Right term to say: Soccer or Football?

The age-old debate of which one is the right term to call the Beautiful Game, soccer or football is still much alive today.

“Football” is popularly used worldwide, while “soccer” is common in North America and Australia. In Google search results, soccer has 831 billion, while football has 1.4 trillion. In the Philippines, a former United States colony, we blurt out “soccer” by default.

Many new Filipino football or Azkals fans would probably be caught off-guard if somebody mocks her or him for saying “soccer”, especially on the internet.

But did you know that “soccer” is an originally British word?

Did you know that “soccer” is an originally British word? Yes, it’s not an American word.

It maybe be popularized by the Americans, but it didn’t come from the US. It’s just that America is currently the dominant country, and they practically dominate in every area. So, whatever they initiate, it gets circulated worldwide.

Britain was a former global power as well. Virtually, anything they built were channeled to other countries. Modern  football started there. Football club emblems with shield element that many sports teams of today are incorporating on their logos, yes, the Brits did it too.

It was an English footballer and cricket player Charles Wreford-Brown who first coined “soccer”,  a shortened word for “association” from Association Football, the official name of football or soccer.

When football came to the US, the Americans prefer to use soccer, since they also have their own football.

We’re now in the time where we are accepting and open to other cultures. Why don’t we do it with “soccer”? After all, the official soccer governing body FIFA is promoting diversity. We should walk the talk.

Both are okay to use interchangeably. I use both words in one paragraph in my articles. The world wont end if we use “soccer”. It may hurt some arrogant “football” fans who hate  any thing coming from the U-S of A.

Go ahead, just say “soccer” or “football” it certainly doesn’t matter – they’re both beautiful.

Source: Origin of the word “soccer”