Why Is America So Fascinated With Football?

One of the most popular team sports in the United States is football. Their version combines soccer and rugby and wasn't played until the nineteenth century. Millions of spectators and thousands of players participate in football games every year.

United States football has its own culture; in fact it's practically an institution. Most high schools have a football team, and it's the center of a great deal of attention. Students, parents, and other fans turn out in droves to watch the rivalries between schools. The homecoming game follows with a dance that is possibly bigger than the prom. Usually the most popular boy in school is the quarterback.

There is a complex set of rules that go along with football and for those who aren't enamored with the sport it can seem slow and tedious. However, strategy plays a huge part in the game, not just running and tackling your opponent. People spend years studying offensive and defensive strategies, and quite often not enough credit goes to the coach and his assistants, which play a huge role in getting a touchdown.

The first professional football game was played in Pennsylvania in 1895. Within a decade many colleges formed their own teams for football and apart from that many other teams also came up. The American Professional Football Association was formed in 1920 to give a fillip to the game. In 1922, the American Professional Football Association was converted into the National Football League.

Today professional football and the NFL are both very popular and the most well-known players are celebrities in their own right. One of the biggest television events each year is the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is essentially the finals for each season of football. It draws literally millions of viewers from across the country and plenty from Canada as well.

Television commercials are a big part of the draw of the Super Bowl game. The networks charge their advertisers millions of dollars for a few minutes of air time. The elaborate and star-studded half-time show is also a major event. Thanks to the recent "wardrobe malfunction" it will probably be more popular than ever.

Why is football so wildly popular in the United States? Many people think its because of the game's violent nature. Tackles are hard and rough, many players end up severely injured. Also, many people find the anticipation quite exciting. Anyone who has played football at one time or another enjoys thinking up what strategy they would employ given the current situation. Yelling at the coach for a poor plan also seems to be a favorite of many spectators.

Watching football becomes more popular every year. Football games are at least as popular, if not more so, than baseball and hockey. Canadians also play football, but their rules are a bit different. For some reason though, Canadian football is not nearly as popular as the games in the United States are.

Children in the US are exposed to the game very early in schools. Even all girl teams are coming up in a big way and there is no gender restriction on the game. Anyone who loves the game can play it in America.

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About the author: Matt Ristman is the proprietor of Football is Best, a fantastic website to visit if you're looking for accurate up to date advice and discussion about Football. For more free articles on Football: visit: www.footballbest.com/articles
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