That awkward word 'soccer' used for Football.

There are three (main) varieties of football: Rugby Football, American Football and Association Football. In Rugby and American football, players are allowed to handle the ball and run with it (under certain limitations); in Association Football, only the goalkeeper is allowed to handle the ball whilst in play (and designated players are required to throw the ball back into the field when it crosses one of the side lines). The word "Soccer" is an abbreviation of or a 'nickname' derived from "Association". In Britain, there are, of course, the two common types - the two varieties of Rugby football (often referred to as 'Rugger') and Association football which is referred to as either 'Soccer' or just 'Football' ('Footie' is heard in Scotland). In America, there is only one (native) game which is always called simply 'Football'. All of the games are called 'football' because the main action in all of the games is to kick the ball with the foot in order to send it the longest distance on the field. Other actions are mainly tactical and only intended to move the ball for short distances (in most cases). All types of football developed from early types of game in which there were very few rules and which were often very violent. The object of these games was to carry the ball (or sometimes simply a tightly rolled piece of leather) by fair means or foul into or beyond the opponents' "goal" area. As the game developed, rules were introduced to make the game safer and one of these rules set by the 'Football Association' was that the ball must not be touched with the hands (except inder certain circumstances). Other rules limited the number of players on the field at any one time (early football games may have had a hundred or more players on each side, as still happens in the village of Haxey in Lincolnshire).

Apparently, it was the British who first coined the term soccer and accordingly was the preferred term of the upper society. It was the lower class that made the term football a byword. There were actually different sports that was referred to as football even before the game 'soccer' gained popularity. Personally, I think 'football' or 'futbol' is a much classier name than soccer.

I always wondered the same here. we in mexico call it futbol.