Football (American)

Football, also known as gridiron, is a sport that is widely popular in the United States. It is a game played primarily with the feet, except for the times when it’s not.

History

The origins of football can be traced back to ancient times when cavemen would kick rocks around their caves for entertainment. However, it wasn’t until the late 1800s when American college students tried to create a less violent version of rugby, which failed miserably.

As the years went on, football became more and more complicated, with more rules, more pads, and more confusing hand signals from coaches on the sideline.

How to play

To understand how to play football, you must first learn about the positions:

• Quarterback: the person who throws the ball 90% of the time and is always the most handsome athlete on the team.
• Running back: the person who runs with the ball while trying to avoid getting tackled by large men.
• Wide receiver: the person who runs around a lot but only gets the ball thrown to them once every 10 plays.
• Offensive lineman: the person who blocks the defense from getting to the quarterback, which is a lot harder than it sounds.
• Defensive lineman: the person who tries to destroy the quarterback, which is a lot easier than it sounds.
• Linebacker: the person who tackles the running back and impresses all their friends with their cool dance moves after.

Once you know the positions, the rest of the game is simple: the offense tries to score points by running or passing the ball into the endzone, while the defense tries to stop them. If the offense succeeds, they celebrate with high-fives and chest bumps. If they fail, they blame the referee.

Fun Facts

• The Super Bowl is the most-watched TV event in the United States, except for that one time everyone binged watched “Tiger King”.
• The longest football game ever played was in 1971 and lasted over 7 hours due to multiple overtime periods. It’s rumored that halftime was just a nap on the field.
• While football is considered a “contact sport”, there are more injuries in cheerleading.

Conclusion

Football may have its flaws, like teams changing their name every few years, or the fact that the ball has to be a specific shape, but it is still loved by millions of Americans. So gather your friends, grab some snacks, and watch as a bunch of grown men run around a field trying to throw an egg-shaped ball. It’s the American way.