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The sport of football is viewed by many as one of the most exciting and greatest sporting event of all. There are many reasons to believe this. Forms of football have been around for centuries. The history of modern football can be traced to the nineteenth century, where it has been developed from forms of soccer and rugby. (Encarta) Also, Football is one of Americas and the worlds most exciting and most popular sports, attracting millions of spectators every year.
Its biggest event, the Super Bowl, brings in millions of viewers each year. Football also has some of the greatest athletes and role models in the world. The impact that these people have had on America and the world has been incredible. These athletes work almost year round to make sure that they perform their best on game day. The teams that these athletes also play on are idolized and worshipped by many. If these teams did not exist, then millions of fans would be able to enjoy the game they love.
The roots of football go back to the days of the ancient Romans and Greeks. (Encarta) The Greeks played a version of football called, harp aston, which there was no limit of players. (Encarta) The object of harp aston was similar to that of modern football. Points were awarded when a player would cross a goal line by either kicking the ball, running with it across the goal line, or throwing it across the line to another player. Most modern versions of football are believed to have originated from England in the twelfth century. This game became so popular in England that the kings of that time, Henry II and Henry IV banned football. (Encarta) They believed that football was taking away interest from the traditional sports of England, such as archery. By the nineteenth century, football was split into two different sports. One of the versions is called soccer, which is amazingly popular around the world.
The other version of the game is called rugby, which resembles modern football more closely. In rugby, the players would run and use their hands to maneuver the ball while in soccer; hands are not to be used except for the goalie. That is why rugby is related to modern football more closely. As the new millennium has begun, the rules of football have changed greatly. Instant replay is being used again, which enables coaches to challenge questionable calls that a referee might make. The Playing field measures 120 yards in length and 53. 3 yards in width. (Encarta) At each 100 -yard line, there is a large white line that marks the endnote.
The end zones are the areas of the playing field where most of the points are scored. In order to advance to score points, a team must advance 10 yards to gain a first down. A team has 4 tries or downs to advance the ball before they either have to punt the ball away or try for a field goal or try to get a first down. A field goal is worth 3 points and a touchdown is worth 6. Then the teams can try for an extra point or go for 2 points.
The length of a quarter in a professional football game is 15 min. There are 4 quarters in a professional football game. If the game is tied at the end of 4 quarters, then the game goes into a 15 min overtime period. If both teams are still tied at the end of overtime, then the game ends in a tie but if the game is a playoff game, then the overtime periods continue until there is a winner. During the game, a team has a chance to stop the clock between plays. They can use time-outs, which stop the clock for 2 minutes.
A team has 3 time-outs per half that they can use. Other ways that the game clock might be stopped are for injuries, instant replay, or severe weather. The first professional football game took place in Latrobe, PA, in 1895, between a team from Latrobe and a team from Jeannette, PA. (Encarta) In the next few years, more teams were formed around the Pittsburgh area. In the beginning years of the game, public support was limited.
Many fans were new to the sport and did not understand the game. But as the years went by, leagues and more teams were formed. The first league of professional teams was the American Professional Football Association, which was formed in 1920. For a team to be in this league, a fee of one hundred dollars had to be paid. The teams were not allowed to use any players that still had college eligibility left. The teams were also not allowed to negotiate with other players from other teams.
Jim Thorpe became the president of this league in its first year. In 1922, the American Professional Football Association was transformed into the National football league or the NFL. In the old NFL, there were two distinct leagues. There was the American football league or the AFL. There also was the National football league or the NFL. In 1967, the champions of each league met in a championship game that was called the AFL-NFL World championship game.
The name was shortened to the Super Bowl due in part to the name of a childs toy football called a Super Ball. In 1970, the AFL and NFL merged together to form the NFL. There have been many rival leagues to the NFL, such as the USFL, or United States Football League, leagues in Canada, and even leagues in Europe. None of these leagues have even come close to the success that the NFL has had. The Super Bowl was started in 1967. The best teams in each league were to play each other in a game to determine the championship.
In the very first Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs battled the Green Bay Packers. The Packers, led by quarterback Bart Starr, won the game, 35 - 10. The Vince Lombardi trophy is given to the winner of each Super Bowl. In each decade, there were memorable Super Bowl games and Dynasties.
In the 1960 s the Green Bay Packers were the team to beat. In the 1970 s, the Pittsburgh Steelers were a team that had a dominating defense and a hall of fame QB in Terry Bradshaw. They had 4 Super Bowl victories in the decade. The 1980 s had the San Francisco 49 ers as the dominant team. They also had 4 Super Bowl victories.
In the 1990 s, one can argue that a number of teams were very dominant. The Buffalo Bills made a NFL record 4 straight Super Bowl appearances, but lost all of them. The Dallas Cowboys were also an intimidating team, winning 3 Super Bowls. Another main reason why football is so popular today is because of the professional teams that fans can watch and cheer on every season.
Some of the oldest teams that are still participating today are the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers. They have been famous for years. Also, Professional teams are organized near major cities, such as Philadelphia, Oakland, Dallas, Miami and San Francisco. (Silver 38) That is a key reason why football is so popular. Another reason why these teams are so popular are because of the players that play on these teams. Football players go through a grueling season that takes up most of the year. They must be physically and mentally tough.
Professional, college, and even some high school football players also have to deal with the media, which can be very stressful. (Layden 55) They sometimes have to sign autographs, hold press conferences, and hold meetings. That is a reason why football players are idolized. Besides these things that they do off the field, some of the things that are done on the field are amazing. Every season, records have the chance of being broken. But legends such as Dan Marino, Joe Montana, and Barry Sanders have accomplished some records that seem unbreakable. (Silver 39) New stars, such as Terrell Davis, Kurt Warner and Ricky Williams have the potential to break some of these records. These new superstars are also a way to keep football exciting because of the things that they have the potential to do and every year, new players enter the NFL via means of the draft, in which college players are selected by certain teams and their general managers.
These new players and the legends of football are one reason why football is such a great sport. As the future progresses, football is becoming a great sport not only in the United States, but also in other parts of the world. As new teams and leagues are formed, footballs popularity is spreading. Football teaches people skills such as teamwork, working hard, mental and physical toughness and courage. Hopefully football will continue to do the great things that it has done for millions of fans and players for centuries to come.
Bibliography: Football. Encarta Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Microsoft, 1999. Layden, Tom.
Special Team. Sports Illustrated. (December 6, 1999), 52 - 58. Silver, Michael. Last Hurrah.
Sports Illustrated. (December 13, 1999), 36 - 41.
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Research essay sample on National Football League Super Bowl
