English-language commentators on ESPN start at ‘pretty crap’ and head downhill. No technical analysis whatsoever.

Let’s just say that I’ve never seen as many promos for sub-Benny Hill sitcoms in my life.

By: john m.

john m. — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 07:40:34 +0000

I have managed to get through life so far without noticing that calling football soccer annoys football people (or something). I shall now take great pleasure in always using the word soccer, in all circumstances. Actually simstim, as the All Blacks have never actually won the rugby world cup (amazingly) mentioning it to a Kiwi, however indirectly, is likely to really upset them.

By: Simstim

Simstim — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 02:06:41 +0000

Tracy W: I was expecting a taunt about Rugby would be the solution (the Kiwis being the Brazil of the Rugby world… almost.)

By: Tracy W

Tracy W — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 01:44:18 +0000

I don’t know about how Brits treat Aussies who talk about soccer, but they hassle Kiwis who do.

Or at least try to. Luckily from my point of view, if any Brit starts hassling you about anything, just tell them that you’re really impressed with how well British people drive. The compliment upsets them deeply and they will drop any other topic in order to try to convince you that the British are in fact terrible drivers.