Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

214

Football

super bowl

The National Football league (NFl)

stages a spectacular championship

game between the winners of its two

conferences. This game, called the super

bowl, decides the NFl title and attracts a

large live and television audience worldwide.

FooTball Field

a football field is a rectangle 100 yd

(91 m) long and 53^1 ⁄ 3 yards (49 m)

wide, with yard lines marked across

its width every 5 yards (4.5 m). a

10-yard (9-m) end zone extends

beyond the goal lines. Goalposts

rise above each end zone, through

which the ball is kicked for a goal.

Yard

lines

equipmeNT

The oval-shaped football is usually

made of leather. its textured surface

and lacing along one seam help

players grip the ball. Football

is a contact sport and

the players need to be

protected from injury.

plastic helmets with face

masks protect the head,

while the body is protected

with special padding—shoulder

pads, hip pads, thigh pads, and knee

pads—all worn under the uniform.

dowNs aNd TouchdowNs

The offensive team has four plays to move the ball forward

10 yards (9 m), for a first down. each first down gives it

another four chances to move the ball forward. if a team

fails to make a first down, it loses possession. a player

who carries the ball into the opposing team’s end

zone makes a touchdown, worth six points.

plaYers

each team consists of 11 players. in professional

football, players specialize in offensive or defensive

positions. players on the offensive team include the

quarterback, running backs, wide receivers, offensive

linemen, and tight end. defensive positions include

defensive backs, defensive

linemen, and linebackers.

other players specialize

in kicking the ball.

hisTorY oF FooTball

Football probably originated from the english

game, rugby. soccerlike games were popular

at us colleges from the 1860s. after a visiting

canadian team brought rugby to harvard

university, players began to run and

tackle as well as kick the ball. in 1879,

Yale university coach walter camp

proposed new rules that led to the

development of the modern game.

The Game oF FooTball is a strategic battle between two teams as they try

to move a ball, by running with it or passing it, across the other team’s goal line

for a touchdown. The team with the ball plays offense; the team trying to stop them

by tackling or blocking the player with the ball plays defense. at the start of the

game, the offense begins an attack on the goal. if the offense is not able to move

the ball 10 yards (9 m) forward after four plays, the ball is given to the other team.

possession of the ball shifts many times during a game. before each play begins, the

teams face each other at the scrimmage line. The ball is passed to the quarterback,

who may hand the ball off to a teammate or make a longer throw to another player.

a typical game is divided into four 15-minute quarters, with many time-outs.

Body

padding

A scrimmage line

Helmet

Football

Football legend Jim Thorpe

played with the Canton,

Ohio Bulldogs.

Find out more

health and fitness

soccer

sports

End zone Goalposts

Each play usually begins when

the ball is snapped to the

quarterback, who may throw it

to a player farther down the field.

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