Football, American, distinct type of football that developed in the
United States in the 19th century from soccer (association football) and rugby
football. Played by professionals and amateurs (generally male college or high
school teams), football is one of the most popular American sports, attracting
thousands of participants and millions of spectators annually. The forerunner
of American football may have been a game played by the ancient Greeks, called
harpaston. In this game there was no limit to the number of players. The object
was to move a ball across a goal line by kicking, throwing, or running with it.
Classical literature contains detailed accounts of the game, including its
rougher elements, such as ferocious tackling. Most modern versions of football,
however, originated in England, where a form of the game was known in the 12th
century. In subsequent centuries football became so popular that various
English monarchs, including Edward II and Henry VI, forbade the game because it
took interest away from the military sport of archery. By the middle of the
19th century football had split into two distinct entities. Still popular
today, these two sports included the football association game, or soccer, and
rugby, in which players ran with the ball and tackled. Modern football evolved
out of these two sports.
The football playing field is
rectangular in shape, measuring 100 yd (91.4 m) long and 53.5 yd (48.9 m) wide.
At both ends of the 100-yard dimension, white lines called goal lines mark off
the entrances to the end zones. Each team defends one end zone. A team must
carry, pass, or kick the ball into the 10-yd (9-m) end zone on the opponents'
half of the field to score. Lines parallel to the end zones cross the field at
5-yd (4.5-m) intervals. These lines give the field a resemblance to a large
gridiron. Another set of lines, known as the sidelines, runs along both sides
of the field. In addition, two rows of lines, called hash marks, run parallel
to the sidelines. The hash marks are 53 ft 4 in (16.3 m) from each sideline in
college and high school football, and 70 ft 9 in (21.6 m) from each sideline in
the National Football League(NFL). A
game of football is divided into four periods, known as quarters, each consisting
of 15 minutes of playing time. The first two periods constitute the first half;
the second two comprise the second half. Between the halves, a rest period,
usually lasting about 15 minutes, is permitted the players, who may leave the
field. The teams change halves of the field at the end of each quarter. The
clocks stop at the end of each quarter and at certain other times, when
particular events occur or when designated by the officials.
Football is played by
two opposing teams, each fielding 11 players. Each team tries to move the ball
down the field to score in the end zone defended by its opponents. During a
football game the teams are designated as the offensive team (the team in
possession of the ball) and the defensive team (the team defending a goal line
against the offensive team). Players involved in kicking situations are known
as the special teams. The 11 players of the offensive team are divided into two
groups. To protect themselves from the
often violent bodily contact that characterizes football, players wear
elaborate equipment, including lightweight plasticized padding covering the
thighs, hips, shoulders, knees, and often the forearms and hands. Players also
wear plastic helmets with guards that cover most of the face.
American football was made
popular by teams representing colleges and universities. These teams dominated
the game for most of the first 100 years of football in the United States The
Super Bowl is the final contest of the professional season and determines the
league's annual champion. Currently the Super Bowl routinely finishes among the
all-time top 50 programs in television ratings, and the 1994 game reached an
estimated 750 million viewers around the world. Now probably the most important
single-day sporting event in the United States, the Super Bowl had more modest
beginnings. In 1967 the champions of the American Football League and the NFL
met in what was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The name was later
shortened to Super Bowl, named after a child's toy, the Super Ball. In this
first game, the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10. The Los
Angeles Coliseum, site of the game, fell far short of a sellout, although
tickets were only $10 each. In comparison, the highest ticket price at the 1994
Super Bowl reached $250, with scalpers illegally charging more than twice that
much.
