Gridiron football
Gridiron football (/ˈɡrɪdaɪərn/ GRID-iren),[1] also known as North American football,[2] or in North America as simply football, is a family of football team sports primarily played in the United States and Canada. American football, which uses 11 players, is the form played in the United States and the best known form of gridiron football worldwide, while Canadian football, which uses 12 players, predominates in Canada. Other derivative varieties include arena football, flag football and amateur games such as touch and street football. Football is played at professional, collegiate, high school, semi-professional, and amateur levels.
These sports originated in the 19th century out of older games related to modern rugby football, more specifically rugby union football. Early on, American and Canadian football developed alongside (but independently from) each other; the root of the game known as "football" today originates with an 1874 game between Harvard and McGill Universities, following which the American school adopted the Canadian school's more rugby-like rules.[3]
Over time, Canadian teams adopted features of the American variant of the game and vice versa. Both varieties are distinguished from other football sports by their use of hard plastic
The international governing body for the sport is the International Federation of American Football (IFAF); although the organization plays all of its international competitions under American rules, it uses a definition of the game that is broad enough that it includes Canadian football under its umbrella, and Football Canada (the governing body for Canadian football) is an IFAF member.
Etymology
The sport is typically known as simply "football" in the countries where it originated, regardless of the specific variety.[4] Various sources use the term "North American football" when discussing the American and Canadian games together, but this term is quite rare.[5][6][7][8]
The two sports are also sometimes known as "gridiron football". The ball would be snapped in the grid in which it was downed on the previous play. By 1920, the grid system was abandoned in favor of the system of yard lines and hash marks used today.
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF), uses "American football" inclusive of Canadian football and other varieties.[12]
In Australia, American football is often referred to as "gridiron" or (in more formal contexts) "American football", as "football" usually refers to Australian rules football, rugby league or rugby union, similar to how association football is usually called "soccer" in Australian English. The governing body for American football in Australia is Gridiron Australia.
Similarly, in the UK American football is known as American football, as "football" is used to refer to soccer.
History
The sport developed from informal games played in North America during the 19th century. Early games had a variety of local rules and were generally similar to modern
Later in the 1860s, teams from universities were playing each other, leading to more standardized rules and the creation of
American football teams and organizations subsequently adopted new rules which distinguished the game from rugby.
Versions
- American football is the most common and widely known of these sports. It was originally more closely related to rugby, until various rule changes created by Walter Camp were implemented in 1880, such as the system of downs, and the two sports diverged irreversibly after the forward pass was introduced to the American game in 1906. It is played with eleven players to a side, four downs and a 100-yard (91 m) field. The major professional league, the National Football League (NFL), has its own rule book. College football programs generally play under the code defined in the NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations. High schools generally follow the rules and interpretations published by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), although some states follow the NCAA code for high school play. Youth games (below high school age) generally follow NFHS code with modifications. Adult semi-pro, alternative and minor professional, amateur, touch, flag, etc. may follow any one of these codes or use their own rules. While the vast majority of the game is the same among these three codes, subtle variations in rules can lead to large differences in play. Many of the differences are in penalty enforcement and the definitions of fouls.
- Canadian football is played almost exclusively in Canada. Like its American cousin, it was originally more closely related to rugby, until the Burnside rules were adopted in 1903 (as such, despite their similarities, the modern American and Canadian forms of football were developed separately from each other); the forward pass was adopted in Canada in 1929. The game is played on a 110-yard (100 m) field, has three downs, and twelve players to a side. The Canadian game also features a one-point "single" (formally called a "rouge") for a ball kicked into or through the end zone and not returned by the receiving team. Like the American game, the Canadian Football League and U Sports both have their own rulebooks, although there are generally fewer differences than between their American counterparts.
- offensive linemen, and an 80-yard (73 m) field. These games are generally based on the high school rulebooks, which have an addendum devoted to the play of these codes, and are generally played by teams from high schools with very small student bodies, usually in rural areas of the United States. Similar small-roster versions of Canadian football are played in rural Canada.
- James F. Foster's proprietary version, arena football, debuted in 1986, and set most of the standards for indoor leagues today. As almost all indoor leagues are for-profit professional leagues, each league has its own proprietary code.
- Flag football is a variant of American football where, instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier ("deflagging") to end a down, and contact is limited between players. The specific rules of flag football vary widely by the league, though all share in common their replication of the rules of traditional American football with tackling replaced by flag-pulling. The international governing body for the sport is the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).
- Sprint football (or lightweight football) is a variant of American football with nearly identical rules but with added restrictions on the maximum weight and percent body fat of players on the field, emphasizing speed and agility over raw size at all positions. It is played at a small number of colleges and universities, mostly in the northeastern United States.
- Touch football, wheelchair football, and backyard football are informal varieties of the game, played primarily at an amateur and recreational level. No specific rulebooks are universally recognized for these variants, where house rules usually apply.
- earned notoriety for its indoor, seven-on-seven variety of women's football with minimal protective equipment and uniforms resembling women's underwear; the Lingerie Football League was later reorganized and renamed Extreme Football League. Informal and amateur varieties of female-only games such as Powderpuff, also exist. Given the popularity of gridiron football in North America yet the rarity of female-only teams at the high school level and above, female players have also played on men's teams on rare occasions.
Professional leagues
League | Country | Sport | Founded | Teams | Revenue US$ (bn) |
Average attendance (2023) |
Average salary US$ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
National Football League | United States | American football | 1920 | 32 | 14.0 | 69,528 | 2,700,000 |
Canadian Football League | Canada | Canadian football | 1958 | 9 | 0.2 | 22,505 | 89,000 |
United Football League | United States | American football | 2024 | 8 | 14,433 | 50,000 | |
Indoor Football League | United States | Indoor football |
2008 | 16 | 3,500 | ||
Arena Football League | United States | Arena football | 1986 (2024) | 16 | |||
American Indoor Football | United States | Indoor football | 2005 (2023) | 7 | |||
National Arena League | United States | Indoor football | 2016 | 8 | 2,450 | ||
Fan Controlled Football | United States | Indoor football | 2021 | 8 | 3,200 | ||
Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional
|
Mexico | American football | 2016 | 8 | 2,000 | 600 | |
X-League (X1/X2/X3) | Japan | American football | 1971 | 18/18/17 | 55,000 | ||
European League of Football | Europe | American football | 2021 | 17 | 3,200 | 6,300 |
The best NFL players are among the highest paid athletes in the world.[19][20]
Collegiate leagues
League | Country | Sport | Year founded |
Divisions | Teams | Promotion/relegation | Average attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NCAA | United States |
American football | 1906 | 4[a] | 664 | No | 27,142 (Div. I)[21] |
Flag football | 2025 | 1 | 5 | No | |||
NAIA | United States | American football | 1940 | 1 | 95 | No | |
Flag football | 2021 | 1 | 23 | No | |||
NJCAA | United States | American football | 1938 | 2 | 50 | No | |
CCCAA | United States | American football | 1929 | 1 | 67 | No | |
U Sports | Canada | Canadian football | 1961 | 1 | 27 | No | 3,370[22] |
ONEFA | Mexico | American football | 1978 | 1 | 22 | No | |
CONADEIP | Mexico | American football | 2010 | 1 | 12 | No | |
JAFA | Japan | American football | 1934 | 1–5 | 220 | Yes | |
KAFA | South Korea | American football | 1945 | 1 | 39 | No | |
BUAFL | United Kingdom | American football | 2007 | 3 | 83 | Yes | |
CSFL | United States | Sprint football | 1940 | 1 | 9 | No | |
MSFL | United States | Sprint football | 2022 | 1 | 8 | No | |
NCFA | United States | American football | 1940 | 1 | 27 | No |
- ^ While the NCAA is formally split into three divisions, the top tier, Division I, is itself split for football only into the Football Bowl Subdivision and the Football Championship Subdivision.
Comparison of codes
Code | Traditional season |
Field length |
End zones |
Field width |
Player count |
Line of scrimmage |
Downs | Line to gain |
Forward motion before snap |
Goal posts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
American | Fall Winter |
100 | 10 | 531⁄3 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | No | At back of end zones 181⁄2 (NFL and college) to 231⁄3 (high school) ft. wide |
Canadian | Summer Fall |
110 | 20 | 65 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 10 | Yes | On goal lines 181⁄2 ft. wide |
Indoor |
Spring | 50 | 8 | 281⁄3 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 10 | Yes | At back of end zones, 9 to 10 ft. wide Rebound nets on sides optional |
6-man | Fall | 80 | 10 | 40 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 15 | No | At back of end zones 231⁄3 wide |
Play of the game
This is a minimal description of the game in general, with elements common to all or almost all variants of the game. For more specific rules, see each code's individual articles.
Prior to the start of a game, a
At this point,
If any illegal action happens during the play, then the results of the previous play are erased and a penalty is assessed, forcing the offending team to surrender between five and fifteen yards of field to the opponent. Whether this yardage is measured from the original spot of the ball before the play, the spot of the illegal action, or the end of the play depends on the individual foul. The most common penalties include false start (when an offensive player jumps to begin the play before the ball is snapped, a five-yard penalty), holding (the grabbing of a player other than the ball carrier to obstruct their progress; a ten-yard penalty against offensive players and a five-yard penalty against defensive ones), and pass interference (when either a receiver or the defending player pushes or blocks the other to prevent them from catching the pass). A team on offense cannot score points as the direct result of a penalty; a defensive foul committed in the team's own end zone, if the penalty is assessed from the spot of the foul, places the ball at the one-yard line. In contrast, a defensive team can score points as a direct result of a penalty; if the offense commits a foul under the same scenario, the defensive team receives two points and a free kick. In all other circumstances (except for the open-ended and extremely rare unfair act clause), a penalty cannot exceed more than half the distance to the end zone. If the penalty would be less advantageous than the result of the actual play, then the team not committing the penalty can decline it.
In order to keep play moving, the offense must make a certain amount of progress (10 yards in most leagues) within a certain number of plays (3 in Canada, 4 in the United States), called
If the team in possession of the ball, at any time, advances (either by carrying or catching) the ball into the opponent's end zone, it is a
points (rules vary by each league, but under standard rules, a field goal on a try is worth one point while another touchdown is worth two). At the college and professional levels, the defense can also score on a try, but only on the same scale (thus a botched try the defense returns for a touchdown scores only two points and not six). Kickoffs occur after every touchdown and field goal.If a team is in its own end zone and commits a foul, is tackled with the ball, or bats, fumbles, kicks or throws the ball backward out of the field of play through the same end zone, the defense scores a
After a try, safety or field goal, the team that had possession of the ball goes back to the middle of the field and kicks the ball off to their opponent, and play continues as it did in the beginning of the game.
Play continues until
At all adult levels of the game, a game is 60 timed minutes in length, split into four 15-minute quarters. (High school football uses 12-minute quarters, and the general rule is that the younger the players, the shorter the quarters typically are.) Because of the halftime, quarter breaks, time-outs, the minute warnings (two minutes before the end of a half in the NFL, three minutes in Canadian football), and frequent stoppages of the game clock (the clock stops, for example, after every incomplete pass and any time a ball goes out of bounds), the actual time it takes for a football game to be completed is typically over three hours in the NFL[23] and slightly under three hours in the CFL.[24]
Injuries
According to 2017 study on brains of deceased gridiron football players, 99% of tested brains of
Other common injuries include injuries of legs, arms and lower back.[26][27][28][29]
See also
- American football in the United States
- Comparison of American and Canadian football
- Concussions in American football
- Football (word)
- Glossary of American football
- Glossary of Canadian football
- Health issues in American football
Citations
- ^ a b "Gridiron football". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- ^ Jack Brimberg and William Hurley (2006). "Strategic considerations in the coaching of North American football". International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing. From International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, Volume 1, Number 3, pp. 279–287.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8122-3627-9.
- ISBN 978-0-8032-2630-2.
Canadian.
- ISBN 978-1-4832-8007-3.
- ISBN 978-0-313-35081-8.
- ISBN 978-0-470-43893-0.
- ISBN 978-0-7867-3884-7.
- ^ The Library of Work and Play: Outdoor Sports and Games by Claude H. Miller. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1911
- ^ "Gridiron, n. (3.e.)". Oxford English Dictionary. 1989. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- ^ Matt, Kohl (2017). "Pigskin and gridiron: notes on the American Football lexicon". oed.com. Oxford University Press. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ^ "IFAF Statutes 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 12, 2017.
- ^ A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ "Camp and His Followers: American Football 1876–1889" (PDF). The Journey to Camp: The Origins of American Football to 1889. Professional Football Researchers Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
- ^ Bishop, LuAnn (18 November 2013). "11 Historic Tidbits About The Game". Yale News. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
- ISBN 978-0-7868-6710-3.
- ISBN 978-0-7735-1120-0.
- ^ "100th Grey Cup - Toronto - Grey Cup History Timeline 1900". Archived from the original on 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2015-01-18. History of the Grey Cup
- ^ "The World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2020". Forbes.
- ^ "The making of Patrick Mahomes, the highest-paid man in sports history". Sky Sports.
- ^ "2018 Football Attendance" (PDF). NCAA. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 18, 2019.
- ^ http://forums.cfl.ca/other-leagues-and-entertainment/15/2013-cis-attendance-figures/87461/ [dead link]
- ^ Pelissero, Tom (March 24, 2017). "Exclusive: Roger Goodell says changes coming to quicken NFL games in 2017". USA Today. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ "CFL pass interference replay hasn't been a problem". Profootballtalk.com. March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
- ^ "BU Researchers Find CTE in 99% of Former NFL Players Studied". Boston University. 26 July 2017.
- S2CID 21829142.
- ^ "Common Aches, Pains, and Injuries You Can Expect From Playing Football". Verywell Fit.
- PMID 31245431.
- ^ "10 Common Football Injuries". Revere Health.
Bibliography
- "Gridiron football". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- "Gridiron comes to Australia". From 7:30 Report. Retrieved on 2007-10-09 from 7.30 Report - 4/8/1999: Gridiron comes to Australia.
- Encyclopædia Britannica (2009). Britannica Almanac 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. p. 978. ISBN 978-1-59339-839-2. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- Carlisle, Rodney P. (2009). Encyclopedia of Play in Today's Society, Volume 1. SAGE. ISBN 978-1-4129-6670-2.
- Funge, Noel (2000). An Australian Dictionary for North Americans. General Store Publishing House. ISBN 978-1-894263-22-1. Retrieved October 20, 2010.