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A brief history of American football

The popularity and history of American football

American football is a complicated game compared to European football, hockey, or basketball. It takes some time to understand its structure and subtleties, and nuances. Yet, it also plays a role.

American football is the most popular sport in America, whereas only Andar Bahar online cash game can compete with it in terms of popularity. It is adored by fans and athletes alike. It is a favorite game among high school and college students. It is one of the popular symbols of America.

Ty Johnson Fantasy Football

History of American Football

The history of the emergence of American football is inextricably linked to the development of European football and rugby. On April 7, 1823, in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire county, during a football match, sixteen-year-old William Webb Ellis grabbed the ball and ran towards his rivals. Years later, a monument was erected to this boy, and a plaque was hung on the walls of his college: 

“Let this plaque commemorate the glorious deed of William Webb Ellis, the first man who dared to break the rules by grabbing the ball with his hands and running with it. “So the game of rugby was born in 1823. 

They decided to name the game after the city where it originated.

On November 6, 1869, in the American city of New Brunswick (New Jersey), teams of Rutgers and Princeton Universities met on the football field. They played something between the two types of games: football and rugby. Since then, this date has been considered the official birthday of American football. The ball was kicked then, points were awarded for goals, and touchdowns were out of the question. Only in 1875 did they start giving one point for bringing the ball into the opponent’s end zone. There were no uniform rules, which increased the number of points awarded for touchdowns and allowed a forward pass and tackling of the opponent in the knee area. Because of the latter, player injuries increased significantly. 

In 1905, the Chicago Tribune ran a front-page headline, “18 Football Players Dead and 159 Seriously Injured.” U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt stated, “Either football players will change the rules, or we will ban football altogether. Cruelty and unfair play should be punished. Change the game or give it up.” The rules were changed to punish foul play. Football players were also forced to develop unique protective uniforms – breeches with pads appeared. Athletes were advised to wear a leather helmet on their heads while playing (since 1939, helmet use has been mandatory). 

In the early twentieth century, the rules became similar to today’s laws. In 1912 six points were awarded for touchdowns, the length of the playing field became equal to a hundred yards, and playing time was reduced from seventy to sixty minutes. The first private teams and professional players appeared. Eight years later, the first football union appeared – four sections, the Akron Pros, the Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, and Dayton Trailblazers, formed the American Professional Football Conference (APFC), from which the National Football Conference later emerged.

In 1904, the first black football player appeared. He came out as part of a team from Ohio. Since then, the number of black football players has only grown. The first black referee did not appear in the NFL until 1988. In 1932, American football was a demonstration sport at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In 1939, the first televised game was played. About a thousand New Yorkers watched the match between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 1960, the American Football League (AFL) was created to counterbalance the already existing NFL. The teams’ struggles for players and fans and TV rights led to a series of negotiations between the two leagues to merge in 1966. One of the AFL and NFL merger terms was a game between the leagues’ champions for the right to be named world champion. 

On January 15, 1967, the first game was played under the “NFL-AFL World Championship.” In 1970, the two conferences merged. The composition of the meetings remained the same, but the leadership was shared. The organization was called the National Football League (NFL). The final game between the conference champions of the merged league was named the Super Bowl, and the very first game held in 1967 became known as Super Bowl I. Now it is one of the most spectacular, prestigious, and expensive sporting events globally.

Why isn’t American football popular in other countries? 

Baseball has gained popularity in Japan; it is the No. 1 sport. American football has long been popularized and cultivated as a “people’s sport.” It was popularized inside the country, not outside it—sort of like country music. Now football is a huge moneymaker. For example, the National Football League (NFL) holds regular-season games at Wembley Stadium in London; because of the massive demand for American football in England, the British interest sees the more aggressive and spectacular rugby. The NFL is even planning to hold the final Super Bowl game in London in the coming years.

Rules of the game

This sport is a team game with the ball. It is necessary to push the ball on the opponent’s field in the direction of the in-goal area and score points. The team with the most points wins. The game is played on a lot 53 m long and 49 m wide. There are goal lines at the ends of the field with 100 yards between them. Between the boundaries of the field and the goal lines is a 10-yard point area. At both ends of the domain (on the edges), a goal post, consisting of 2 bars and a crossbar between them, is set at 3 m. The distance between the centers is 5-6 meters. The ball which flew between them over the crossbar is considered a goal. There are 11 players from each team. Players are replaced between periods of play. There are offensive, defensive and special players on the team. The whole game period comprises four main parts of 15 minutes each. The match lasts for 3 hours. If the score is tied at the end of primary time, the referee assigns an additional 15 minutes. The first team to score points wins.

There are two types of football: indoor and Canadian. Real football takes place in a specially equipped hall, not on the field. It is popular among American schoolchildren. Canadian football is played in the Canadian football League. The main differences from American football are:

  • The size of the field.
  • The number of players on the field.
  • The location of the goal.
  • The number of attempts by the team in possession of the ball.
  • Some others.

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Should the NFL take their talents to Canada? I think it is time.

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