The History Football: A Rough and Thrilling U.S. Tradition
by Ermiyas Abiy, age 8
Football is a very interesting sport and fun to play! Lots of people like football and you might like playing football too. However, let me warn you, it is a very rough game. Football's first-ever game was in 1865. Rules for college football were made two years later and the very first NFL game was played in 1895.
When a match is played, it starts with a kickoff. The kickoff team kicks the football to the receiving team. One player from the receiving team catches the ball and must run it to the other side of the field – but here is where the game can get physical. The kickoff team can do anything they want. They can tackle, throw down, or push the ball carrier out of the sidelines. When the football goes out of the sidelines, it is called out of bounds.
The grassy football field is in the shape of a rectangle and is 120 yards long. For a team to score a touchdown, they must bring the football to their opponent’s endzone on the other side of the field, where they score six points. But while going down the field they have four tries, known as “downs”, to move the ball at least ten yards. Both offense and defense teams have 11 players on the field. [Read More]