We are well aware of the fact that for some people American football, symbolized by the NFL, is just as incomprehensible as slot games like Sizzling Hot Deluxe online. This is the most popular team discipline in the United States, which, however, does not have such great recognition outside the country. Therefore, we decided to take a look at what is worth knowing about this sport.
National Sport
It cannot be denied that American football is a ubiquitous force in American society. It is so loved that it is actually only known there as football. All over the world it is just football, so to distinguish it, it is referred to as American or Australian football. The Americans found their way anyway, because their kick is soccer.
For years, the highest level of play in the country and in the world has been the National Football League, in which 32 teams consisting of professionals only compete against each other. The NFL is the richest sports league in the world in terms of revenues, and its championship, the famous Super Bowl game, is usually watched by around 100 million people each year. When we talk about great salaries or contracts for players, tennis players, their sums pale in comparison to contracts signed by NFL stars. Contrary to the European competition, the NFL does not have a promotion and relegation system – there are always a selected number of teams playing there, and there are no lower leagues. These are replaced by college or high school level games. This is why footballers are already stars in schools, they easily get scholarships at the best universities, and at the same time the best of them are drafted by clubs from the league.
University football is also an important issue. Some universities’ stadiums can hold up to 100,000 spectators. It is here that we deal with different leagues divided into groups depending on the size and conferences based on geography.
The Rules of American Football
So we come to the rules by which you can understand this sport. Each American football field consists of 100 yards that are divided into 2 zones of 50 each. At the end of each side of the field there is a so-called “end zone”. When a player reaches the end zone with the ball, he scores a touchdown and 6 points for his team. At the rear of each end zone are goals similar to those found in rugby. If the opportunity arises, the team in question may try to kick the ball between the posts, which is also associated with 3 points.
The goal of the team is to reach the end zone with the ball to score points and have more points at the end of the match than the other team. A match lasts 60 minutes and is divided into four 15-minute quarters, with a longer break after 30 minutes. There are 11 players on the pitch. At the beginning of the match, it is drawn by lot which team will attack. Therefore, it starts the game and must score a touchdown. The team that started the game on defense will be the offensive side at the start of the next quarter. Attackers will gain 4 tries to make a touchdown. The opposing team’s task is to intercept the ball or knock down the competitor who is running with it. In each team, players have a designated role and position in both defense and attack play. 4 attempts are usually a rare situation. Teams can reset the number of tries, but then it is necessary to reach the required distance. When the attackers fail to achieve a touchdown or kick points, then in the same place they reached, the sides change and the defenders go on the offensive.
There are several other ways to earn points. Upon reaching a touchdown, attackers are immediately given the opportunity to score again. They have to choose whether they want to kick the ball through the posts very close for 1 point or try to reach the end zone very close again for 2 points. However, when the attacking team makes a mistake or offenses, they counterattack, then the opponent scores 2 points, known as safety.
