With the professional football season just about to begin, football “widows” everywhere will soon be ignored and / or cast aside, while their significant others turn into football “zombies”. You’ve no doubt hear the old expression, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em?”
And why not? With the millions of fans (women included) that football already has, there must be something to this game, right?
Don’t understand the game? Let’s face it, if you don’t understand something, you’re probably not going to enjoy it very much, and football is no exception. Bottom line….football really isn’t that complicated. Sure, it does have its own “lingo”. But learning football is no different than learning a new language and it takes time to learn. Tried asking your significant other questions about football? Forget it. Particularly when the game is on; you may as well be talking to the wall.
So where to start? How about with some of the following basics:
o An NFL (National Football League) team has 53 players; some play on Offense (unit that possession of the ball and is trying to score); some play on Defense (unit that attempts to stop its opponent’s Offense from scoring) and some play on Special Teams (units that are on the field for kickoffs, punts and field goals)
o At any given time, a team has 11 players on the field
o The Offense attempts to advance the ball past its opponents goal line and score touchdowns (worth 6 points) or move it into field goal range for its Kicker to attempt a field goal (worth 3 points)
o There are two type of plays - passing and rushing (running)
o An Offense has four plays (downs) to advance the ball at least 10 yards; if it does so, it maintain possession of the ball; if it doesn’t, it may have to give up possession to its opponent
o An Offense has 40 seconds (as indicated by the play clock) after the end of a play to start the next one, otherwise it incurs a penalty
o The amount of time a team has possession of the ball throughout the game is called its “Time of possession”; the longer, the better. This is critical, because if you don’t have the ball, you can’t score!
o When a team loses possession of the ball to its opponent, through an interception (throwing a forward pass that an opponent catches) or fumble (when the ball carrier loses possession), it commits a “turnover”. Turnovers can be the difference between winning and losing. Each time a team commits a turnover, it gives itself one less and its opponent one more opportunity to score
o Finally, when someone asks you the score of the game, remember to always say the name of the team that is winning or that has won first. For example, if the Bears are leading the Lions 14 - 10, say something like “The Bears are up fourteen to ten”, NOT “The Bears are winning ten to fourteen”. If the score is 10 - 0, say “It’s ten oh, Bears.” Notice the use of the word “oh”? If its 17 -17, say “It’s seventeen all.” Notice the use of the word “all”? Get the idea?
Continue (or start) to watch games. In particular, when watching on TV, pay attention to what is being said or shown. For example, if you see or hear the word “FLAG”, you will know that a player committed a penalty. Or, sometimes you will see the seconds ticking away on the play clock in the corner of your TV screen, indicating how much time the Offense has to start the next play. Remember, it has 40 seconds.
How about forming a “football club”? Women only, of course. You can watch the games together and pick each other’s brains. Remember, there’s safety in numbers.
Read whatever you can, i.e., on the internet, books, magazines, newspapers, etc.
Most of all, be patient! It’s not going to happen overnight. Trust me, in the end it will all be worth it.
And to further help out in this endeavor, please check out http://www.learnprofootball.com
Best of luck!
Howard Becker
Monday, October 13, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Why Is America So Fascinated With Football?
Thursday, October 9, 2008
One of the most popular team sports in the United States is football. Their version combines soccer and rugby and wasn't played until the nineteenth century. Millions of spectators and thousands of players participate in football games every year.
United States football has its own culture; in fact it's practically an institution. Most high schools have a football team, and it's the center of a great deal of attention. Students, parents, and other fans turn out in droves to watch the rivalries between schools. The homecoming game follows with a dance that is possibly bigger than the prom. Usually the most popular boy in school is the quarterback.
There is a complex set of rules that go along with football and for those who aren't enamored with the sport it can seem slow and tedious. However, strategy plays a huge part in the game, not just running and tackling your opponent. People spend years studying offensive and defensive strategies, and quite often not enough credit goes to the coach and his assistants, which play a huge role in getting a touchdown.
The first professional football game was played in Pennsylvania in 1895. Within a decade many colleges formed their own teams for football and apart from that many other teams also came up. The American Professional Football Association was formed in 1920 to give a fillip to the game. In 1922, the American Professional Football Association was converted into the National Football League.
Today professional football and the NFL are both very popular and the most well-known players are celebrities in their own right. One of the biggest television events each year is the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is essentially the finals for each season of football. It draws literally millions of viewers from across the country and plenty from Canada as well.
Television commercials are a big part of the draw of the Super Bowl game. The networks charge their advertisers millions of dollars for a few minutes of air time. The elaborate and star-studded half-time show is also a major event. Thanks to the recent "wardrobe malfunction" it will probably be more popular than ever.
Football is popular in the US due to a variety of reasons. No one particular reason can be attributed to its success. Many are of the opinion that the game is very violent and barbaric. Many people end up with injuries due to the brutal tackling methods of the game. Some find the anticipation as the most exciting part of the game. For the one who has been a football player, the strategy employed in the game is of paramount interest. Spectators also like the way players scream at the coaches for employing wrong strategies.
Football has turned into an attractive professional sport. It is as popular as baseball and hockey. Canadians play a different style of football which has slightly different rules from the one played in the US. But it is not as popular as it is in the US.
Football is introduced to many when they are just small children and it's not just a game for boys anymore. Girl's teams are sprouting up all over the place and are proving that any gender can play any sport, and play it well.
United States football has its own culture; in fact it's practically an institution. Most high schools have a football team, and it's the center of a great deal of attention. Students, parents, and other fans turn out in droves to watch the rivalries between schools. The homecoming game follows with a dance that is possibly bigger than the prom. Usually the most popular boy in school is the quarterback.
There is a complex set of rules that go along with football and for those who aren't enamored with the sport it can seem slow and tedious. However, strategy plays a huge part in the game, not just running and tackling your opponent. People spend years studying offensive and defensive strategies, and quite often not enough credit goes to the coach and his assistants, which play a huge role in getting a touchdown.
The first professional football game was played in Pennsylvania in 1895. Within a decade many colleges formed their own teams for football and apart from that many other teams also came up. The American Professional Football Association was formed in 1920 to give a fillip to the game. In 1922, the American Professional Football Association was converted into the National Football League.
Today professional football and the NFL are both very popular and the most well-known players are celebrities in their own right. One of the biggest television events each year is the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is essentially the finals for each season of football. It draws literally millions of viewers from across the country and plenty from Canada as well.
Television commercials are a big part of the draw of the Super Bowl game. The networks charge their advertisers millions of dollars for a few minutes of air time. The elaborate and star-studded half-time show is also a major event. Thanks to the recent "wardrobe malfunction" it will probably be more popular than ever.
Football is popular in the US due to a variety of reasons. No one particular reason can be attributed to its success. Many are of the opinion that the game is very violent and barbaric. Many people end up with injuries due to the brutal tackling methods of the game. Some find the anticipation as the most exciting part of the game. For the one who has been a football player, the strategy employed in the game is of paramount interest. Spectators also like the way players scream at the coaches for employing wrong strategies.
Football has turned into an attractive professional sport. It is as popular as baseball and hockey. Canadians play a different style of football which has slightly different rules from the one played in the US. But it is not as popular as it is in the US.
Football is introduced to many when they are just small children and it's not just a game for boys anymore. Girl's teams are sprouting up all over the place and are proving that any gender can play any sport, and play it well.
About the Article Author
About the author: Matt Ristman is the proprietor of Football is Best, the web's premier location when you're after accurate up to date advice and ideas about Football. For more articles on Football why not visit: www.footballbest.com/articles
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)