Football Today

One of the top sports in America, football has come a long way from the rebelling college students who wanted to play a different type of game. With the introduction of the television (which greatly increased football's accessibility to more parts of the United States) and the merger of the NFL and the AFL, football games became the most-watched television program. The ratings were as big as the profits. The titanic flood of fan interest generated billions of dollars by the 1990s. These enormous profits eventually trickled down to the players' salaries. If change was how football began, it is change that has kept the sport's popularity high. The rules governing football have continued to evolve throughout the years to generate fan interest. For example, rules enacted in the 1970s promoted the passing game while placing less focus on the running game. Passing became less risky, and the rule change altered the complexion of the sport. In 1994, a greater emphasis was drawn from field goals to the two-point conversion. The game of football will continue to evolve with the times and provide Americans and people all across the world with a fun and enjoyable athletic experience. History of Football In the beginning football as played in the United States was the same as soccer. That is, the ball was round, and running with the ball was not allowed. The first intercollegiate match was played between Princeton and Rutgers in 1869. Rutgers won, 6 goals to 4. Soon other colleges organized teams.Meanwhile, Harvard did not go along with the other schools. Players there preferred the "Boston game," in which a player could run with the ball. It was similar to rugby football as played in Canada. Harvard invited McGill University of Montreal to come to Harvard for two matches. The first was played under Harvard rules, and Harvard won, 3 goals to 0. The second game was played to a scoreless tie under McGill rules with the egg-shaped rugby ball. The new game, which allowed both kicking and running, soon became popular at other schools. Harvard defeated Yale, 4 goals to 0, in the first rugby match between two American colleges in 1875. A year later Columbia and Princeton joined Harvard in organizing the Intercollegiate Football Association and forming rules. These early rules provided that the game should be played by teams of 15 players each on a field 140 yards long. Yale wanted teams of 11 players and did not join the association until later when the rules were changed. Modern American football was beginning to develop. The ruby ball was adopted. But by 1880 the rugby style of play, starting with a scramble for the ball in a "scrum," followed by the players tossing the ball back and forth and friendly kicking a loose ball, had given way to the present style of play. In this, one team at a time has possession of the ball. In 1883 a scale of scoring values was first used. A safety was worth 1 point, a touchdown 2, a goal after a touchdown 4, and a goal from the field 5. After that the touchdown gradually became more valuable than the field goal and the goal after touchdown. Football of the late 1800's was a rough game. There were mass formations, such as the "flying wedge." These resulted in big pileups of players, who wore no helmets or padding in those early days. An alarming number of injuries resulted, and there was a general outcry to make the game safer. This led President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905 to call a meeting for the purpose of abolishing "brutality and foul play." As a result, in December, 1905, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association (now the National Collegiate Athletic Association) and its football rules committee were formed. Because of the rule changes that have been made through the years, football has become a better game for both players and spectators. Among the changes adopted by the rules committee in 1906 was the one that allows the forward pass. This marked a turning point in American football. Gradually the mass plays gave way to the open game of today. In 1912 the passing rules were changed to allow four tries, or "downs," in which to advance 10 yards, and the value of the touchdown was increased to the present 6 points. Modern football had begun. Many important people, including several presidents of the United States, have been connected with the sport. Woodrow Wilson was an assistant coach at Princeton. Herbert Hoover was manager at Stanford. Dwight D. Eisenhower was a halfback on Army's team. At Harvard, John F. Kennedy was a junior varsity back. And Supreme Court Justice Byron "Whizzer" White was an all-American quarterback at the University of Colorado and later a professional star.Today Football is the most popular of all high school and college sports in the United States. On Saturday afternoons all through the fall students flock to stadiums to cheer their favorite teams. For football is not only a great game to play... it's a great one to watch. Marching bands, acrobatic cheerleaders, and rousing school songs all add color to the game. Crowds of 60,000 ro 80,000 are not unusual at major college games or at professional games, which are generally played on Sunday afternoons