American Football

The Basics

If you just want to understand the basics of football, try this page from Wikipedia. This link gives a brief introduction to the rules, strategies, players' positions, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_football

Rules of the Game

Blitz ... Clothesline ... Down ... Interference ... Penalty ... find definitions of these and other football terms

If you want a deeper understanding of football, the best way is to watch games with others who know the sport. However, there are a few websites that do a good job introducing the game:

If you're not afraid of creative grammar, football.com has a quite thorough overview. :

http://www.football.com/rulesabc/

Don't be intimidated by the amount of information available! You can learn quite a bit just from looking at the diagrams and tables provided.

For a general overview that includes video and photographs to illustrate terms such as "tackle", "fumble" and "field goal", try NFL Europe's Beginner's Guide - http://www.play-football.net/de/rules/beginnersguide.php

Have fun learning about football, and remember that many Americans enjoy football games without understanding all the details.

Equipment

Football is a rough sport that requires a great deal of equipment for players' protection. As a result, players are most easily distinguished by their number, or position, as players look the same in uniform!

http://www.football.com/equipment/index.shtml

History of professional football

http://www.nfl.com/history

The Superbowl

In late January or early February every year, huge numbers of Americans gather with friends and family on Superbowl Sunday to watch the biggest football game of the year. Many people who are not interested in the sport will still attend a Superbowl party.

Superbowl Athletics - Find all kinds of stats from past Superbowls at http://www.superbowl.com/history

Superbowl Entertainment -- The halftime show, the ads, the hype, the parties... The Superbowl is the most anticipated and celebrated sporting event in the U.S. but for some viewers the entertainment is more interesting than the game itself.

To find the big stars in Superbowl entertainment history, check out http://www.superbowl.com/features/entertainment/entertainment-honorroll

Before any sporting event, the National Anthem (the Star-Spangled Banner) is always performed. To sing at the opening of the Superbowl is considered a great honor.

Superbowl National Anthem performers - http://www.superbowl.com/features/entertainment/anthem-honorroll