I asked this the other day and didn't get much of a response, so I'll try again...

And maybe "nickname" isn't the right word. "Mascot" maybe? Why are North American teams typically known as the "Springfield _______s" whereas outside of North America, particularly in soccer/football, clubs are typically known without a nickname, like "Springfield F.C.", or "Springfield Rugby Club"?

I know that some Association football clubs do have nicknames, but you usually don't hear them. The wiki page tells me that Manchester United are nicknamed the "Red Devils" but that mascot wasn't adopted until the 1960s, and you rarely see a "Manchester United Red Devils" headline. Whereas, North American teams like the New York Giants and Boston Red Sox have been referred to like that since the early 1900s, at least, and are quite often referred to in headlines as simply the "Giants" or "Red Sox".

Has this always been the case? Why do clubs outside North America, particularly football/soccer clubs, not use team nicknames to the same degree as they are used in baseball, basketball, hockey, and American and Canadian football? Or put another way, why are team nicknames used so extensively in North America unlike elsewhere? What is the history of this tradition?