American football is a sport known worldwide, yet it is primarily played in only one country. The first game was played on November 6, 1869, between Rutgers University and Princeton University. During this match, they used rules from the London Football Association. To score, you had to kick the ball between two posts; however, these early versions did not have the crossbar that we see today. You were unable to throw the ball or carry it, but players could strike the ball using either their hands or feet in order to move it towards the goal. The game was less about strategy and more about two giant, unorganized mobs of 25 men charging at each other. Rutgers won the first game 6-4 but, in a rematch a week later, Princeton won by using “the kick,” which proved that strategy was important. Rutgers, Princeton, Yale, and Columbia tried to solidify the game under these soccer-style rules, but Harvard refused to join them. Harvard played what they called the “Boston Game,” which allowed a player to pick up the ball and run with it as long as he was being chased. Searching for an opponent, McGill University in Montreal stepped forward.
In May 1874, McGill came to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to play two intense matches that would play a major role in shaping the future of American football. The first game was played under “Boston” rules, while the second used McGill’s “Rugby” rules. The difference was that in McGill’s version, they used an oval ball, tackling, and a “try,” which is similar to a touchdown and is still used in modern-day rugby. Everyone loved the new style. It was more physical and required more skill. The oblong ball also made it easier for players to carry and control. Harvard began spreading these new rules, and in November 1875, Harvard faced off against Yale under a set of “Concessionary Rules” that were really just rugby. Walter Camp, a freshman at Yale, and George Fitch from Princeton realized how much more exciting it was to watch this new game instead of the old kicking one.
Walter Camp later went on to transform the game so it was more predictable and strategic; his changes gave him the title “Father of American Football.” He adapted rules from rugby and, throughout the 1880s, he changed them. He took the scrum — which in rugby is when the two opposing teams push against each other to kick the loose ball to gain possession — and made it so that the team in possession is the one to put the ball into play. This allowed coaches to use pre-planned plays for the first time in history. In rugby, once the ball is pushed to the back of a scrum, it is flicked back by a center using a snap-back, which gets the ball off the ground into the hands of a back. Camp created the quarterback as the official person to receive the ball. Using hands for the snap eventually became standard in 1913, allowing for the high-speed exchanges seen in games today.
The game played against Yale and Princeton was the opposite of high speed. Neither team wanted to lose the ball, and there was no rule saying you had to move the ball, so for the first half of the game, Princeton held onto the ball without attempting to score so they wouldn’t lose. Camp decreed that a team had to advance 5 yards in 3 downs or forfeit the ball. This rule later changed in 1912 to 10 yards in four downs. Lines were painted onto the ground to help referees measure the five yards; these lines created the gridiron. He reduced the size of teams to eleven, with seven linemen and four backfield players, including the quarterback, two halfbacks, and a fullback. The new version was loved by everyone, but it took a dramatic turn in 1905.
In 1905, the forward pass was introduced; something so simple would end up saving lives. At the time, football used mass-momentum plays. Without being able to pass forward, the best way to move the ball was to group players close together and smash into the defensive line. One of the most famous plays was known as the “Flying Wedge.” This was performed by players creating a V-shape by locking their arms together and charging at full speed toward a defender. This caused 18 deaths in 1905 alone and over 150 serious injuries. The tragedies caused public outrage, with people demanding the sport be banned entirely. A supporter of the game, President Theodore Roosevelt, loved the sport; his son played for the Harvard freshman team but struggled with tremendous injuries. He gathered the coaches of the “Big Three” (Harvard, Yale, and Princeton) at the White House. He told them that they needed to fix the brutality of the game or he would put an executive ban on the sport.
In 1906, 62 colleges came together to create the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (which became the NCAA in 1910) following President Roosevelt’s request. They introduced the forward pass. Many people hated the pass, causing the first rules about it to be very strict. You couldn’t throw a pass over the goal line, and you needed to be at least 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage to throw it. If a pass was incomplete, it meant a 15-yard penalty or a turnover. They ensured the pass would be used by changing the requirement to 10 yards in 3 downs until the fourth was added in 1912. They created a neutral zone so that the two teams needed to stand a ball-length away from each other, preventing concussions and scrum-like collisions. These rules helped shape the modern form of the sport, creating the game many people know and love today.
The sport was originally played by colleges, but slowly a professional league was formed. In 1920, the American Professional Football Association, which was later renamed the National Football League in 1922, was created in a car showroom in Canton, Ohio. In the 1960s, a rival league known as the American Football League (AFL) was challenging the popularity of the NFL. Eventually, in 1970, the two leagues merged to create the modern-day Super Bowl format. The game is still trying to expand globally. It is trying to shed its “U.S.-Only” title in three major ways. The Global Markets Program (GMP) is essentially an expansion by NFL teams. The NFL assigns certain countries to teams. In these countries, their goal is to build long-term fanbases. They don’t just play games, but host clinics, open retail stores, and sell media rights. Another attempt is introducing flag football to the Olympics. This version of the sport is easier to play, with over 20 million people playing in over 100 countries worldwide. There are hopes of seeing NFL stars suiting up to play in the first Olympic flag football match at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. This will bring more global attention to the game by giving fans a way to watch the sport without going out of their way. The final attempt at expanding is known as The International Series. England used to be the only country outside of the United States to host NFL games. The league is now trying new cities to see if it sparks excitement. In 2025, there will be a record seven games played outside of the United States in countries such as Brazil, the UK, Ireland, Germany, and Spain. Perhaps one day the Super Bowl itself will be played on international soil.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gridiron_football
