Two different rules, two different balls, two different sports; at first glance Rugby and American football seem to have very little in common, but in reality they actually have a lot in common. Many of the fans that declare allegiance to one sport seem to condescend and down the other. Perhaps that is because they are so similar that it is easy to declare that one is better than another. For example you would not say that basketball has a more efficient scoring system than baseball or vice versa, not because they are equal but because they are two different sports and are incomparable. But on the other hand two things very similar like Coca-Cola and Pepsi are competing constantly. If you were to compare Rugby and American Football the things that you would have to look at would be the history of the sports, the rules of the games, and the fans comments to each other.
The history of rugby comes from a somewhat strange but true story. A junior soccer player, while in game, picked up the ball and ran with it towards the opponent’s goal. This seemingly juvenile act sparked one of the world’s most popular sports; Rugby (Potter). The sport was a huge hit with youths at universities first. And only ten years after soccer had officially formed, Rugby had its own organization: The Rugby Union. Rugby then took off as an international hit. It went to many places such as Australia, New Zealand, Africa, France, and even America. Rugby players to this day are not paid nearly as much as other sports and most still have “Day jobs”, such as “lawyers, doctors and advertising executives” (Potter). American Football has its roots deeply invested in Rugby.
Football first came as a variation of the British rugby. When it first arrived in America i...
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... proven because the two sports are beginning to take hold in each other’s origin. The American Rugby team has been getting more and more popular and the NFL Europe has been getting a lot of publicity also. So instead of just attacking each other’s sport the fans should tune in to see the sport that they hate so much and maybe they will like it.
Works Cited
"Rugby, game." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2010): 1. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.
Potter, Matt. "A gentleman's game." In Britain 9.10 (1999): 54. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.
Madden, John. Heroes of Football The Story of America’s Game. New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 2006. Print.
"Football." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2010): 1. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.
Diffen. 28 March 2011. Web. 31 March 2011.
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 dollar yearly revenue. Playing football comes with great costs, including physical and mental health deterioration, plus the amount of time spent prepping before game day. Which can pose several questions, “Why suffer for a game, Is it worth the money? Is it worth the fame? How great is the cost?” I believe that football, should have stricter regulations for the treatment of injuries, along with informing players of just how devastating a concussion can be, along with the other major injuries that commonly occur while playing football.
The author covers the most prevalent groups and events relating to football. Some of them are pep rallies, marching band, cheerleaders / pep squads, spectators / ex-players, and the brains / farm kids / nobodies. The pep rally is a school-wide event,
Football is the most popular sport in the world. It is backed by a long history that's incomparable to other popular sports in the world like basketball, volleyball, and tennis. In fact, two of North America?s favourite sports in American football and rugby were created based on the game we call 'soccer'. So why is it that the original game of football is not as nearly as famous as in North American than any other countries outside our continent? A real good reason for this is because soccer doesn't have a great tradition in North America, unlike other sports such as American football, hockey, or basketball. Also, the cultural difference makes soccer less rampant in North America because many of us can?t seem to be patient enough to watch a sport with no frequent excitement. This mostly involves a preferred team scoring numerous times during a match. There are also plenty of other exciting sports that North Americans love to watch and play. Thus, soccer is put in the middle of the backseat of a crammed van, a place where nobody wants to be in or even pay attention to.
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. Surprisingly enough, one will find the most passionate football players at the high school level. Most boys will start their football career as a young child in football programs such as Pop Warner to get a foothold and to get those involved in teamwork and friendships. These programs are usually the start to someone falling in love with the sport and making it a career choice eight years later. Football is one of America’s favorite sports. When fall season comes around, people across America are placing bets, finding out where that new sports bar is, and buying wide screen T.V’s to watch NFL on Sundays. After their team plays, they will go out and reminisce what happened that Sunday. While thousands of fans are still pumped from the NFL games they watched; small towns across America are getting ready to shut down their shops and restaurants to have the chance to make it to the local high schools football game. Ray Glier, a reporter for the New York Times, writes about football in the small town of Appala...
American football for youth emerged as a social benefit in 1929 when Joseph J. Tomlin, of Philadelphia, organized the first competitive youth football league called the Junior Football Conference [1]. At the time, society was experiencing an influx in youth vandalism; thus, in response to the issue, Tomlin’s solution was to create a youth football league to get these idle youth off the streets and into an athletic
Silk, Michael. (2005, Nov 2). Week 9 Fall 2005: Star Spangled Sport: Nation, Culture & American Exceptionalism. Presented at a KNES 293 lecture at the University of
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.
Football is not a game but a religion, a metaphysical island of fundamental truth in a highly verbalized, disguised society, a throwback of 30,000 generations of anthropological time. (“Football Quotes, Great”, par. 12)
Football is said to have originated from the Han Dynasty in China, from around two or three B.C. Although there is no specific creator of Football, there is evidence that the Chinese ‘dribbled’ balls made of various different animal skins filled with light-weight materials. After dribbling the ball, they were to kick the ball into a small net. Along with being a leisure activity for the ancient Chinese, evidence has been found that they also used it for training their vast army, the only difference in the training was the height of the nets. The balls were to be kicked into a net that was thirty feet or higher off the ground in order to make the Chinese army ready to move and also to make them stronger in the legs. Since the Chinese played ‘Football’ there have been many advancements in the game around the world and the rules have also changed greatly.
Kanemasu, Yoko. "Rugby Is a Sport That Has given Fiji International Recognition. The Professionalisation of Rugby Has Led to a Growing Number of Elite Players Emigrating from Fiji." International Review for the Sociology of Sport. Dec2013, Vol. 48 Issue 6, P720-735. 16p (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
Football is known around the world but unfortunately not played. Football is an American based sport which ironically is played only in the United States, while soccer on the other hand is played all over the world. Another difference is the kit/protective gear used in playing. In football, Helmet, Shoulder/Chest pad/protector, upper leg padding and mouth guard are rightfully required while in soccer, Shin guards and Boots is all that is required. This is why Soccer is considered a gentleman 's sport played by beasts and Football is a beastly game played by
... from its most humble beginnings to now being the most viewed game and valued form of entertainment, the NFL and the Super Bowl have become a staple and reliable boost for our economy. Everyone knows about football and it is on pace to become, if not already, the most influential and dependent resource ever.
In the modern day United States the sport American football has become not only entertainment but also a tradition whether it’s watching the BCS college championship or watching the super bowl with the family. The sport of American football is unique to the United States and has grown and became iconic over the years and has become a part of many Americans lives. American Football was made in 1869 and was modeled after the sport of rugby. They took the basics of rugby and changed it to make it fit better for them. The game has changed over the years but it also affected many Americans as the tradition of Monday Night football has begun. The game has had problems with the United States government as it was said to be too dangerous to play, this lead to an upgrade in the equipment and they tried very hard to make the equipment well ensuring player safety throughout the sport.
Rugby is the true sport of men, because you wear no pads, and it is even more violent than football; however, football requires that you wear pads, thus being the true sport of want-to-be men.
12. No Christian End! The Beginnings of Football in America. Professional Football Researchers Association, 2012.