American football

“Football” before the 19th century referred to any number of ball games played on foot. The rules of these games differed from one another, some allowing the use of hands “running games”, others forbidding it “kicking games”. One legend tells that the football game rugby, American football’s ancestor, was invented when an Englishman grew tired of the no hands restriction, picked the ball up, and ran. Out of an interest to enforce the rules of the game the other players tackled the fellow. So much fun was this diversion that running football games were born. Whether this is true or not is unknown, but what is known is that football does have its origins in the games played by pre-colonial European peasants.

The first vestiges of what would become American football are found in the 19th century in the games played by students at the elite schools and universities of the United States. A particularly violent running game was played at Princeton University circa 1820. There is some degree of debate over what constitutes the first American football team. Maybe, it was a running, kicking, or hybrid version of the game. English rugby became the root of Canadian football, which is important for it later had a large influence on American football’s development. But American football closely resembled soccer in the sense that a team scored goals instead of touchdowns and throwing or running with the ball was not allowed.

American football developed a reputation as a high injury and high mortality sport. This was in part due to lack of protective gear and the use of interlocking defensive formations, as well as a tendency for teammates to drag ball-carrying players forward to gain extra yards. Then began a period of reform through which was developed a neutral zone between scrimmage lines. The forward pass, a distinct break from rugby and a signature of American football, was also legalized at this time.

In 1920 the first professional football league was established. Professional football came to compete with college football for a fan base around the end of the Second World War.

Both college and professional football remain popular to this day, watched nation-wide by fans on Saturdays and Sundays respectively. Thanks to careful rule changes and additions over the years the game is now more fast-paced and less injurious to players than at any other point in its history. So popular, in fact, is American football among spectators that the game has spread across the globe to Mexico, Europe, and even Japan, where it continues to flourish and evolve.

Tasks:

I. 1). Learn the active vocabulary:

· ancestor,

· vestige,

· injury,

· mortality,

· protective gear,

· scrimmage,

· for a fan base,

· “running games”,

· “kicking games”

· fast-paced.

Дата добавления: 2015-08-03