The 3 units of American Football In America, we have many popular professional sports leagues. Baseball, basketball, and hockey are among a few examples. None of those, however, are quite as popular as Gridiron, also known as American Football. It is a game that takes a combination of tactics, strategy, and athleticism to succeed; a unique combination found rarely in the sports world. Newcomers to sport, whether players or spectators, are often confused about the purpose of each unit in football, as well as the underlying positions in each of those units. This may lead to some disregarding or favoring a unit over another. This would be a wrongful conclusion, as the Offense, Defense, and Special Teams units, as well as the roles in each, are …show more content…
The offense is the main point scoring unit of a football game, and it also controls the flow of the game. The Offense is made up of 4 position groups, the quarterback, the running backs, the offensive line, and the receiving corps. The goal of these four groups is to facilitate the movement of the football into the enemy teams end zone for a touchdown. The quarterback group, with just one position in it, the quarterback, is responsible for passing the ball to eligible receivers, calling plays at the line, hand offs to the running backs, and managing game flow. A running backs job, whether a full or half back, is to advance the ball downfield on the ground after a handoff from the quarterback. Opposite in fashion to the running backs, is the receiving corps, consisting of wide receivers and tight ends. They move downfield to attempt to catch a pass from the quarterback. Finally, we have the offensive line, which is made up of two tackles, two guards, and a center, protect the quarterback from the defensive line attempting to sack …show more content…
There are 3 notable groups that are considered special teams, the kicking unit, the snapping unit, and the return unit. The kicking unit, has two players, the kicker and the punter. The kicker’s mission is to kick field goals for three points, kick extra points after a touchdown and kick the ball to the opposing team after a score. The punter’s mission is to kick the ball away to the opposing team on fourth down. The next group, the snapping unit, consists of both the long snapper, and the holder. The long snapper snaps the ball back to the kicker or punter, except during a kickoff. The holder holds the ball for the kicker during a field goal or an extra point. The last group is the return group. This is the opposing team that receives the ball during a punt or a kickoff. The player that catches the ball, called either a punt returner or a kick returner, attempts to advance the ball downfield for a
The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL was founded in 1920s and ever since then has been a representative of the "All-American, Family Entertainment, Sport". Football is played from kids starting at age five to adulthood and is very popular throughout different races and social classes. With the increase of people playing football, came the increase of the sports related injuries.
America’s newfound favorite pastime, football, came from a bizarre chain of events. Football started when a soccer player got fed up with just kicking the ball, so he picked up the ball and ran to the goal. His actions of picking up the ball and running with it fathered a new European sport, rugby, which was soon brought over to American shores, and was altered slightly, the shape of the ball and a few other small rules. The sport became organized into a league and produced the NFL(National Football League). The NFL had a slow beginning, but has picked up popularity, currently having a $9 billion yearly revenue.
He kicks it and the ball sails to the opposite end zone. The returner grabs ahold of the ball and takes off as fast as he can only hoping a hole opens up for him. He run and meets the first defender, the returner thinks on his feet and jukes him out climbing to the next level he keeps going forward. The returner takes a big hit and is knocked unconscious for a few minutes. The trainers come and check him and then he is carried off the field and back to the locker
Football has been defined as one of the most competitive sports in the world. There are many different levels of playing, such as flag, high school, college, and professional. Where most of the rules stay the same no matter what stage of playing you are at, some things do change. When coaching in flag football for little kids you won’t be making money, the players aren’t recruited, and you don’t have a set number of players for your team. When playing n college and in the National Football League (NFL) all of those things come into play.
Now don’t be confused on the word football, since I am not talking about “soccer” at all. Football which is otherwise known as the NFL or the National Football League, is an American based sport that involves thirty-two teams from cities all over the country that compete against each other through strategy and strength in order to reach one goal; to win the Super Bowl.
American Football is a huge spectator sport where offensive and defensive players will use teamwork and perseverance to try and score more points than their opponent. Football is highly respected in America, where boys will try and pursue the dream of playing in the NFL (National Football Association) someday; but if you look at an average neighborhood, you will find that kids and adults of all ages love to go out and throw around the pigskin. (Lerner and Lerner 275). One thing Americans will take pride in is the college and NFL football teams they root for. People sit down with a beer and talk hours upon hours of football and two individuals can get in a heated discussion in the local sports store of whose sports team is better.
When the discussion about how the United States is different from other countries comes up people are quick to say football, the American way, but more specifically the NFL. The NFL, which stands for National Football League, was birthed in 1922 after changing its name from the American Professional Football Association (NFL 2013). Since the birth of American football, fans and players raised the NFL to become the most popular sport worldwide. According to Isidore (2013), the NFL had a profit of $9.5 billion, the highest of all American professional sports. The profit, however, barely comes from sales produced by women merchandise.
Football can be traced by rugby and soccer. Walter Camp is the “Father of Football” (Bennett).The first American football game played in the 1860’s (Bennett). Football has a lot of history in the game. The rules are important to the game. The beginning of the National Football League is still going strong today. Strategies and formations of the game are important to study. Football is an aggressive sport and is one of the most played sports in the United States.
In America, football is no longer a sport but is engraved into our culture. According to SoftSchools.com, a website containing informative information on multiple subjects, The National Football League was established in 1920, quickly becoming the most watched sports league in the U.S. (“Football”). The league is composed of thirty-two teams, competing each year with the intent to play in the Super Bowl for a chance to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy (“Football”). The Super Bowl is the most watched television program in the U.S., averaging 113 million viewers each year (“Football”). With so many people watching this sport the annual revenue of the NFL is approximately nine billion dollars (“Football”). In contrast, baseball is considered to be the American sport, however, the annual revenue is only 7.2 billion dollars (“Football”). Football has now passed many sports in popularity in the United States being the favorite of thirty-five percent of all Americans (“Football”). The sport is appealing to many because the physical aspect to the game is exhilarating and keeps the fans entertained. However, the physical nature of the sport may cause the popularity but also can make the game dangerous.
Flag football is not only a great sport, but it is also getting exercise in without one knowing it. Flag football requires moving around all the time. It keeps cardio up and keeps one on the move. Running around with a football gets the players? legs moving and other players as well because they chase the football. Flag football keeps ones arms active. Throwing a football or catching it can help the players? muscles in their arms. Most players like using their arms and legs to play which makes flag football a popular sport.
There are three main energy systems used in a game of touch football which consist of the creatine phosphate (ATP PC) system, lactic acid system and the aerobic system. Each system plays a vital role during game play. Every muscle in your body requires energy to perform all movements, and to do this, the energy is produced by the breakdown of a molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is found in all cells which is a chemical form of muscular activity and performs mostly all functions in the human body. It contains 3 phosphate groups and adenosine. ATP is stored in the muscles and lasts for approximately 10-30 seconds. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins, are all producers of ATP from the food we eat; however Creatine Phosphate is also a high energy compound producer found in the cells. These three chemical reactions are conducted to continue muscular work. The first system used in a game of touch football is the ATP PC system. This system is stored into the muscles and used in short durations for up to 10 seconds and doesn’t not require oxygen therefore being anaerobic. ATP lasts approximately 3 seconds, and then Creatine phosphate (CP) will continue until all ATP PC energy is used up. The use of ATP is high intensity and would usually be used in a 50m sprint or a pass in touch. Once the CP energy is used up the body then switches to the lactic acid system. This is because of the breakdown of glucose, resulting in the production of lactic acid. The lactic acid system an anaerobic energy system, which lasts for approximately 30 seconds to 2 minutes, and is the conversion of glycogen to glucose. In relation to a game of touch football, the lactic acid system could be used during a quick wruck, as the movements required are a...
A common question asked is where American Football got its name even though it was played (for the most part) by hand. The answer for this is simple. When the game was first brought to the United States, it was nothing like the football we know and love today. The use of hands was minimal and it was an illegal play to throw the ball in a forward motion. At this time in History the extra point kick was worth six points in the late 1800’s and a touchdown only worth two. So as a result they named the game football because at this point kicking the goal was worth more points and were the main goal of the game. They were tempted to name the game something similar to the game it was made from, rugby, however they decided they would differentiate it by naming it something completely different.
First of all, the rules of football require one to equip himself with approximately twenty pounds of equipment, including a helmet, shoulder pads, and girdle pads. This is because football has the most contact involved out of all sports. In a football game, the norm is that the home team wears colorful jerseys and the visiting team wears white jerseys. Moreover, if a team’s offense is on the field, their defense is on the sideline. A team’s offense includes a center, who snaps the ball to the quarterback. The “QB” then has a choice to run with the ball, hand it off to a running back, or throw it to a wide receiver. The quarterback has an offensive line to protect him from the assailing defense. If a teammate happens to score a touchdown, he earns his team six points, which allows for the kicker to kick an extra point, and give his team a total of seven points. However, if the offense fails to travel at least ten yards within four attempts, or “downs,” they have the opti...
The goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands, while it is in play and then only in their penalty area. ’’Outfield players mostly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may use their head or chest to strike the ball as an alternative. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is equal at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time or a penalty shootout depending on the format of the competition. The laws of the football game were initially classified in England by The Football Association in 1863.’’
American Football is not merely a sport, its a culture. In the south football is in some ways a lifestyle. From the rivalries to the championships its truly one of the most exciting sports to have ever been created. This is why I love it so much, it is much more than just a game it has a much deeper meaning to it. From the outside looking in, many people do not fully realize the impact it has on each and every player throughout its history. Football has made me who I am today.