Football

The game of football is any of several similar team sports, of similar origins which involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot in an attempt to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer." The word football is applied to whichever form of football is the more popular in each particular part of the world. Hence, the English language word "football" is applied to "gridiron football," a name associated with American football and Canadian football; Australian rules football; Gaelic football; Rugby league; Rugby union and some related games. These variations are known as "codes."

Etymology
Main article: Football (word)

While it is widely assumed that the word "football" (or "foot ball") references the action of the foot kicking a ball, there is a historical explanation, which is that football originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot.[2] These games were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports (such as polo) often played by aristocrats. There is no conclusive evidence for either explanation, and the word football has always implied a variety of games played on foot, not just those that involved kicking a ball. In some cases, the word football has even been applied to games which have specifically outlawed kicking the ball.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football