This is hard, because I think American football is about manifest destiny and war and all those things Americans hold dear. The only way to make soccer king here is to stop the Revolutionary War.
No football, more futball!
- Thread starter WilyBadger
- Start date
Indeed Rugby League does pall into comparison. However I go another direction altogether and follow Australian Rules Football (a deviation to Gaelic Football with some European football and Rugby influences)
As for schholyard/park kicking it around, I would have to say that soccer (Europan football) is better suited however, and I dont see how Aussie Rules could take hold in America when the game itself was not started until 1856.
I think that soccer and American football (at least the professional variety) were pretty even in terms of fan support in the twenties, especially in the Northeast and industrial Midwest.
From what I've read, American soccer became embroiled in a turf war between FIFA, the USSF, and the major pro league at the time regarding control over the American game and player issues. Combined with the depression, this fight damaged American soccer and it fell behind the NFL.
Perhaps if this fight could've been avoided soccer would've taken a hit (like all sports during The Depression), but bounced back like the NFL.
This was my first post. I hope it was helpful and (other than the s-word) not offensive to anyone.
From what I've read, American soccer became embroiled in a turf war between FIFA, the USSF, and the major pro league at the time regarding control over the American game and player issues. Combined with the depression, this fight damaged American soccer and it fell behind the NFL.
Perhaps if this fight could've been avoided soccer would've taken a hit (like all sports during The Depression), but bounced back like the NFL.
This was my first post. I hope it was helpful and (other than the s-word) not offensive to anyone.
All of this is from Wikipedia (so take it with a grain of salt). Football is a game that went through a lot of rule changes. College football rules were first standardized in 1873 (a meeting between Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers) and the rules were based more on soccer than rugby.
Harvard kept playing under its own rules at home, which made it hard to find too many teams to play. It played McGill University of Montreal under both its rules and McGill's rugby rules. They liked McGill's approach and started playing other teams under similar rules. This eventually led to a new meeting 1876, which led to a new set of rules, based more on rugby rules, but which also introduced the touchdown.
Point of departure: If you get Harvard endorsing the 1873 rules and not playing McGill, the sport might have remained more like soccer. At very least, changes away from it would have taken longer, and that may have allowed soccer to be cemented in more and be the bigger sport (baseball still likely have been more popular though).
Also interesting to note, many of Michigan's claimed national championships came before the forward pass was introduced.
All that said, thank God football is king here and not soccer.
Harvard kept playing under its own rules at home, which made it hard to find too many teams to play. It played McGill University of Montreal under both its rules and McGill's rugby rules. They liked McGill's approach and started playing other teams under similar rules. This eventually led to a new meeting 1876, which led to a new set of rules, based more on rugby rules, but which also introduced the touchdown.
Point of departure: If you get Harvard endorsing the 1873 rules and not playing McGill, the sport might have remained more like soccer. At very least, changes away from it would have taken longer, and that may have allowed soccer to be cemented in more and be the bigger sport (baseball still likely have been more popular though).
Also interesting to note, many of Michigan's claimed national championships came before the forward pass was introduced.
All that said, thank God football is king here and not soccer.
Blackwood
Banned
American football (So as not to confuse our non-American members...) could have easily shattered into a million pieces and never really developed into the mass-popular sport that it is. In the early part of the century, the sport was broken up between many different leagues, some quite poor and desperate. It was purely by luck and chance that the general public actually grew to like and, more importantly, pay to see professional football, which was seen only as a college game at that point. Before the American and National leagues actually take the scene - heck, even before the NFL is formed - , anything goes.
I don't know too much about soccer in the States during that time period. That said, I don't see anything to stop it from forming into a great sport and one that the American people grow to love and respect, perhaps due to the Great Wars or something along those lines. If you contain American football at a college level and keep the American people from supporting it professionally (as it was initially frowned upon by the public), then soccer* may well become the dominant sport next to basketball**, baseball, and hockey.
That being said, I do rather enjoy soccer/futbol. Here's hoping for Spain in the European Cup.
* Futbol
** Interesting note, basketball was invented in Springfield, MA, which is only about 10 miles away from here.
I don't know too much about soccer in the States during that time period. That said, I don't see anything to stop it from forming into a great sport and one that the American people grow to love and respect, perhaps due to the Great Wars or something along those lines. If you contain American football at a college level and keep the American people from supporting it professionally (as it was initially frowned upon by the public), then soccer* may well become the dominant sport next to basketball**, baseball, and hockey.
That being said, I do rather enjoy soccer/futbol. Here's hoping for Spain in the European Cup.
* Futbol
** Interesting note, basketball was invented in Springfield, MA, which is only about 10 miles away from here.
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Soccer is suddenly and spontaneously as popular (and as fanatical) as it is in the rest of the world, who gets American Football as a substitute?
ok... so the after game parties/riots would become much more bloodier depending on wether or not the hometeam won?
ok... so the after game parties/riots would become much more bloodier depending on wether or not the hometeam won?
Um, no. Sorry to be blunt, but you're wrong. American football has had a tumultuous history and doesn't have much to do with Manifest Destiny, war, or anything else Americans "hold dear" ... perhaps in the metaphorical sense. I'm surprised you didn't mention the beer or the cheerleaders instead.
For you Sounders fans out there ... I'm not so much mad at you guys having a team, but I'm from St. Louis and it ticked me off that Philadelphia got a team before us. I guess I'll have to stick with DC for the time being.
Nations paint on their own mythical national characteristics onto their favourite sports. I find it rather strange cos most people in the world love the sport they grew up with and are familiar and comfortable with. With small PODs we could have Americans waxing lyrical about how cricket embodies the best attributes of their nation and Englishmen doing similar for baseball. As pointed out above American football was in a state of flux for several decades and anywhere in that time it could have fragmented. But football football could have gone several different ways too.
Baseball actually came about because of the anti-English feelings prevelant in the United States of the nineteenth century. Up until when baseball took its place at the top of the pack, cricket would of been more likley to take over. Same as Rugby compared to American fooball.
You could have the Rugby clubs in America not form American football altogether and stay very close to English Rugby Union, which would of probably led to a more comprehensive following of Association Football (soccer) in the United States.
Now back to cricket, if only the USA and Canada were test playing nations..... then Australia would have another two countries out there to routinley humiliate, just like we do the Poms.
You could have the Rugby clubs in America not form American football altogether and stay very close to English Rugby Union, which would of probably led to a more comprehensive following of Association Football (soccer) in the United States.
Now back to cricket, if only the USA and Canada were test playing nations..... then Australia would have another two countries out there to routinley humiliate, just like we do the Poms.
Wait till Dale Steyn gets his teeth into you guys...
I think Australian cricket isn't as strong as it was a year or two ago, but you guys are still by far the best side in the world.
South Africa, Sri Lanka, India and England are probably the teams most likely to topple the Aussies.
hahahaha, the best sport in the world not evolving! (I am Texan, messing with football is the equivlent of messing with democracy for Americans or the royal family for British.)
Still I believe this thread was done before...
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=86863&highlight=soccer+crazed
This is a working TL I'm still working on for my website
(I am Texan, messing with football is the equivlent of messing with democracy for Americans or the royal family for British.)Still I believe this thread was done before...
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=86863&highlight=soccer+crazed
This is a working TL I'm still working on for my website
Remember guys, that the typical US american doesn't need an excuse to wave his flag around, we do. And international football cups are one of the best excuses I can think about. If you want to see lots of black, red, and golden flags, while visiting Germany come during the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM), or next sunday.
For turkisch flags its a bit to late now.
For turkisch flags its a bit to late now.
I agree, we have gone downhill since we have lost bowlers like Warnie and McGrath, and batsman like Langer, however never under-estimate the depth of the Australian cricket world........
As for the teams you mentioned
South Africa and India are trials at home, and India gave a good showing on their recent tour of Australia (if they more practice before the first test they would of done better) These two teams however I would say are definitley going to be serious competition for Australia in the next 10 years or so.
England can win against us at home, but in Australia they arent so good.
Sri Lanka has never been a great test nation (although they are good in the ODI and the 20/20 forms of the game) That and they will in the next two or three years lose Mulirithian....
Now back to football.....
Big Tex: You wouldnt know what you were missing out on, and you would probably be saying the same thing about association football (soccer) or Rugby football.
As for the British and the royal family, I dont think the majority of them would care all that much these days if they didnt have the royals anymore. I mean can we imagine for a second what a great king, King Charles III will be......... yeah, my point exactly.
As for Americans and democracy.......... don't get me started on the numerous ways thats its not really all that democratic (although I do admire the fact that its better than most of the trashy governments out there)
Back to football again...
In the end I think that the world would of been a much better place if we all played Aussie Rules..... not to mention I wouldn't have to sit there and listen to my friend (*bad fake American accent*) Don from Nebraska (*end bad accent*) and how great gridiron is and who will win the superbowl....
Oh and for those of you who havent seen a Australian rules match before, you should. Us Australians (and this goes for union and league players too) dont get all padded up before they go onto the field and the games generally have more than a few second of play with a 40 second wait for the next play happening.......
Perhaps I should make a thread WI: Australian Rules football was the only football....
Oh and lastly 'Go the Pies!'
I think if aliens that had sports landed on earth I think they would quickly work out how football works. However, I think they would struggle with both codes of rugby (more with union than league) and American football. They would be utterly flummoxed by Aussie Rules. It used to be televised in the UK and I never really got to grips with anything other than the very basics of the rules. So, notwithstanding the historical very localised nature of this sport, I think the main reason that a WI with Aussie Rules being a world sport would be difficult is that it is very confusing to those that don't grow up with it.
I see your point of mind, it took me a few days of sitting down to actually work out the rules to gridiorn and soccer, and then the basics....
Think of Aussie Rules as a deviate form of gaellic football thats cross between rugby union, soccer and an aboriginal ball game that was played in Victoria. As for the rules, well overall its actually closer to the origins of thesse types of ballgames than a lot of the other so-called footy codes are.
Think of Aussie Rules as a deviate form of gaellic football thats cross between rugby union, soccer and an aboriginal ball game that was played in Victoria. As for the rules, well overall its actually closer to the origins of thesse types of ballgames than a lot of the other so-called footy codes are.
Remember guys, that the typical US american doesn't need an excuse to wave his flag around, we do. And international football cups are one of the best excuses I can think about. If you want to see lots of black, red, and golden flags, while visiting Germany come during the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM), or next sunday.
For turkisch flags its a bit to late now.
Um, the 2010 FIFA World Cup is being held in South Africa, or are you from an ATL?
Deleted member 6086
(rant/)
Sorry,but I can't say the S-word.
At least call it by it's proper name,like 99 percent of the world does.Football is a sport where you maneuver a ball with your feet.American football isn't.
Call your football American football!
(end rant/)
Sorry,but I can't say the S-word.
At least call it by it's proper name,like 99 percent of the world does.Football is a sport where you maneuver a ball with your feet.American football isn't.
Call your football American football!
(end rant/)
The problem with watching games you don't know is that most of the time you miss a lot of the skills. Although still not my favourite sport, having watched American Football with American housemates a few years ago, I can see aspects of the game that I was missing before. This disjointedness that fans like still jars with me, but I appreciate the skills of the players much more now, especially those who aren't in the glamour positions.
[rant]
It is just word. In the US it means one thing in other parts of the world it means something else. Do you object to the Americans calling what a Brit would call an aubergine an eggplant. I mean, it doesn't contain any eggs. In fact, it is the original English word for that vegetable and we Brits got all pretentious and started using the French word. And if you go and look at the traditional village football games e.g. the ba game in Orkney, they don't do a lot of kicking with the feet in that.
[/rant]