History of Football
Football (American Football) started in the eighteen century and has its
origins in the English game of Rugby and Soccer. The first football game
was played between the universities of Princeton and Rutgers in 1869 and
at that time each team had 25 players.
By 1880 Walter Camp who was a coach at Yale University reduced the
number of players to 11 and came up with the quarterback position
and the system of downs. Football played at that time was extremely brutal
and violent often leading into injuries and even death. This led to the
game being banned by many colleges and it looked liked a start for the
demise of the game. President Theodore Roosevelt urged Harvard, Princeton
and Yale to revive the game and at a meeting of these schools and sixty
others the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was formed.
The rules of the game were derived from the NCAA guidelines.
The first professional football game was played between two teams from
Pennsylvania and gradually many professional teams were formed which led
to the formation of the American Football Professional association in 1920.
The NFL was formed when the American Professional Football Association
was reorganized in 1922. With the formation of the NFL the rules of the
game were changed and the rules of professional football were derived from
the NFL.
The game of football is a national pastime in the United States and it
has come a long way since it was once played. At the end of each season
the Super Bowl is played to determine a national champion. The Super Bowl
is one of the most watched events in the United States and has been commercialized
to an extent with commercials footing a part of the bill and entertainment
ranging from artist performances to college bands.
