A Brief History of Football

The sport of football has a long and varied history. Almost every culture has enjoyed kicking a ball around for thousands of years. But it wasn’t until the middle of the nineteenth century that the game we know as football began to take shape. This change was a result of the emergence of a modern industrial society in Europe. The game had to be adapted for play in the narrow streets and hard surfaces of cities. This change also created the need for uniform rules and a governing body.

The first official rules of football were set by the English Football Association in 1863. This was a necessary step for the growing popularity of the game. Different public schools had been playing their own versions of the game, and there was a need to standardize the rules. In addition to setting the rules for the game, the association also developed a competition and established the oldest existing trophy for the sport.

After the FA was founded, the rules for football continued to evolve rapidly. In 1920, the NFL was formed and initially based its rules on those of collegiate football. However, the NFL soon realized that it needed to make changes to its rules in order to attract more fans and keep its players safe. This is why the forward pass was legalized in 1905 and why players now wear much more protective gear. The league also banned interlocking defensive formations and added more penalties for dragging the ball carrier.

These changes were not enough to prevent a number of deaths in the early years of the league. In 1905 alone, 18 players were killed during games. In 1908, 33 more players were killed during football games. Because of this the league made a number of other rule changes including allowing teams to have six players in the neutral zone and adding a 4th down and 6 point touchdown.

Another major change in the rules of football came in the 1940s. At this time the NFL was trying to make the game more entertaining in the hopes that it would rival the popularity of collegiate football. In response to this, the NFL changed a number of rules including making it legal to throw a pass from any yard behind the line of scrimmage, moving the hash marks closer together, and removing penalties for multiple incomplete passes in a series of downs.

The NFL continues to evolve its rules today. The most recent changes took place in 2012, when the NFL’s rules committee voted to allow teams to have more receivers on the field and expand the offensive formations they could use. This allowed teams to spread out and create more big-play opportunities. In addition, the committee changed a number of scoring rules including changing the amount of points needed for a touchdown and increasing the distance for field goals from 50 to 70 yards.