Oh, yuck! Finks been necroposting again!
I think I have described my view on American football here before, probably in this thread. But I am too lazy to look for it.
If you imagine the nations of the world as a playground full of kids you'll find them all happily (though competitively) playing a game together. Except for one lone awkward kid, the kid that represents America. He is trying to play the game, but he is too awkward, unathletic, and for some reason has a really, really hard time grasping the rules and just downright sucks at it. So, he makes up his own game (which is a bit of a copy of another game some of the other kids sometimes play) and goes off to play by himself. He decides to give this game the exact same name as the other kid's game, and in order to avoid confusion in his own mind (but to create it in everone elses), he decides to make up a silly name to call their game that is entirely different from what they call it. (Strangely, he manages to convince one (1) of the other kids to start calling it by that name as well. Damn Munchkins!) In the end we have the image of a bunch of kids playing football together, and one lone kid off by himself, burried under insane amounts of padding, throwing a ball (because he can't kick worth shit) at the brick wall and catching it as it bounces off. The kid giggles and laughs as he enjoys playing by himself. And from time to time the other kids glace over and wonder what he is finding so amusing, then turn away and get back to their big kids game.