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This article is about American and Canadian gridiron football. Click here for soccer.

Introduction

Football is a game played almost exclusively in the U.S. and Canada, although it has some similarities to Rugby and other sports which are popular in other countries.

Football is truly a team sport due to its large team size: there are lots of specialized positions, and a team will field 11 players at a time with many others in reserve for specific plays and attack patterns. A full football team in a major league such as the American National Football League (NFL) will have as many as 45 players available in any game.

This article will focus on American football rules. Canadian football rules will be explained at the end.

How to Play

A game is divided into four 15-minute quarters. A team wins by scoring the most points by the end of a football game, and points are scored in two ways:
– Touchdowns: a player runs the football into the opposing team’s end zone at the far end of the field. 6 points.
– Field goals: a player kicks the football between the “uprights” (metal posts) in the end zone. 3 points.
Touchdowns also let the scoring team try to score a field goal immediately for another 1 point.

At the start of a game, possession of the ball is determined by a coin flip. The team with possession is the offensive team, which tries to advance and control the ball down the field while the defensive team tries to stop them. Play begins when the player in the quarterback position is “hiked” (passed) the ball, and ends when the offensive player with the ball is tackled to the ground or the ball is intercepted. Once the ball is “down” (dead), play ends.

The offensive team has four downs (chances) to advance the ball at least 10 yards, as indicated by the lines on the field. If the offensive team advances the ball and retains control, their position advances accordingly and they get another four downs to try to advance at least another 10 yards; this is commonly done by having the quarterpack pass the ball to a player in a good position down the field, but the ball can be carried forward if the quarterback does not have any good opportunities to pass.

How to Spectate

Despite having large teams with many different types of players, football is pretty simple to spectate – especially major league football like the NFL, where the production will focus on the action reliably.

Most of the action in a football game happens around the “line of scrimmage,” which is the line formed in front of the offensive team’s quarterback to protect him while he throws the ball to an open player down the field. If the defensive team can break through the line and “sack” the quarterback (tackle him before he can throw), then that’s the best outcome for them. The offensive team will do everything they can to protect the quarterback while still having enough runningbacks (players who run downfield and receive the ball from the quarterback) so the defensive team can’t block all of them.

The trade between having a wall around the quarterback and having a lot of runningbacks open downfield is what defines football’s offence. Too many protective players and the quarterback won’t have good options. Too many runningbacks and the quarterback will be sacked before he can throw.

Leagues

The American NFL is the premiere football league in the U.S. and one of the most widely watched sporting leagues in the world. The Canadian Football League (CFL) is Canada’s premiere league. Despite football not being as popular in Canada as hockey, the sport has a solid following there.

Football is so popular in the U.S. that there are several leagues below the NFL for people to play and watch. College football, organized through the National College Athletics Association (NCAA) is a common way for aspiring athletes to attend college or university via athletics scholarships. Many of these players dream of becoming professional players in the NFL, and talent scouts keep a close eye on NCAA football leagues to see emerging players.

Below the college level, high school football is a popular sport in both the U.S. and Canada. Sometimes senior players are scouted and offered scholarships, but at this level players are mostly there to stay in shape and have fun.

Trivia

Football has been under scrutiny in recent years for the amount of physical contact that its players undergo. Everyone on the team wants to be a tough guy who can shrug off hits, but taking too many hits to the upper body and head can have serious consequences. Concussions in particular are a source of long-lasting physical trauma among many players. In some cases, brain conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia can have early onsets due to frequent concussions.