American Football

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American Football (simply football in the U.S.) is a professional sport played predominantly in North America. The objective of the game is to score points by carrying the football into the opposing teams end zone. This can be done by running the ball past the end line (a running play), or passing the ball to a teammate inside the end zone (a passing play). Points can also be scored by kicking the ball between the goalposts at either end zone. Football is easily the most-viewed spectator sport in the United States, far surpassing baseball.[1]

For the sake of consistency, the sport being discussed will only be referred to as "football" for the rest of the article. Clarification will be given as needed.

Rules

As with all popular sports, football has a well-codified set of rules. These are mostly to promote safe gameplay, prevent serious injuries, and keep the game fair.

Field

A standard football field (note the hash marks running horizontally down the field).

American football is played on a field that is 120 yards long by 53.33 yards wide. The last 10 yards of each end of the field are known as end zones. The longer (120 yd) boundary lines are known as "sidelines", while the shorter (100 yd) boundary lines are known as "end lines". Two sets of hash marks run horizontally down the field, and every play starts with the ball on or between the hash marks. A player must carry the ball into (or catch a ball while within) the end zone in order to score a touchdown, worth 6 points.

At the back of each end zone are two vertical "goal posts", standing 18.5 feet apart. These are connected by a crossbar approx. 10 feet from the ground. After a touchdown, the scoring team may attempt a Point After Touchdown (PAT), where a player attempts to kick the ball through the posts. If successful, the team gains an extra point. Additionally, a team may attempt a field goal at any time (usually on a 4th down), though this is rarely attempted if the distance from the goal posts is more than ~35 yards. If successful, this kick is worth three points, though the other team gets possession of the ball regardless of the outcome of the kick.

Players

Each team may have exactly 11 players on the field at any given time, meaning a total of 22 players will be present on the football field during a play. Players are required to wear certain grades of helmets, shoulder pads, thigh/hip pads, and knee pads while playing on the field.

Advancing the Ball

The team with possession of the ball (the offense) is given four attempts (called downs) to advance the ball 10 yards down the field. If the ball is moved at least ten yards during these four attempts, the offense is given a first down, meaning that they have another four chances to move the ball 10 yards (the downs are cumulative; for example, if the offense moves the ball three yards on the first down and five yards on the second down, they only have to move it two yards over the next two downs to gain a first down) If the offense fails to move at least 10 yards over four plays, the opposing team is given possession of the ball.

The yard line on the field where the ball is located is known as the line of scrimmage. The offensive players must line up on the line of scrimmage facing the opponents end zone, while the defense must be behind the line of scrimmage with their backs to their own end zone.

Every play begins with the teams facing each other on the line of scrimmage, and the players may move once the ball is snapped (removed from the ground) by the center. The center usually snaps the ball between his legs to the quarterback, who may take one of several courses of action;

Typical offensive/defensive positions at the start of a play. The offensive positions are represented by blue circles, and the defensive positions are in red.
  • The quarterback may hand the ball off to a rusher (usually a fullback, halfback, or runningback), who will attempt to run the ball down the field as far as they can before being stopped by the defense.
  • The quarterback may opt to throw the ball to a receiver (usually a wide receiver or tight end) who is already several yards down the field. Once the receiver catches the ball, he may continue to run until brought down by a defensive player. If the receiver does not catch the ball, it is called an incomplete pass.
  • The quarterback may spike the ball at the ground to stop the game clock, at the expense of a loss of a down.
  • The quarterback may run the ball down the field himself; this option is usually unwise, as an injury to the quarterback can be destructive to an entire team for the whole season.

The play ends when the referee's whistle is blown. The whistle can be blown for several reasons;

  • The ball carrier is tackled (his knee touches the ground) by members of the opposing team. The location of the ball when the carrier touches the ground is used to determine the amount of yards gained by the offense.
  • A forward pass hits the ground or flies out of bounds before being touched. This is an incomplete pass.
  • The ball carrier steps out of bounds.
  • The offense carries the ball into the endzone, or kicks a field goal.

External Links

References

  1. Super Bowl XLI Viewership Report