Why we call it a "touchdown"

[Old Tider]

American football evolved from rugby in which you have to touch the ball to the ground after crossing the goal line in order to score.

Saturday I watched Wales defeat England. On the game's last play, an England player fell into the end zone but failed to touch the ball down because a Wales man had his hand between the ball and the ground.

So Americans end up with a touchdown that you don't have to touch down. And rugby now calls the score a "try."

[Catch Prothro]

That's a silly rule.  So like the Brits.

[N.AL-Tider]

so the team with the ball tries to try for a score but instead of calling it a score they call it a try?  That just doesn't make any sense at all...

[Old Tider]

so the team with the ball tries to try for a score but instead of calling it a score they call it a try?  That just doesn't make any sense at all...

It is nonsense, NALT.  If they try to score and don't, it's not called a try! Only if they score.

[Leewillie]

In football the extra point is sometimes referred to as "the try".

[Catch Prothro]

In football the extra point is sometimes referred to as "the try".

True, but you're not trying to touch the ball to the ground.  I mean, how hard can it be to do that?

[Chechem]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxAb1NPDbTM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxAb1NPDbTM</a>

Did he "touch" it down?

[Old Tider]

In football the extra point is sometimes referred to as "the try".

True, but you're not trying to touch the ball to the ground.  I mean, how hard can it be to do that?

Yeah, I forgot about our PAT "try." Of course, we wouldn't call a successful kick "scoring a try."

[cbbama99]

Because calling it a "six-point goal" would eliminate too many euphemisms for color commentators?

[N.AL-Tider]

In football the extra point is sometimes referred to as "the try".

True, but you're not trying to touch the ball to the ground.  I mean, how hard can it be to do that?

But on extra point attempts as well as field goal attempts the holder touches the ball to the ground before it is kicked... couldn't that be considered a touchdown too?

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