Gridiron football

Gridiron football is a family of team sports that started from rugby football and is mainly played in the United States and Canada. The most famous version is American football, played with 11 players in the United States, while Canadian football, played with 12 players, is popular in Canada. There are also other versions like arena football, flag football, and games played for fun such as touch and street football.

These sports began in the 19th century from older games related to association football and rugby football. The first recorded game was played between Harvard and McGill Universities in 1874. Over time, both American and Canadian football grew and shared some rules with each other.

What makes gridiron football special are the hard plastic helmets, shoulder pads, the forward pass, the system of downs, and unique positions. Players measure distances in yards, and the ball is a distinctive brown leather shape with pointed ends. The international governing body for the sport is the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).

Etymology

The sport is usually called "football" in the countries where it began, like the United States and Canada. In Europe, people often say "American football" because the word "football" there usually means association football ("soccer").

Sometimes, both American and Canadian football are called "gridiron football." This name comes from an old way of marking the field. Early fields had many lines running across and down the field, making a pattern like a grid. This looked like a cooking gridiron. Later, the game changed to use different lines, but the name "gridiron" stayed. In Australia, American football is also called "gridiron" or "American football," because "football" there usually means Australian rules football or rugby league. The group that oversees American football in Australia is Gridiron Australia.

History

Gridiron football started from informal games played in North America in the 1800s. These early games had different local rules and were similar to modern rugby union and soccer. The first known game happened at University College on the University of Toronto's St. George campus in November 1861.

In the 1860s, university teams began playing each other, which led to more uniform rules and the start of college football. While many U.S. schools used soccer rules from the English Football Association, Harvard University kept its traditional style of play. Meanwhile, McGill University in Montreal followed rugby union rules. In 1874, Harvard and McGill played two games using each other's rules. Harvard liked McGill's rugby-style rules and started using them. These rules were then used when Harvard and Yale University played their first intercollegiate sports game in 1875. After that, Yale and Princeton University also began playing this style of game, and it spread to other U.S. colleges.

American football teams later introduced new rules that made the game different from rugby. Important changes were led by Walter Camp, such as the line of scrimmage and the system of downs. In 1906, the forward pass was allowed, letting the quarterback throw the ball forward. Canadian football stayed closer to rugby for many years, but players in the western provinces wanted to adopt American-style changes. Over time, Canadian football added more American rules but kept some old features, like a 110-yard field, 12-player teams, and three downs instead of four. Around the same time, the Burnside rules helped shape the modern rules of Canadian football.

Versions

American football is the most well-known type of gridiron football. It uses eleven players and is played on a 100-yard field. The main professional league is the National Football League (NFL), and college teams follow rules set by the NCAA. There are also special versions like sprint football for lighter players.

Canadian football is mainly played in Canada. It uses twelve players and is played on a slightly longer field. It also has a special scoring play called a "single."

There are many other versions of the game too. Some use fewer players, like nine-man or six-man football, often played in small towns. Indoor football uses smaller fields and special rules. Flag football replaces tackling with pulling a flag from the player carrying the ball. Touch football and backyard football are informal games played for fun. There is also wheelchair football for players with mobility challenges, and women's American football, which follows the same rules as the men's game.

Professional leagues

The top players in the NFL earn some of the biggest salaries of any athletes around the globe.

Collegiate leagues

Comparison of codes

Gameplay

Main article: List of gridiron football rules

Gridiron football is a team sport where two teams try to score points by moving the ball toward the other team's end zone. The game starts with a coin toss to decide which team will kick the ball or receive it. Players line up on opposite sides of the field, and the kicking team sends the ball to the other team, who can catch it and run with it or let it stop.

Once the ball is kicked, play from scrimmage begins. The team with the ball, called the offense, tries to move it closer to the other team's end zone. The other team, the defense, tries to stop them. The offense can run with the ball or throw it forward to a teammate. The play ends when the ball carrier is tackled, goes out of bounds, or a forward pass is not caught.

If a team breaks a rule during play, the other team gets a penalty, usually losing a few yards of field space. Teams have a limited number of tries, called downs, to move the ball ten yards. If they succeed, they get another set of downs. If not, the other team gets the ball.

Scoring points happens in a few ways. A touchdown is worth six points and happens when the offense gets the ball into the opponent's end zone. After a touchdown, the team can try for one or two more points with a try. A field goal is worth three points and is kicked through the opponent's goalposts. If a team commits a foul in its own end zone, the other team gets two points called a safety.

The game is split into four quarters, with a halftime break in the middle. The team with the most points at the end wins. If the score is tied, there are special rules to decide the winner, but pure sudden-death overtime is no longer used. Games usually last over three hours because of breaks and stoppages.

Injuries

See also: Health issues in American football

A study from 2017 looked at the brains of players who had passed away. Many players from different levels of the game, like the NFL, CFL, college football, and high school football, were found to have a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Besides this, players often hurt their legs, arms, and lower backs while playing.