What is "football"? Defining the differences between Association and American

One is the most popular and widespread sport in the world, with followers from every corner of the globe and hundreds of professional leagues spread over every continent. The other is a sport restricted to only a handful of countries with a single top quality professional league; the NFL.

However, while the reach and global popularity of the two sports vary somewhat, both association football and American football share a common name that makes one wonder – Just how similar are these namesake sports?

The short answer to this is not very similar at all. Pretty much everything about these sports, with the exception of the fact that they are sports, is very different. The entire basis of the games and the way in which they are played vary tremendously.

American football, despite its name, is not played with the feet. It is a game centred almost entirely on handling the ball, running with it and throwing it. Kicking is only permitted in very specific circumstances. Soccer is entirely the opposite, with the feet being the primary tools of the trade and handling of the ball allowed only in very specific circumstances.

The different nature of the two sports extends to the extent of contact allowed. In soccer, minimal contact is allowed between players and intentionally knocking a player to the ground is almost always considered to be a foul. You are not allowed to push an opponent or grab him to prevent progress. In American football, players are encouraged to do that. Knocking their opponents to the ground as much as possible, and with as much force as possible, is the most efficient way of succeeding in the sport.

In light of this, it is probably not surprising that the equipment worn by players in each sport is extremely different. Soccer players wear a shirt, shorts and socks with little protective equipment, usually just shin pads. American football is far more complicated. The players look dressed for war in helmets with face cages, large plastic shoulder pads, thigh and knee pads underneath skin-tight shorts, various types of gloves depending on position, elbow pads and cleats (boots) that look like basketball sneakers.

American football uniforms make the players look almost like gladiators ready for the arena (credit: holyturf.com)

The equipment on the field is just as different as that worn by the players. The shape of the ball, for instance, is very different. A soccer ball is a smooth sphere designed to roll along the floor easily and provide a good surface area for kicking. An American football is an ellipsoid (like a rugby ball), and has laces protruding out of it in order to allow the quarterback to have a better grip when throwing the ball down the field.

Perhaps one common thread between the two sports is that you can only score points by using the ball in a certain way. However, beyond that the method of scoring is quite unalike. In soccer there is only one way of scoring; by putting the ball into the opponent’s goal.

In American Football there are several ways of scoring. By kicking the ball through the goal posts, by tackling a player in his own end zone or by having possession of the ball in your opponent’s end zone you can score either 2, 3, 6, 7 or 8 points in different circumstances. Soccer games routinely finish with a score line of something like 2-1, whereas in American football scores in the twenties and thirties are more common.

There are many more differences that I could allude to. If you go out of bounds with possession in soccer you surrender possession to the other team, whereas in American football you retain it. In soccer the game clock runs continuously with the exception of half time, and a game is played over two halves of 45 minutes duration.

In American football the game is played over 4 quarters of 15 minutes, with each team given three time outs per half. The clock is stopped for reviews of decisions, incomplete passes and when a player with possession goes out of bounds. This means that a game with 1 hour on the game clock in fact takes over 3 hours to complete.

Why American football is called football at all is a mystery. One theory is that through the natural development of football to rugby football and then to American football, the name stuck. And since in the United States football of the European variety was not a popular sport, there was never a need to change it.

Whatever the reason, the name itself is the only thing that links these two quite contrasting sports. If you watch the Super Bowl on February 2^nd and the World Cup Final on July 13^th this year, you will find this out for yourself. The only similarity you will find is that, perhaps surprisingly to yourself, you will thoroughly enjoy both sports.