This Game, Football

 Two teams of 11 players each
 Played on rectangular field, 120 yards with goalpost
at each end
 Offense attempts to advance football down the field
by running or passing
 Must advance 10 yards in four downs to continue
 Defense attempts to stop the advances
 Most points are scored by advancing the ball into the
opposing team’s endzone

American Football

 Currently most popular sport as a whole
 Professional and college football the most
popular
 Other major levels are high school and youth
 National Football League (NFL) has highest
average attendance of any sport in the world
 NFL championship game, the Super Bowl, ranks
among most watched sporting even in the world

Popularity Percentages

50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Football
Baseball
Basketball

History of American
Football

 Evolved from rugby
 First American game of football played in 1869 between
Rutgers and Princeton
 Each team had 25 players
 The ball could only be kicked or batted with the feet,
hands, head or sides
 College play continued for several years, with rules
created
 In 1880 rule changes were introduced by Walter Camp,
who is now regarded as the “Father of Football”

Evolution of the Game

Adding the following made the game more
exciting and popular:
The “snap”
Downs
10-yard marks and the gridiron
appearance