Socc it to me
Submitted by Robert Daeley on Thu, 2007-03-01 13:03.
One of the several sports called “football” — the one also known as “soccer” — coalesced from historical versions in 1863 in England as The Football Association. Soon enough, this provided the sport its designation as Association Football.
The word soccer is a colloquial abbreviation of association (from assoc.) and first appeared in the 1880s. The word is sometimes credited to Charles Wreford Brown, an Oxford student said to have been fond of shortened forms such as brekkers for breakfast and rugger for rugby football.
That last linked article on the various names of football around the world really illustrates the global nature of the game. Along the same lines is a website I came across recently — The Global Game: World Football, Women’s Football, Media, Culture. Much like baseball and “gridiron” football in the United States, football/soccer has cultural, political, and economic symbolism and implications worldwide.
One of the things I’ve been doing to keep my brain working during my recovery this last month has been to read up on soccer, which is a Big Subject. I’ve only scratched the surface, but there is a lot to enjoy already, figuring out the various leagues and levels of leagues, regional cups, annual competitions, club and nation world cups, and much more. I may be writing more on the topic round here, particularly as the various tourneys heat up, not to mention the MLS season upcoming.