Trump Wants NFL To Rename Football

Trump Says America Should Call Soccer ‘Football’ and Give the NFL a New Name

President Donald Trump has entered one of the longest-running debates in American sports, arguing that the United States should stop calling soccer “soccer” and start using the term “football” like much of the rest of the world.

Speaking about the sport’s growing popularity in the United States, Trump suggested that the game commonly known as soccer has a stronger claim to the name football than the NFL does.

“When you think about it, this is football,” Trump said. “There’s no question about it. We may have to come up with another name for the NFL game.”

The comments are unusual for an American president. In the United States, the word “football” is almost universally associated with the NFL, college football, and the broader American version of the sport. Across much of the world, however, football refers to the game Americans call soccer.

Trump’s remarks come as international attention on the sport continues to grow, particularly with major global tournaments bringing more matches and fans to American stadiums. His comments echo an argument that soccer supporters around the world have made for decades.

Ironically, the word “soccer” did not originate in the United States. The term traces its roots back to England during the 19th century. At the time, “association football” was used to distinguish the sport from rugby football. Over time, British slang shortened “association” into “assoc,” eventually evolving into the nickname “soccer.”

While Britain gradually returned to calling the sport football, the United States continued using soccer because its own version of football was rapidly growing in popularity.

The NFL began in 1920 and formally adopted the National Football League name two years later. By the time soccer became a mainstream spectator sport in America, the football label was already firmly attached to the NFL and college football.

Even the governing body of the sport in the United States reflects that history. The organization went through multiple name changes over the years before becoming the United States Soccer Federation.

Despite criticism from international fans, many American supporters have embraced the term soccer as part of the sport’s unique identity in the country. During the 2022 World Cup, U.S. fans even turned the debate into a rallying cry, chanting, “It’s called soccer!” during matches.

That history makes any potential shift highly unlikely. The NFL remains one of the most powerful sports brands in the world, and the word football is deeply ingrained in American culture.

While Trump’s comments may align with how much of the world views the sport, changing decades of tradition in the United States would be a challenge of its own.