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The reform of American football

In the second half of the Harvard-Yale game of 1892, Harvard introduced the flying wedge — an interlocking offensive formation play devised by chess master Lorin F. Deland — which resulted in so many injuries to Yale players that it was outlawed the following season. In 1894, newspapers reported seven players carried off "in dying condition" in the Harvard-Yale game, and the two schools broke off all official contact including athletic competition for two years.

By 1900, American football had become infamous for serious injuries, as well as the deaths of a significant number of players. Interlocking formations and the practice of teammates physically dragging ball-carrying players forward had made the game extremely dangerous. Despite the introduction of some restrictions, 18 players were killed in 1905.

The death rate had resulted in national controversy and football was banned by a number of colleges. Although U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt reportedly liked the game, he informed the universities that it must be made safer. The President reportedly threatened that, if it were not made safer, he would campaign to outlaw the game.

Consequently, a series of meetings was held by 19 colleges in 1905-06. The meetings led to many restrictions on tackling and two more innovations: the first was the addition of a neutral zone between the scrimmage lines, with a requirement that at least six players from each team be positioned on them. The second was legalisation of the forward pass, a major deviation from the game's forebear of rugby. As an alternative means of opening out the play, Walter Camp had wanted to widen the field, but representatives from Harvard pointed to recently constructed Harvard Stadium, which could not be widened.

The meetings also led to formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States on March 31, 1906 (the foreunner of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA).

The changes did not immediately have the desired effect, and 33 football players were killed during 1908 alone. As a result, in 1910, interlocking formations were finally outlawed. The number of deaths and injuries gradually declined.

In 1912, football fields were reduced in width by 35 yards, the value of a touchdown increased to six points, and a fourth down was added, before possession would switch. The game had gained the main attributes of its modern form. One of the early professional teams, the Racine (Chicago) Cardinals, who began playing as early as 1898 as the Morgan Athletic Club and became fully professional by 1913, are the oldest consecutively-operated professional football club in the United States.

After 1912

In the early years of the 20th century, college football was the predominant form of American football. Innovations in strategy and style of play originated in college football and spread to the pro game gradually. It was not until much later that professional leagues surpassed the university football competitions in standing and influence.

Jim Thorpe, a two-time gold medal winner in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics and former college football star, began playing pro football in 1913, giving the pro sport its first legitimate star. In the 1910s, the most influential professional league was the Ohio League, dominated by the rivalry between the Massillon Tigers and Canton Bulldogs. Thorpe was eventually signed to play for Canton. In 1919, Curly Lambeau organized the Green Bay (Meat) Packers as a full-fledged professional team, funded by the Indian Packing Company. The Packers are the longest lasting professional football franchise in the same location in history.

Establishment of the NFL, 1920-45
1932 — the first ever NFL playoff game, played indoors at Chicago Stadium. The final result was Chicago Bears 9, Portsmouth Spartans 0.
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1932 — the first ever NFL playoff game, played indoors at Chicago Stadium. The final result was Chicago Bears 9, Portsmouth Spartans 0.

While attention in most areas was still paid to football at elite colleges, the professional game spread widely in the Midwest. In 1920, the first pro league, the American Professional Football Association, was founded, in a meeting at a Hupmobile car dealership in Canton, Ohio. The legendary Olympian and all-round athlete Jim Thorpe was elected president. The initial group of 11 teams, of which all but one were located in the Midwest, was originally less a league than an agreement not to rob other teams' players. In the early years, APFA members continued to play non-APFA teams. By the start of the 1920 season, the list of teams had grown to 14. They were:

* Akron Pros
* Buffalo All-Americans
* Canton Bulldogs
* Chicago Cardinals
* Chicago Tigers
* Cleveland Tigers
* Columbus Panhandles
* Dayton Triangles
* Decatur Staleys
* Detroit Heralds
* Hammond Pros
* Muncie Flyers
* Rochester Jeffersons
* Rock Island Independents


In 1921, the APFA began releasing official standings, and the following year, the group changed its name to the National Football League (NFL). However, the NFL was hardly a major league in the 1920s. Teams entered and left the league frequently. Franchises included the Oorang Indians, an all-Native American outfit that also put on a performing dog show.

Former college stars like Red Grange and Benny Friedman increasingly joined professional teams, and the pro game slowly began to increase in popularity. By 1934, all of the small-town teams, with the exception of the Green Bay Packers, had moved to or been replaced by big cities.

In the 1932 season, the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied with the best regular-season records. To determine the champion, the league voted to hold their first playoff game. Because of very cold weather, the game was held indoors at Chicago Stadium, which forced some temporary rule changes. Chicago won, 9-0. The playoff proved so popular that the league reorganized into two divisions for the 1933 season, with the winners advancing to a scheduled championship game. A number of new rule changes were also instituted: the goal posts were moved forward to the goal line, every play started from between the hash marks, and forward passes could originate from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage (instead of the previous five yards behind).

The NFL becomes dominant within football, 1945-59

By the end of World War II, in 1945, pro football had begun to rival the college game for fans' attention. The spread of the T formation led to a faster-paced, higher-scoring game that attracted record numbers of fans. In 1945, the Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles, becoming the first big-league sports franchise on the West Coast. In 1950, the NFL accepted three teams from the defunct All-America Football Conference, expanding to 13 clubs.

In the 1950s, pro football finally earned its place as a major sport. The NFL embraced television, giving Americans nationwide a chance to follow stars like Bobby Layne, Paul Hornung and Johnny Unitas. The 1958 NFL championship in New York — considered by many to be the most-important game in the rise of the NFL — drew record TV viewership and made national celebrities out of Unitas and his Baltimore Colts teammates.

Football achieves supremacy, 1960-90

The rise of pro football was so fast that by the mid-60s, it had surpassed baseball as Americans' favorite spectator sport in some surveys. As more people wanted to cash in on this surge of popularity than the NFL could accommodate, a rival league, the American Football League, was founded in 1960. The costly war for players which ensued, between the NFL and AFL, almost derailed the sport's ascent. In 1966, the leagues agreed to merge, with effect from the 1970 season. The 10 AFL teams joined three existing NFL teams to form the NFL's American Football Conference. The remaining 13 NFL teams became the National Football Conference.

In the 1970s and 80s, the NFL solidified its dominance as America's top spectator sport and its important role in American culture. The Super Bowl became an unofficial national holiday and the top-rated TV program most years. Monday Night Football, which first aired in 1970 brought in high ratings by mixing sports and entertainment. Rules changes in the late 70s ensured a fast-paced game with lots of passing to attract the casual fan.

The founding of the United States Football League in the early 80s was the biggest challenge to the NFL in the post-merger era. The USFL was a well-financed competitor with big-name players and a national television contract. However, the USFL failed to make money and folded after three years.

College football in the 21st century

College football remains extremely popular throughout the U.S. This is in part because professional teams are found only in major cities (with the exception of Green Bay) and because of long standing NFL rules requiring players to be at least three years out of high school before joining the NFL. The college form of the game is especially popular in parts of the country not in close proximity to such cities, for example in Oklahoma, Alabama and Iowa.[citation needed]However, the absence of a pro franchise does not necessarily indicate where the college game is most successful. For example, in Ohio, Texas and Florida — all states that have more than one NFL franchise — there are universities that also rank in the upper financial echelons of college football. This is also true in Louisiana, where the LSU Tigers, an extremely popular college team from Baton Rouge, play in fairly close proximity to the New Orleans Saints.

There is also no strong rivalry between the NFL and the NCAA, since there is enough TV and radio airtime for both. College football is dominant on Saturday, the NFL on Sundays.

Over the past quarter century, the University of Miami has had the most successful Division I collegiate football program, winning five national championships during this period; the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is the second most successful, with three national championships during this period. The University of Southern California, having been awarded the AP national championship and contending for the last two BCS championships, has been arguably the most prominent college football program in the 21st century.

American football spreads to other countries

Amateur leagues

The Japan American Football Association was founded in 1934 with three collegiate teams: Rikkyo, Meiji and Waseda.[19] By 1937, an allstar game involving teams representing eastern and western Japan, attracted over 25,000 spectators.

American football became popular in various countries after World War II, especially those in which there were large numbers of U.S. military personnel, who often formed a substantial proportion of the players and spectators.

In Japan, high school teams also began to appear. In the 1970s, the movement of players between Japan and the U.S. increased dramatically, along with greater exposure on Japanese television.

The first amateur clubs in Europe were formed in West Germany in the 1970s. The German Football League's first German Bowl was played in 1979, with Frankfurt winning. In Europe the use of experienced players from the USA or Canada, who had to wear a large "A" on their helmets, brought quick success, but hampered the development of local talent. No more than two or three "A" players were allowed on the field, and in countries like Finland, teams also had to provide a local quarterback. This helped the Finnish American Football Association win the European championships in the 1980s, over Great Britain and Germany, where US players often ran the offense in club games, but were not available for the national teams. However they could play for clubs that competed for the Euro Bowl. (See also: List of leagues of American football).

American Pro football outside the U.S.A.

Since 1986, the NFL has expanded into new markets and ventures with the American Bowl games, starting in London. In 1991, the league formed the World League of American Football. This turned into NFL Europe, a developmental league which now has five teams in Germany and one in the Netherlands. Franchises which started in other parts of Europe have moved to Germany over the years.

The NFL played a regular-season game in Mexico City in 2005 and for the first time, a regular season game will be played outside North America in 2007 when the Miami Dolphins play the New York Giants at Wembley Stadium in the UK. In 2003, The NFL lauched its own television channel on DISH Network, the NFL Network.

I don't think you understand our tradition. That is part of high school football. Oh, we go out and do our own little warrior dance thing, but it aint about how scary you look, it's about how hard you hit and how bad you can dominate your opponent. That dancing is frowned upon because it's considered showboating, and it makes us look stupid if we have bad game (or even a good one) Football, after all, is called the Gentleman's game.