Okay, can I just have some consensus on this?

Hexartes · 2012-08-31 00:28:05

After arguing with Lumine Frosty over it, I reached the conclusion that I can only get closure on this issue by polling the heapers.

So, I have a question.

Obviously we are not all American. I was wondering, when referring to Association Football and American football, do you prefer:

A. Association football is "soccer" and American football is just "football."

B. Association football is just "football" and American football is referred to as American football.

C. Association football is "soccer" and American football is referred to as American Football.

Unknown · 2012-08-31 00:28:30

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Anonus · 2012-08-31 00:31:42

A is what I'm used to...

(I moved this to General; Site Talk is for issues pertaining to the site itself, not to the users.)

Irene · 2012-08-31 00:35:58

A or C depending who I talk to.

I just go with Soccer and Football instead.

Hexartes · 2012-08-31 00:36:32

So, B?

Tre · 2012-08-31 00:39:22

A, in my case. Because I'm a dumb American.

That, by the way, was only a half joke.

Hexartes · 2012-09-01 12:58:19

There's no need to feel guilty about it.

Tapioca Pudding · 2012-09-01 13:03:48

lol who cares.

"Football" is that thing I hurt guys with. ;)

Ace Rimmer · 2012-09-01 13:40:48

Its B

Princess Alice · 2012-09-01 17:17:32

I live in an American city dominated by college football fanatacism, so 99% of the time I go with A, because that's what's understood.

That said, I always thought calling association football "football" made more sense, because there seems to be much more foot-ball contact involved than in American football.

Jumpingzombie · 2012-09-01 17:49:57

Yeah, I usually just use A because most people I know say that. Though, with some of the exchange students, I use B.

What I'd like to know, is how exactly American football got to be called "football" in the first place. Considering, if I was naming it on basic naming principles, that's not the title I would probably come up with.

Ace Rimmer · 2012-09-01 17:52:41

IIRC its called Football because there are 11 players on field, like Association Football.

ProfessorGator · 2012-09-01 17:56:08

I'm yet another one of us who normally uses A, but I definitely wouldn't be opposed to using B around people who are more used to that.

Somewhat relatedly, I've seen a couple children's shows where characters who are supposed to be Brits say "soccer." That kind of irks me.

Unknown · 2012-09-01 18:00:26

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Misery · 2012-09-01 18:06:17

A

Jumpingzombie · 2012-09-01 18:47:02

Frosty said:
*complains about writers not doing their research, which is this really bad and unfortunate problem that plagues many forms of writing*

FTFY

Unknown · 2012-09-01 20:05:51

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ProfessorGator · 2012-09-01 20:12:36

Honestly, in this case, I'd say it's partly because the writers assume the target audience would never be able to understand such concepts as people from other countries using different names for things. Which is also an unfortunate problem.

Unknown · 2012-09-01 20:13:57

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Jumpingzombie · 2012-09-01 20:14:31

^^That's why you have the character explain the difference to help kids get the concept.

Which I've some times seen in kids shows.

Death · 2012-09-02 02:15:14

As someone who's been on Earth for a very long time, I'm telling you "B" is more widely accepted. That's my choice. Either way, names are useless in the afterlife.

Corporal Forsythe · 2012-09-02 02:27:01

The defining US Army vs US Navy/Marines game is over American Football, therefore it is A because we have the most guns

Salix Babylonika · 2012-09-02 08:45:22

Is a football really a ball?

That's my question here. Thing's not even remotely spherical.

Bunny · 2012-09-02 08:58:13

I would say C. Because, for practicality's sake, C causes the least confusion between nationalities. Hell, maybe even call it "European Football" and "American Football".

Corporal Forsythe · 2012-09-02 09:10:26

Super Läzuli said:
Is a football really a ball?
That's my question here. Thing's not even remotely spherical.

I normally don't ever reveal these things but this is the exact subject of the next 11.975MHz comic. Deco tests this very theory.

Salix Babylonika · 2012-09-02 09:10:51

But it's also called Football in south america.

Corporal Forsythe said:

Super Läzuli said:
Is a football really a ball?
That's my question here. Thing's not even remotely spherical.
I normally don't ever reveal these things but this is the exact subject of the next 11.975MHz comic. Deco tests this very theory.

Well you know what they say about strange minds.

Hexartes · 2012-09-02 10:23:55

Association Football, then.

Unknown · 2012-09-02 11:06:23

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Obā-san · 2012-09-02 13:09:08

Frosty said:
We are all going to do exactly what we want, since this poll has exactly zero say in the matter. :D

Hexartes · 2012-09-03 13:04:58

Then maybe one of the Admins could post a notice that's like "To prevent confusion say this."

Obā-san · 2012-09-03 13:13:44

Why?

Corporal Forsythe · 2012-09-03 13:16:27

To prevent confusion say this: Dicks and dongs all day long

Unknown · 2012-09-03 13:19:01

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Tachyon · 2012-09-03 14:43:16

Deathonabun said:
I would say C. Because, for practicality's sake, C causes the least confusion between nationalities.

I tend to default to this online in the interest of clarity (though not to "European Football" because it's not just European and nobody calls it that). IRL, always B, because calling it "soccer" around here makes you sound like a tool, unless you're foreign.

Kex, why do you want a rule on this?

Unknown · 2012-09-03 14:44:40

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Hexartes · 2012-09-03 14:48:27

Fouria G said:
calling it "soccer" around here makes you sound like a tool, unless you're foreign.

And that, I find upsetting.

Tachyon · 2012-09-03 14:52:01

Why?

Hexartes · 2012-09-03 14:52:32

Because it's just a word and not all that important.

Unknown · 2012-09-03 14:53:26

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Obā-san · 2012-09-03 14:55:04

so it's like a dude says soccer and then all of a sudden

Obā-san · 2012-09-03 14:55:24

Frosty said:
What if you started referring to every girl you meet as a "broad" or something? That is just a word but you would not sound so cool if you did this.

grab a fedora call them dames

Hexartes · 2012-09-03 14:55:55

But it's different. "Broad" is an insult. If, say, a culture was such that soccer is an awful insult, then it would be important. But as it stands, it's just a different way of saying the same thing. In fact, if I recall correctly, the name soccer came as a result of not wanting confusion between Association Football and American Football.

Tachyon · 2012-09-03 14:58:53

Yeah but nobody says "soccer" here, so it'd be a pointless affectation, like saying "Pay attention to me, for I am a pretentious twat".

If you're American, that's different, because then it's the normal word you'd use.

Hexartes · 2012-09-03 15:00:06

Like, I wouldn't mind if someone insisted on calling it football. But if they did so because they find the name "superior" that would bother me.

Obā-san · 2012-09-03 15:00:45

It amuses me that people would affect American-ness in order to be pretentious.

Hexartes · 2012-09-03 15:05:05

Mr. Truant said:
effect

FTFY

Obā-san · 2012-09-03 15:06:01

affect, effect, they only mean totally different things

Obā-san · 2012-09-03 15:06:52

and affect is the correct one in this case

Obā-san · 2012-09-03 15:07:39

protip: google it before you correct someone

Hexartes · 2012-09-03 15:07:50

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/effect#Verb

Unknown · 2012-09-03 15:08:26

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Okay, can I just have some consensus on this?

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