Football, the most popular sport in the USA, is becoming more and more popular around the world every year. Football is only rivalled by baseball in terms of its popularity in the US. According to an independent survey of US residents, football has become the number one sport. This leap took place for the first time in 1972. And to this day, the sport continues to hold its position as a leader.
History of origin
Football’s origins can be traced back to the development of rugby and classics like English soccer. In 1823, in the county of Yorkshire in the town of Rugby, a sixteen-year-old William Webb Ellis broke the rules while playing football – a player grabbed the ball for the first time and, holding it in his hands, ran. So in the middle of 1823 a new American game – rugby, named after the city with the same name, appeared.
In 1869, New Brunswick, New Jersey, saw a meeting between teams from two universities – Princeton and Rutgers. The teams played a new American game that was a cross between football and rugby. Football became an independent sport only at the end of the 19th century. And already since 1960 this sport has become the most popular sport in the USA. Now you can follow the latest football news at https://espn-news.com/category/football/.
What is football?
Football is a team sport which involves playing a special kind of ball. The aim of the game is to advance the ball on the opposing team’s side of the field towards the in-goal (end zone), while earning points. You can pass the ball, throw it to your teammates or carry it in your hands.
There are several ways to score points in football:
- carrying the ball into the scoring area;
- passing to the scoring area;
- scoring the ball into the goal (right between the posts).
The team with the most points during all playing time wins the game.
Before the game starts, both teams line up opposite each other, near the line where the ball is placed. Then the centre passes the ball back between the legs to another player from their team, who starts a further attack on the opposing team’s field of play. There are only two ways for players to move the ball on the pitch:
- a player runs with the ball in his hands (this player is allowed to pass the ball to other members of his team);
- a player throws the ball (this “pass” may only be given once during the game).
A goal is a goal scored between the posts above the crossbar. A maximum of eleven players from each side may be on the pitch at any one time. Each team may substitute players between periods of play. The referee signals an infringement of the rules. In doing so, the referee throws a yellow flag onto the pitch. Offences of various kinds are punished by moving the ball a certain number of yards to one side or the other.
If you like to follow sporting events and are interested in different sports, you should follow popular sports websites. For example, you can use https://espn-news.com/category/mlb/. Here you can find a lot of useful information about different sports.