The Who, What, Where, When and Why of Watching Professional Football

Author: Howard Becker

Who watches professional football?
That's easy. Just about everyone. Or, at least almost everyone. Men, women, children. Young people, old people. Teachers, doctors, lawyers, the family priest. People of all races and religions watch football. People of all sizes and shapes. Even the family pet has been known to watch a game or two. Each and every Sunday during football season, stadiums across the country are filled to capacity with thousands of people. Each and every Sunday, millions of TV viewers are tuned to the games.

What is professional football?
For those of you unfamiliar with the game, professional football is not just a bunch of grown men running back and forth down a field knocking the stuffing out of each other. Professional football is a game played by athletes who possess an unusual combination of both strength and speed. In what other sport do you see men weighing over 300 lbs. that run like the wind? Professional football is a game played with 11 players per side who move at tremendous speed, all working in sync with one another, unlike anything you will see in any other sport.

When do people watch professional football?
The NFL season actually starts in early August with Preseason games. These are games that teams play to get themselves ready for the Regular Season which begins in early September. During the Regular Season, games are played every week, with the majority of the games played Sunday afternoon. There is also a game played on Sunday night, as well as Monday night. In addition, later in the season, there are a few Thursday night games and a Saturday game. Lest we forget, Thanksgiving Day, where you now get to see, not one, not two, but three games! The Regular Season culminates with playoff games beginning in January which are played on Saturdays and Sundays and finally topped off with the Super Bowl Sunday.

Where do people watch professional football?
Anywhere there is a TV. At home, at a friend's house, at a restaurant, at a bar, at the health club, etc. Even your local Sears. Trust me, I know. And I guarantee, wherever there is a TV, there will be a crowd.
If you're really lucky, you'll get to go to the stadium and see the game in person. Depending on where you live, if you are in a cold weather city, better bundle up! But, it's all worth it. Why else would you see 60,000 fans doing it?

Why watch professional football?
Only because it's the greatest game ever! Think about it - why else would millions of fans tune their dials to the game every Sunday? And why would thousands upon thousands fill up stadiums across the U.S.? There must be something to this game, right?
I'm convinced that there are two kinds of people. Those that are already fans and those that want to be fans, but aren't yet because they don't understand football. And the reason they don't understand it, is because they've had nobody (or nothing) to really explain football to them. Granted, it does have a "lingo" all its own, but I guarantee, once you've come to learn it, you won't look back.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/the-who-what-where-when-and-why-of-watching-professional-football-581265.html

Football 101

Great visual explanation of how football is played in the NFL

Author: Howard Becker

For those of you who want to learn football and join this craze called the NFL (National Football League), this is for you. Here are some football basics to get you started:

• An NFL team has 53 players; some play on Offense (unit that possession of the ball and is trying to score); some play on Defense (unit that attempts to stop its opponent’s Offense from scoring) and some play on Special Teams (units that are on the field for kickoffs, punts and field goals)
• At any given time, a team has 11 players on the field
• The Offense attempts to advance the ball past its opponent's goal line and score touchdowns (worth 6 points) or move it into field goal range for its Kicker to attempt a field goal (worth 3 points)
• There are two type of plays - passing and rushing (running)
• An Offense has four plays (downs) to advance the ball at least 10 yards; if it does so, it maintain possession of the ball; if it doesn’t, it may have to give up possession to its opponent
• The amount of time a team has possession of the ball throughout the game is called its “Time of possession”; the longer, the better. This is critical, because if you don’t have the ball, you can’t score!
• When a team loses possession of the ball to its opponent, through an interception (throwing a forward pass that an opponent catches) or fumble (when the ball carrier loses possession), it commits a “turnover”. Turnovers can be the difference between winning and losing. Each time a team commits a turnover, it gives itself one less and its opponent one more opportunity to score
• Finally, when someone asks you the score of the game, remember to always say the name of the team that is winning or that has won first. For example, if the Bears are leading the Lions 14 - 10, say something like “The Bears are up fourteen to ten”, NOT “The Bears are winning ten to fourteen”. If the score is 10 - 0, say “It’s ten oh, Bears.” Notice the use of the word “oh”? If its 17 - 17, say “It’s seventeen all.” Notice the use of the word “all”? Get the idea?

For more football info, visit www.learnprofootball.com

www.everyonelovesfootball.blogspot.com

info@learnprofootball.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/football-101-581257.html

About the Author:

Howard Becker is a self-proclaimed “sports nut”, and has been a die-hard Chicago Bears fan for as long as he can remember.

During the professional football season, his Sundays are reserved watching his beloved Bears. When he’s not watching football, he’s usually talking football with friends. “I pretty much eat, breathe and sleep football during the season.” He never misses a score or statistic. “I’m just your average fan”, says Howard.

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