ORGANIZED FOOTBALL he word football can mean many things depending on where you are in the world In North America it means gridiron football The gridiron game which takes its name from the distinctive line markings on the playing field is a full contact game played primarily in the United States and Canada It is known for violent collisions high emotions and spectacular athleticism Gridiron football pits two teams against each other each trying to move a ball into the other team's goal The game evolved from rugby in the late 1800s and similarities between the two sports remain There are obvious differences in equipment and rules but the most impor tant difference the one that really began to separate the two sports is the forward pass which has been a part of football since 1906 IO
ORGANIZED FooTBALL but remains illegal in rugby The American version of football is played on other conti nents but the game has not established itself as a global sport FooTBALL IN THE UNITED STATES While baseball is traditionally regarded as America s national pastime football has Fans of the New Orleans Saints gather to cheer on their team during the 2007 NFC championship game Football is an immensely popular sport in the United States Chris Graythen Getty Images II
FooTRALL AND ITS GREATEST PLAYERS been for some time the country s most popular sport It draws larger television audiences than does any other sport and in parts of the country college games attract crowds that exceed 100 000 The champion ship game of professional football is the Super Bowl which is the biggest annual American sports event Football is a highly organized sport in the United States It is played at youth high school college and professional levels Various forms of recreational football also are very popular HiGH SCHOOLS AND CoLLEGES Football inspires passion at every level but nowhere is this more true than at high schools and colleges At these levels local teams are often an important part of the community The schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA are grouped into Divisions I II and III Division I which includes the major football powers is fur ther divided into two levels I A and I AA Most schools that meet Division I A criteria belong to a conference made up of eight to 12 teams Major I A schools that are not in a conference are called independents 12
ORGANIZED FooTBALL In high school football each state also has different conferences and divisions All of the states hold championship tournaments in each division and some states may have as many as eight divisions PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES There is only one major professional league in the United States the National Football League However the appetite for football in the United States is so great that rival pro fessional leagues have been attempted with mixed success The professional Arena Football League plays an indoor version of football RECREATIONAL FOOTBALL Recreational football has led to spin off ver sions of the game that are less violent and can be played without pads and helmets In touch football the player with the ball is tackled simply by being touched by an opponent Some teams play one hand touch football and others play a two handed version In flag football all the players wear belts with plastic or cloth flags attached The ballcarrier is considered stopped when an 13
