They call it "football"

I saw the last 15 minutes of a rugby league game the other night.  Well, if you live in one of two states in Australia it was the rugby league game:  The State of Origin.

Every year, the regular "football" season is interrupted by this meta-game that involves people from teams all over the country (*ahem*) coming together to play in a state team based on where they were "born" (or, at least, where they can pretend they spent some formative years).

By "all over the country" I mean the third of it that actually cares about or watches League.  Most other places think of a different code when they say "football".

I have no idea why we call rugby league "football" in this country.  They very rarely touch the ball with their feet.  Mostly, it seems to be a giant wrestling match with a ball involved.

Here's my description of the rules of the game, based on limited periods of observation:

Someone kicks the ball, then someone catches it.  That person then becomes "it" (like in tag).  He attempts to run forward, but usually only makes it a couple of paces before several members of the opposite team drag him to the ground and sit on his head.  There is a moment where he apparently tries to free himself, then he just gives up and passes the ball to someone else on his team.  That person then becomes "it" and attempts to run forward a few paces before someone sits on his head.

At some point in time, after quite a bit of head-sitting, the person who is "it" manages to take the ball over a line, where he attempts to put it down.  The members of the other team try to stop him from doing this - largely by dragging him back over the line and sitting on his head.

If he manages to put the ball down on the other side of the line, he's allowed to kick it at the goal.  I think he can give away his turn at kicking to one of his other team members, but I'm not sure.  Then the process starts again.

If anything goes wrong, and they aren't sure who should be "it", the teams form two horizontal human pyramids and try to push each other away from the ball.  Somehow, as a result of all this pushing, the ball gets to someone hanging out the back of the pyramids, and he then throws it to someone who becomes "it".  Then the head-sitting starts again.

As I said, I'm not sure why people call this "footy".  I expect it's ironic.

I'm also curious to know why rugby league is considered manly while dancing is considered a threat to one's masculinity.  There is much less full body contact between grown men in dancing - and fewer occasions where a man can expect to find another man's groin in his face.

But, there you go.