# It's called football because you run with the ball! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 1, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587 "2010-04-01T16:12:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/1 "2010-04-01T16:12:57Z")
That’s it, really. The new forum description just sent me over the edge. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/2 "2010-04-01T17:28:50Z")
More specifically, because you run rather than riding a horse. It’s a distinction from polo, the other popular academic sport at the time sports called “football” caught on. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/3 "2010-04-01T17:31:21Z")
Why can’t Europe, Central and South America, Africa, and Western Asia just call it soccer like the rest of the world? ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/4 "2010-04-01T17:50:21Z")
A common misinterpretation. The [“Foot” term](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_(prosody)) actually originates due to the sport’s signature cadence of play calling prior to snap of the ball. The play call cadence, which was originally liltingly sung to accompaniment to woodflute played by the coach on the sidelines, itself derives from 17th century Maori chants. How their early civilization communicated this to western coaching staff is presently unknown and a hot topic of research. ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/5 "2010-04-01T18:22:42Z")
No, no. Surely it’s a well known fact that the ball used to be twelve inches long? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/6 "2010-04-01T18:45:35Z")
11½ inches, actually, which was the original length of a “foot” based on the size of Charlemagne’s **left** foot, not the 12 inches of his right foot. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/7 "2010-04-01T19:16:11Z")
Not many people know this but the length of an American football was derived for the average length of a spoke on a Roman chariot wheel. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Nene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@El\_Nene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Nene)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/8 "2010-04-01T19:16:34Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > It’s called football because you run with the ball!. Only for about [11 minutes](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704281204575002852055561406.html) of each 3+ hour broadcast. It should really be called MillingAroundBall. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/9 "2010-04-01T19:23:37Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > That’s it, really. The new forum description just sent me over the edge. Yes, just like Foothockey (because you run with the stick) and FootTennis (because you run with the racket), FootRacing (because you run with your feet)… [Quote=Mike Ditka] If God had wanted man to play soccer, he wouldn’t have given us arms. [/Quote] [Quote=Me] If God had wanted man to play American “football”, he wouldn’t have given us heads. [/Quote] ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/10 "2010-04-01T19:28:14Z")
Some believe that “football” gains its name from the Chippewa term “fult-ba-loh”, which means “to beat one another’s heads in”. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/11 "2010-04-01T23:40:49Z")
My contribution to _Stupid Sports Sayings,_ vol. 357 “If it isn’t round, it isn’t a ball.” ---
**Author:** ![qbadger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/fbc32d/32.png) [@qbadger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qbadger)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/12 "2010-04-02T18:55:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > More specifically, because you run rather than riding a horse. It’s a distinction from polo, the other popular academic sport at the time sports called “football” caught on. Rightio old chap; now that we’ve got that sorted, what do you say to a bit of [horseball](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseball) after a spot of lunch? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/13 "2010-04-02T19:16:44Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > My contribution to _Stupid Sports Sayings,_ vol. 357 > > “If it isn’t round, it isn’t a ball.” Oh, yeah? Well what about a baseball then, huh? No, wait, bad example. ---
**Author:** ![Delayed\_Reflex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/delayed_reflex/32/3172_2.png) [@Delayed\_Reflex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delayed_Reflex)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-called-football-because-you-run-with-the-ball/534587/14 "2010-04-04T18:11:51Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Yes, just like Foothockey (because you run with the stick) and FootTennis (because you run with the racket), FootRacing (because you run with your feet)… I used to play Foot Hockey in elementary school… except it was actually soccer with a tennis ball.