# American (Gridiron) Football in the Foreign Media
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 24, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469 "2005-08-24T18:54:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469/1 "2005-08-24T18:54:23Z")
What the British call “football” we Americans call “soccer.” And what we Americans call football is a weird (to Europeans) sport that, thanks to NFL Europe, is becoming more visible, if not more popular, in Europe. For the purposes of this thread, the sport played by NFL Europe in Europe and by the NFL in the US will be called “gridiron football.”
Let’s say an article in a UK newspaper mentioned “American Football player Joe Suchnsuch.” The reader of the article could take that phrase one of three ways:
[ul]
[li]Joe Suchnsuch is an American who plays the game the British call football. IOW, Joe Suchnsuch is an American who plays the sport that Americans call “soccer.”[/li][li]Joe Suchnsuch is an American who plays the game the Americans call football. IOW, Joe Suchnsuch is a gridiron football player, presumably for the NFL or college.[/li][li]Joe Suchnsuch is a person of indeterminate ethnicity who plays the game Americans call football, and he plays it here in Europe. IOW, Joe Suchnsuch is a player for NFL Europe.[/li][/ul]
Is there some means the British media use to define American gridiron football? Do they use the term “gridiron”?
Further, how about it non-English press? The term “Fútbol Americano” to a Spanish-speaking person translates directly as “American football.” But that could mean “Soccer (Fútbol) in America” or “the sport known in America as 'football (fútbol).” Is there a Spanish term that’s more specific? And what about French, German, etc.?
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### Author:  [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469/2 "2005-08-24T19:40:50Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#):
>
> What the British call “football” we Americans call “soccer.” And what we Americans call football is a weird (to Europeans) sport that, thanks to NFL Europe, is becoming more visible, if not more popular, in Europe. For the purposes of this thread, the sport played by NFL Europe in Europe and by the NFL in the US will be called “gridiron football.”
>
> Let’s say an article in a UK newspaper mentioned “American Football player Joe Suchnsuch.” The reader of the article could take that phrase one of three ways:
> [ul]
> [li]Joe Suchnsuch is an American who plays the game the British call football. IOW, Joe Suchnsuch is an American who plays the sport that Americans call “soccer.”[/li][li]Joe Suchnsuch is an American who plays the game the Americans call football. IOW, Joe Suchnsuch is a gridiron football player, presumably for the NFL or college.[/li][li]Joe Suchnsuch is a person of indeterminate ethnicity who plays the game Americans call football, and he plays it here in Europe. IOW, Joe Suchnsuch is a player for NFL Europe.[/li][/ul]
>
> Is there some means the British media use to define American gridiron football? Do they use the term “gridiron”?
>
> Further, how about it non-English press? The term “Fútbol Americano” to a Spanish-speaking person translates directly as “American football.” But that could mean “Soccer (Fútbol) in America” or “the sport known in America as 'football (fútbol).” Is there a Spanish term that’s more specific? And what about French, German, etc.?
The term is always American Football in the UK IME, although most sports-savvy people will know the term gridiron. NFL Europe is a real minority interest here in the UK BTW, zero media profile (Its easy to watch the real thing on sports channels in the UK). Its not on people’s radar.
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### Author:  [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469/3 "2005-08-24T20:03:45Z")
> [@Myler Keogh](#):
>
> NFL Europe is a real minority interest here in the UK BTW, zero media profile (Its easy to watch the real thing on sports channels in the UK). Its not on people’s radar.
Why on earth is the Super Bowl broadcast in so many countries? Seems like a waste of money. Who’s watching?
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### Author:  [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469/4 "2005-08-24T20:06:02Z")
In addition to **Myler** ’s answer, I’d say that “American Football player” (especially if so capitalised) would be understood as referring to a gridiron player who plays in the States - I probably pay slightly more attention to US sports than average for a UK resident, and I had no idea anyone in Europe played gridiron at all. If we wanted to talk about a soccer player from America, he’d probably get called an “American footballer”, or more likely be referred to specifically by position; “American midfielder”, “American striker” and so forth. Since we’re pretty much always talking about soccer, most people would infer from the context that he’s a soccer player, and not gridiron.
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### Author:  [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469/5 "2005-08-24T20:08:03Z")
Most people know from context.
American Football used to be v. popular here - it was on Channel 4 for a couple of years, and picked up quite a following.
I think the reason they show the superbowl in the UK is that it’s on so late at night that it’s not replacing anything more lucrative or popular in the schedules.
We used to have superbowl parties at uni with American mates - good excuse to stay up all night drinking (not that we needed much excuse usually!) and a chance to ridicule the USA some more 😉
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### Author:  [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469/6 "2005-08-24T20:14:45Z")
> [@bordelond](#):
>
> Why on earth is the Super Bowl broadcast in so many countries? Seems like a waste of money. Who’s watching?
Plenty of people like American football here, I keep an eye on it myself. Its also a good game to bet on, you see tipsters in the British papers including American football with their racing and football picks.
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### Author:  [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469/7 "2005-08-24T20:18:06Z")
In German it’s “Football” or “American Football”, our kind of football is “Fußball”.
> [@e-logic](#):
>
> We used to have superbowl parties at uni with American mates - good excuse to stay up all night drinking (not that we needed much excuse usually!) and a chance to ridicule the USA some more 😉
We had those as well. You drink a lot and you watch the whole thing although you have no idea what it’s about. It’s a bit like watching synchronized diving in the olympics - only with more people and more alcohol.
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469/8 "2005-08-24T20:56:22Z")
What others said, particularly **Dead Badger** , it’s all down to context…other phrases you’ll hear are “Blackburn’s American signing xyz”, and “American international” (assuming he’s on the USA team!)
In any case, I don’t recall ever seeing any game other than the Superbowl mentioned in regular newspaper sports pages.
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469/9 "2005-08-25T08:49:38Z")
In Israel it’s simple - if the game is played locally, its name is translated to Hebrew; otherwise, we just use the foreign word. That’s how we have “caduregel” (soccer) and “cadursal” (basketball) on the one hand, and “baseball,” and “hockey” on the other. Americal football is simply “football,” pronounced very similar to the Spanish.
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### Author:  [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469/10 "2005-08-25T09:48:21Z")
> [@bordelond](#):
>
> Why on earth is the Super Bowl broadcast in so many countries? Seems like a waste of money. Who’s watching?
As an Australian, I’d say nobody. But maybe, as I think it starts about 10am on a Monday, it’s found favour with some as an excuse not to work (?).
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### Author:  [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-gridiron-football-in-the-foreign-media/318469/11 "2005-08-25T12:52:50Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#):
>
> … And what about French, German, etc.?
In German the American game is called **American Football** (pronounced as an English term); soccer is called **Fußball** (i.e. the German term is used).
Often the “American” qualifier can be omitted:
Ein **Footballspieler** , eine **Footballmannschaft** , ein **Footballspiel** = an American Football player, an American Football team, an American Football game
Ein **Fußballspieler** , eine **Fußballmannschaft** , ein **Fußballspiel** = a soccer player, a soccer team, a soccer game.