American Football Facts

Football has long been one of America's greatest pastimes, from watching the local high school duke it out on the field with some rivaling school to a sudden spontaneous match between friends on a warm Sunday afternoon. The stadiums are always packed as fans converge to watch their favorite teams contest for the winner's cup. With roots going back almost to the beginning of American history there are many fun facts which can be gleaned just from reading a short article on Amercan football.

For example:

- American football is closely tied with soccer, known to the rest of the world as simply football. Indeed American football can be traced back to the beginnings of rugby football as well as soccer.

- The first professional contract was in 1892 when William Heffelfinger agreed to play for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittspurgh Athletic Club for $500.

- Now known as the National Football League, the non-profit organization for American football was formed in 1920 and at that time was called the American Professional Football Association.

-With over 90 million viewers, the NFL Super Bowl is easily the most-watched televised event in America.

These are only a few of the facts available, just the very tip in a large mountain of trivia and knowledge. The information available is widespread, from statistics and names to the history of how the NFL, and American football, was formed in this country. There is no end to the amount of data, found in every corner in every format imaginable, presented by the professional spokesperson, reporter, or ad company, or just compiled by the average fan.

Some of the facts can be rather surprising and funny. Some examples are:

- The Chinese sometimes refer to the game as “olive ball” because the oddly-shaped ball reminded them of an olive.

- The network recording of the first Super Bowl was lost due to it being taped over, allegedly for a soap opera.

- Surpassed only by Thanksgiving, Super Bowl Sunday is the nation’s largest day for food consumption, with pizza being the most popular food, that week also topping the charts for the highest consumption of pizza.

American football is easily the most popular sport in the U.S; no other sport has ever come close to reaching the popularity of this spectator game, followed by casual fans and die-hard enthusiasts alike.