AHC: Gridiron instead of Football

just a name change?

I guess if the media back in the 1880's called it that or the Presidents of Harvard and Yale wanted it.....
 
For this to happen, association football would have to have become at least as popular in the US football. Since the US game developed so early and soon supplanted soccer as the major version of football played in the US, it was only natural that the term "football" was used for this game. So the real challenge is to have association football remain a major US men's collegiate (and later professional) sport in the post 1900 period.
 
I wish we could force Americans to use the term 'Handegg' for American Football. I mean, seriously - you rarely use your foot in that sport anyway, and you're not throwing around a ball either. Why can't America join the rest of the civilised world and use the term football for the sport football? Silly Americans. :mad::mad::mad:
 
I wish we could force Americans to use the term 'Handegg' for American Football. I mean, seriously - you rarely use your foot in that sport anyway, and you're not throwing around a ball either. Why can't America join the rest of the civilised world and use the term football for the sport football? Silly Americans. :mad::mad::mad:

Italy calls it Calcio.
 
I wish we could force Americans to use the term 'Handegg' for American Football. I mean, seriously - you rarely use your foot in that sport anyway, and you're not throwing around a ball either. Why can't America join the rest of the civilised world and use the term football for the sport football? Silly Americans. :mad::mad::mad:

Because it, like soccer, derived from earlier forms of football. May as well get mad at the Byzantines for not calling themselves Byzantine. Do you have a problem with Gaelic Football, Australian Football, or Rugby Football being referred to as football?

To the actual question: How about they just maintain the practice of painting the grid on the field?
 
To the actual question: How about they just maintain the practice of painting the grid on the field?

That would require retaining the rule requiring forward passes to be thrown only straight downfield. The axial lines on the field (which made a 'grid' pattern) were there to facilitate enforcement of that rule.
 

Incognito

Banned
I wish we could force Americans to use the term 'Handegg' for American Football. I mean, seriously - you rarely use your foot in that sport anyway, and you're not throwing around a ball either. Why can't America join the rest of the civilised world and use the term football for the sport football? Silly Americans. :mad::mad::mad:
This post needs a like.
 
Ah, rehashing an over-played, annoying, tired paintbrush statement about sports terminology. Hilarious :rolleyes:.

Getting back to the point, I think that calling American Football "gridiron" or "rugby" shouldn't need too much work to make happen, depending on the retention of other football codes (association, Gaelic, etc.). Certainly, different circumstances in Europe (lack of the same Great War, among others) but also whether or not Walter Camp becomes a founding father of the sports' unique codes during the early period of the game, if Teddy Roosevelt never forces a change in formation usage :)mad:), etc.

EDIT: Of course, such PODs would also result in changes to gameplay instead of merely terminology; then again, a more rugby-esque football code for the *NFL is a good thing IMO, I for one find a more intensive ground game more interesting and fun to watch than constant long-bombing.
 
I wish we could force Americans to use the term 'Handegg' for American Football. I mean, seriously - you rarely use your foot in that sport anyway, and you're not throwing around a ball either. Why can't America join the rest of the civilised world and use the term football for the sport football? Silly Americans. :mad::mad::mad:

Because that's not why either sport is called Football. They are called football because they were played on foot, as games for commoners instead of the upper classes.
 
so ... golf = football since thats played on foot with a ball ... :p

yes, cheeky on purpose
 
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