Football is a sport in which two teams of eleven players kick a ball, or more accurately, a round ball, around a field. The object of the game is to score more points than your opponent. To do this, your team has to pass or kick the ball into the opponents’ end zone. There are several ways to score a touchdown, including running the ball into the end zone, kicking a field goal, or making a safe pass to a receiver.
Football is played on a rectangular grass field, usually 100 yards long and 50 yards wide. The pitch is marked with yardage lines. A goalpost is also located on one side of the field. If the ball crosses the goalpost, a touchdown is scored.
In the beginning, football was played mostly by children, especially in China. Eventually, it spread to England, Europe, and South America. At the turn of the century, large crowds would watch a variety of matches, often with 30,000 people or more in attendance. It was also an excellent way to increase cardiovascular health.
The first Football association was formed in London in 1863. Initially, the game was divided into association football and rugby. Various rules were created. One of the more notable achievements was the creation of a “line of scrimmage” similar to the offside line found in many codes. Similarly, a “huddle” was introduced in the 1890s. But, it wasn’t until the advent of the modern day NFL that the “big leagues” really got underway.
The best way to describe football is to say that it’s a game of two teams with eleven players each, and is played on a field measuring 100 yards. Each team has to move the ball 10 yards before they reset the count. After this, the offensive team has four chances to score a touchdown.
For a while, football was a British fad. This was due in part to the fact that many working class people were required to work over twelve hours a day. Industrialization made it easier to work, but at the same time reduced leisure time. As a result, a number of workers began to play organized games of football.
In the mid-19th century, football was a popular leisure activity among many of Britain’s working classes. The game was also popular with the elite. Several clubs paid the best players to join their ranks.
Although the game was popular, it was also extremely dangerous. In fact, the game was banned by King Edward III of England in 1363. Other idle games were banned by the king, namely cockfighting and coursing. He cited the “great noise in the city” as the reason for his ban, but did not specify which particular activities were prohibited.
There are a host of other games that are more or less related to football. However, in spite of the various variants, it remains the most popular and most watched sport in the U.S.