The name football in an American society differs in meaning from everywhere else in the world. To a European, or someone outside of American society, the name football has the same meaning as soccer. These two games, although they often have interchanged names, differ from each other and also have similarities. To an American, football is a game in which you run with a sharp-edged oval ball and try to cross your opponent's sideline. For another person somewhere in Europe, Africa or South America, football is a game played basically with the foot, kicking a spherical leather ball with the aim of putting it into the goal post. Both games have many differences, despite their names meaning the same thing in different regions of the world. Watching the game of football, one wonders if there is a female face behind those helmets; certainly not. American football is a game played only by men. Due to increased contact, females may not be deemed fit to play. This is not the case with football. Football is played by both men and women, but not in the same competition. In football, men have their own leagues separately from women's. Sometimes for fun, both sexes play together. Considering the massive contacts made between American football players, they would definitely need protections. In football, players wear helmets and body armor to protect themselves from physical injury. This is what gives them the gigantic figure on the field. Without protections the game of football would be very dangerous. In football the only protective equipment players wear is the shin guard to protect the shin. Just as the name says "American football", this is played professionally only in America... middle of the paper... both games are different, but both games are played with the aim of scoring points. One wonders what the game of football will be like without a referee. There is a referee who controls and brings order to both matches; the number of referees is sometimes the same. Football matches have three to five referees supervising the game at one time. This is the same with football, although it is only a recent development. Both games can trace their origins to the nineteenth century. Both games are team games that require contributions from every member of the team. In conclusion, American football and soccer have many fans wherever they are played. Players of both games are seen as celebrities and are most of the time celebrated as heroes and legends on their teams. Most of these players earn huge amounts of money and play these games as a source of livelihood.