What makes football in America different from Fútbol in Europe? Why do people in Europe like soccer more than football, when here in America, it is the other way round? Is it the body and mind that makes a difference? Or the amount of rules each sport has? Football and Fútbol are both complex sports with different strategies.

                                              American Football

American football originated from the sport of rugby. Rugby is a game where two teams compete for the control of the ball; it is known for being violent and is usually considered a sport “for the men.”

At a campus in England, rugby changed into a much more complicated and formalized sport that has become known as “American Football.” This was done by slightly changing rules over time so that the game had more of a formal strategy with safety being the biggest concern.

In rugby the original name for what we Americans call a “quarterback” was “center.” Other position names were changed along with some rules, gradually changing how the game of rugby was played. The reason for the change of the name was due to how the game was played; players did not go on horseback, for it was one of the few sports at the time to be on foot.

In modern culture, football has become a way to show men’s masculinity and athleticism. Football, compared to Fútbol in Europe, is more of a physical sport, and players need to use protective equipment as they have to tackle the person with the ball in order to take them down, and offensive players have to run the ball into the opponent’s field goal in a fast-running amount of time. Football players need a lot more strength than soccer players do.

The first American football game was in 1869 between Princeton and Rutgers. It was not completely formalized; however, people started to take interest in how American football was played. This led to some college coaches being interested in the sport, one of which was Walter Camp. Camp is known as “The Father of Football” as he formalized the sport very close to modern rules and brought the game to life in the United States.

The “Super Bowl” or title game is considered one of the biggest events in the world. The Super Bowl has been around since 1967.

Some may make a big case that the so-called American sport is a knockoff of English rugby and is not originally from the United States. Nevertheless, and without a doubt, the U.S. has the greatest number of franchises and money into the sport. Millions of Americans are addicted to watching.

                                            European Fútbol

Soccer, generally called “Fútbol”in countries around the world, requires more ability than strength. Soccer players don’t have to be muscular to play but they have to be able to run a lot for long periods of time, and they have to be coordinated.

A soccer, or fútbol game, doesn’t stop unless there’s an injury, so players are running all the time.

Modern soccer started in England and grew quickly in popularity around the world. It went from being a no-known game to becoming really popular.  

Just like football has a “Super Bowl,” soccer has a “World Cup.” The first game of the World Cup was in 1930. The first World Cup played in the U.S. took place in 1994.  

Tackles that are legal in American football would be considered a foul in soccer. Soccer is not so violent and  players do not get injured so much.   

Soccer players need the ability to shoot (or kick) straight; timing and teamwork are the key to successfully scoring a goal.

Football and Fútbol have differences–rules, scoring, physicality, conditioning–but what is for sure is that both sports are really interesting to watch and to triumph in either of them takes great effort.