American Football
Published: | Updated:Simply called ”football” in the United States and Canada, it is a team sport where two teams of eleven players are playing on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. In this game, the offense and defense team is fighting for possession of the oval-shaped football.
American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of soccer and rugby. The first American football match was played on November 6, 1869, between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton, using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp, the “Father of American Football,” established the snap, the line of scrimmage, eleven-player teams, and the concept of downs.
Additionally, there are different types of football in America: High School football, College Football, and Professional football – NFL.
History
American football evolved from the sports of rugby and soccer. Rugby, like American football, is a sport where two competing teams compete for control of a ball. Players have to kick the ball through a set of goalposts or run into the opponent’s goal area to score points. In the early days, the teams consisted of 25 players per team. Players used a round ball and couldn’t pick up or carry it. They can, however, kick or batt with the feet, hands, head, or sides, with the objective being to advance it into the opponent’s goal. In 1873 teams joined and created standardized rules for use by all schools. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet (122 m × 76 m) were specified.
Field and equipment
Football has a rectangular field that measures 120 yards (110 m) long and 53+1⁄3 yards (48.8 m) wide. Lines marked along the ends and sides of the field are ”end lines” and ”sidelines”. Goal lines are drawn 10 yards (9.1 m) inward from each end line.
Duration and time stoppages
Football games last 60 minutes in professional and college play. And the game consists of two halves of 30 minutes and four quarters of 15 minutes. High school football games are 48 minutes in length, with two halves of 24 minutes and four quarters of 12 minutes. The two halves are separated by a halftime period, and a short break follows the first and third quarters.
Also, hames last longer than their defined length due to play stoppages—the average NFL game lasts slightly over three hours. The game clock measures time in a football game. An operator is responsible for starting, stopping, and operating the game clock based on the direction of the appropriate official.
American football is played with two teams of 11 players each. The objective of the game is to score points by carrying or throwing the ball across the opposing team’s goal line. The game is divided into four quarters, each lasting 15 minutes.
An American football field is 100 yards long and 160 feet wide.
A touchdown is when a player carries or catches the ball and crosses the opposing team’s goal line, scoring 6 points for their team.
A field goal is when a player kicks the ball through the opposing team’s goalposts, scoring 3 points for their team.
A team has four downs (or attempts) to advance the ball at least 10 yards. If they are successful, they receive another four downs to advance the ball another 10 yards.
The quarterback is the player who leads the offensive team and is responsible for throwing the ball to receivers or handing the ball off to running backs.
Each team has 11 players on the field at a time, with offense and defense taking turns.
A fumble occurs when a player loses control of the ball while in possession of it. The opposing team can then recover the ball and gain possession.
A penalty is when a player commits a violation of the rules, resulting in a loss of yardage, a replay of the down, or other consequences depending on the severity of the infraction.
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), played between the winners of the NFC and AFC conferences. It is one of the most-watched television events in the United States and attracts a large international audience as well.
