Receiver Julian Edelman uses his gloves to help snag a touchdown pass Spikes in the receivers shoes grip the turf helping them accelerate The quarterback drops back five steps and scans downfield He spots his favorite receiver in the end zone His arm muscles flex as he flings the ball in a fast tight spiral The ball's path takes an arc shape as it sails through the air 40 yards The receiver times his jump perfectly grabbing the ball out of the air
The high friction material used to make his gloves helps him pull in and secure the ball Touchdown Science technology engineering and math STEM play a role in all sports including football All of these concepts factor into success on the field Knowing STEM can give a team a winning edge SCORING IN A GAME OF INCHES Football is a unique sport It has twenty two players on the field also called the gridiron Eleven play offense and eleven play defense Positions are highly specialized Some players never touch the ball The game brings together a variety of skills Offensive linemen are big and strong to protect the quarterback from the defense Receivers are tall and fast and they make amazing catches Running backs have powerful legs to run through tackles Quarterbacks are agile with strong arms to make long passes Defenders tackle whoever has the ball Each player has a job to do as soon as the ball is snapped
The object of football is to advance the ball down the field and score as many points as possible while keeping the other team from scoring Points are scored by a player running into the end zone or catching the football there Teams also score by kicking the ball through upright posts in the end zone Football is sometimes called a game of inches There are a lot of examples of players missing a touchdown or field goal by just a few inches Such a small distance can make the difference between winning and losing In this game of inches players are always looking for any advantage to improve their level of play That's where STEM can help STEM ON THE GRIDIRON Because football has so many positions and types of plays many aspects of STEM are on display in every game Science helps players become more efficient with passing catching and running Physics and laws of
With so many players on the field at one time football players have a lot to keep track of during games motion determine the path the football takes when it's thrown kicked or fumbled Now more than ever technology is a big part of the game Players and coaches use tablet computers to review plays and formations during games Wireless
