Americans used to play rugby. Full name for the rugby they played: Rugby FOOTBALL Union (may not have had union at the end then). Hence when they modified the game to create American football they called it football. When soccer became popular they couldn't call it football (seeing as they already had something called football) so they looked at the full name of soccer: A'soc'ciation Football. I don't know why, but they took the soc from association and called it soccer.

so really it should be known as 'american rugby'? i'm going to start a campaign.

i always quite liked the name 'gridiron' anyway. although that was probably considered as sounding too much like a household chore.

I'm always amazed at how little interest there is for Thai pub/restaurants to show the game live. We get a steady diet of super bore soccer add nauseum, with such exciting scores of 0-0. It's a choice of that or 5 day cricket where nobody really knows the score. Or, we even an exciting game of darts on TV.

oh dear. any chance you could explain why the north american set call it 'football' when the pigskin spends the majority of its time in the players' hands?

I figured I'd get a rise out of someone if I poked them hard enough. But us Canadians like a bit of fun now and then, and are a lot like Aussies who always like a bit of rivalry.

Hope to see you there, StevieH. I'll be the old bald guy with the white goatee beard.

I'm hoping for the Cards, but think the Steelers will win.