Explain American Football To People From The UK
 

This is like a sister thread to the one Right-Track started because I was flicking through the TV and there`s a live game on & i`m totally baffled by it.
So hows about answering me a few questions.

Why do you need time outs when the play seems to stop every few seconds anyway?

From what I can see there are 11 players on the pitch , so what do all the other 90 odd on the sidelines do?Why do you need so many? Do players ever play in more than one position during a game?

Why is it called a touchdown when you don`t even have to touch the ball down like you do in rugby for example?

Why does the clock seem to stop & start at total random?

I`ve been watching about 10 minutes & not seen a single player kick a ball yet, so why call it football?

Why are you so obsessed with statistics? why is it important to know how many yards a player has thrown a ball forward all season?

Don`t you ever get bored of the endless commercial breaks in the middle of a game?

Don`t you think it would be more interesting if a player ran out of play with the ball that the opposition got possession instead of his own team , don`t you think that would add a little more skill to the game instead of just running out of play you`d have to make than little more effort to go further?

What consitutes a proper tackle , does he just have to knock the guy on the ground or does he actually have to hold him down till he can`t move?

lol you answered it your self, its a sport thats been bastardized by the american media. id much rather watch a rugby match

/\ Yes what urban wanted was a kiss-ass sell out responce that equates to baseline pandering. Come on man, don't be one of those "I wish I were brittish" kids. Don't hate yourself in 10 years.

Theres a whole **** ton of questions there man, let me take one.

Its called Football because it came over when futeball had no definitive rules and so carrying, kicking, throwing and passing were all legal by virture of no ruling made possible.

As I recall, the general rule in England was that you kicked it as we know UKfootball today, and was only cemented in law when someone just picked it up and ran down field.

Meanwhile stateside, the only reason football here is football here is because America at the birth of the nation was violently anti-british changing the spelling of words and the origin of like-oriented sports but not identical ones.

If you really want to know who decided that we'd carry it and wear pads and all that ****, You'll have to blame Harvard (I blame them for everything) becuase they are the ones who instutionalized it.

As a small adjunct, Soccer is called that because the name used to be some super ass long one like Socially Organized Football Leauge, and it went to Soc. Football, and then later, Soccer by what I can only speculate as Rob Schnider-esque "copy guy" morons.

Pretty or not, thats how it came to be.

sorry i dont like football, and i dont wish i was british.. i hva ebitish blood, but big deal, id rather live somewhere with mountains

1. time outs are needed because while there are constant stoppages in play, the clock doesnt stop. a time out stops the clock, and gives the team time to plan a play.

2. the players on the side line are there incase a current player gets tired or injured. they are on the roster (alhough it may be 2nd or 3rd string).

3. players can play multiple positions during a game. it is very common for a player to be a wide receiver and return punts as well.

4. its called a touchdown because a part of your body must physically "touch down" in the endzone for it to count.

5. there is a game clock and a play clock. the game clock stops during a time out, at the 2 minute warning (2 minutes left in a quarter), and at the end of a quarter. the play clock is the same, but also stops when a player with the ball goes out of bounds.

6. im not sure exactly why its called "football". i would imagine that it is because it is closely related to Rugby football. and they do actually kick the ball. they kick off at the start of every quarter, they punt when they are on 4th down and not in scoring position, and they kick fieldgoals when they are in scoring position (usually on 4th down) and after a touch down (if they choose not to go for a 2 point conversion)

7. statistics are important in all sports. they indicate which players are the best, and which are not. the better the player, the more money. the statistics also help to determine the MVP (and Heismann Trophy winner in NCAA, although it is supposedly selected by fan votes).

8. yes, the commercials do get rather old, but thats a problem with most television. thats why I prefer to attend the games live (as much as possible).

9. as for the opposition getting posession after a player goes out of bounds, thats just not how it works. i dont see how that would make the game any more interesting. teams rely on the out of bounds to stop the play clock.

10. it is ruled a tackle if 1 knee of the player with the ball touches the ground.


Anything else?

football is one of the stupidest things ever.

don't bother trying to understand it

^ you're a pretty big idiot arent you?

...........................oh yeah, SHUT UP!

how rude LesPaul. how rude:rolleyes:

it's barbaric and stupid.
a bunch of guys chasing after a ball and trying to get it to another end of the field.

and pro football is worse. ignore how stupid football is and look at all the potentials to get an injury. these dudes are suicidal. no amount of money is worth it.