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American Football

Monday, 9 January 2017 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Around the World / Rund um die Welt
Category/Kategorie: General, Sport Reading Time:  5 minutes

🔊 Listen to this Post American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6, 1869, between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton, under rules based on the association football rules of the time. During the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp, the “Father of American Football”, established the snap, eleven-player teams, and the concept of downs; later rule changes legalized the forward pass, created the neutral zone, and specified the size and shape of the football.

American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States. Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually. The National Football League, the most popular American football league, has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world; its championship game, the Super Bowl, ranks among the most-watched club sporting events in the world, and the league has an annual revenue of around US$10 billion.

A football game is played between two teams of 11 players each. Playing with more on the field is punishable by a penalty. Teams may substitute any number of their players between downs; this “platoon” system replaced the original system, which featured limited substitution rules, and has resulted in teams utilizing specialized offensive, defensive and special teams squads (American football positions).

The offense, the team with control of the oval-shaped football, attempts to advance down the field by running with or passing the ball, while the team without control of the ball, the defense, aims to stop their advance and take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turnover the football to the opposing team; if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the opposing team’s end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent’s goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins.

Read more on National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Football League, International Federation of American Football, Wikipedia Super Bowl (The New Yorker, 17 March 2020: When Tom Brady Said Goodbye to New England (Tom Brady), ESPN, 29 January 2022: Tom Brady retiring after 22 seasons, seven Super Bowl wins with New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, sources say, NPR, 29 January 2022: Questions mount about whether Tom Brady is retiring from the NFL, BBC, 29 January 2022: Tom Brady: NFL great retires after winning seven Super Bowls, The Washington Post, 29 January 2022: QB Tom Brady not ready to make official proclamations on retirement, agent says, Tampa Bay Times, 29 January 2022: Tom Brady to retire? National reports say yes, Bucs say hold on, Los Angeles Times, 29 January 2022: What we know about Tom Brady’s future amid reports about his retirement, Tampa Bay Times, 29 January 2022: ‘We are all so incredibly lucky’: Twitter reacts to news of Tom Brady’s possible retirement, NFL, 1 February 2022: Tom Brady officially announces retirement from NFL after 22 seasons, NPR, 1 February 2022: Tom Brady announces his retirement from the NFL, CNN, 1 February 2022: Tom Brady announces he’s retiring, USA Today, 1 February 2022: Tom Brady makes it official: Announces via social media that he is retiring from NFL after 22 seasons, France24, 1 February 2022: Superstar quarterback Tom Brady confirms retirement after 22 NFL seasons, The Guardian, 1 February 2022: NFL: Brady retires after 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl victories) and Wikipedia American Football (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.