Football Essay Essay Example for Free

Football Essay Essay Football is a complex sport with many specifications, and although millions of people watch football, not all of them understand what is truly â€Å"behind the scenes† of each game. When thinking of a football game normally the different teams come to mind or a particular athlete stands out, but football is much more than that. There are more people than just the athletes that are involved with a football game, including the coaches of the teams, referees who call the shots, trainers who build up the athletes’ skill levels, and last the fans who support the teams. Each player is equipped with a type of â€Å"armor† they must wear to protect themselves. The rules of the game can be hard to comprehend until you become physically involved in a football match, but reading the rules may give a decent understanding of how football is played. Although football may be one of the most highly watched sports, there is more to the game than just the flashy jerseys and the bulky player. Who makes up a football team? There are exactly eleven players to a team. Each athlete has a designated position to participate in. Football does not just consist of the players in the game, but also the coaches, referees, the trainers and every single die-hard fan. Coaches assist the athletes in giving them adequate plays to score touchdowns; they push each athlete to their breaking point, because they know that each of them is capable of so much more. Even sometimes coaches are mentors to the rookie athletes, who later on become legends in football. Referees are there to make sure all of the rules are followed and to call out penalties when one of the rules has been broken. Theses game officials, the men on the field we all love to hate, but without these keepers of the rules, a football game could not progress with any sort of structure or sanity. Die-hard fans of football; watch, eat, sleep and live football as a religion, has a designated team or teams that they support and encourage. Fans are a ginormous part of the support the athletes receive. Football Trainers provide the athletes with the experience to preform adequately, medical assistance when injured and the rehabilitation to create star athletes. The over-all support from the individuals’ assistance constructs an athlete. Aside from the people involved in football, it is all too easy to mistakenly think of football as a game of athletics, and nothing more. Football actually encompasses a challenging mental game, paired with strategy and athleticism in order to secure a win. Before you head out to the field, preparing with and without your equipment will help you gear up for a more successful game. Athletes are protected with a type of armor. Football is classified as a contact sport, but it has been more accurately described as a collision sport. Consisting of; shoulder pads, helmet, face mask, chin strap, mouth guard, leg pads and cleats. Every article helps protect the athlete from getting injured. Shoulder pads are one of the most important pieces of equipment, because they allow you to tackle, block and run the football with a reduced risk for injury. As for the helmet attached with a chinstrap and facemask, it is made of hard plastic with foam pads inside to protect the head. Players are not supposed to hit opponents in the head, but the helmet is necessary because players often take shots to the head because the game is played at such a fast pace and players get hit in the head unintentionally. Mouth guards that the players wear can help prevent dental damage, and thigh pads are designed to protect the thigh or quadriceps area on the front of the upper leg, which help players who are frequently tackled and also hip pads are worn as part of a girdle under the pants or they can be attached to the pants with a belt. Linemen often prefer high-top cleats, to give them extra support and stability, while high performance players, such as wide receivers, running backs and defensive backs, will often wear low-cut cleats that are lightweight and allow for more maneuverability. All of this equipment is essential to how football is played. A game starts with the kickoff, the ball is placed on a kicking tee at the defenses thirty-yard line, and a placekicker kicks the ball to the offense. A kick returned to a man from the offense, tries to catch the ball and advance it by running to where he is positioned at the point from when the offense will begin its drive, or series of offensive plays. When a kickoff is caught in the offenses own end zone, the kick returner can either run the ball out of the end zone, or kneel in the end zone to signal a touchback as a sign to stop the play. The ball is then placed on the 20-yard line, where the offense begins play, a play begins with the snap, at the line of scrimmage, where the play begins, and the quarterback loudly calls out a play in code and the player in front of him. The center passes or snaps the ball under his legs to the quarterback, from there the quarterback can throw the ball, hand it off, or run with it, or the quarterback can sometimes the ball to confuse the defense, anyone on the offensive team is allowed to pass the ball as long as the pass is thrown from behind the line of scrimmage. A pass is complete if the ball is caught by another offensive player, usually the wide receiver or tight end, but if the ball hits the ground before someone catches it, it is called an incomplete pass. The defense prevents the offense from advancing the ball by bringing the ball carrier to the ground. A player is tackled when one or both of his knees touch the ground, then play is then over and also ends when a player runs out of bounds. All progress in a football game is measured in yards, the offensive team tries to get as much yardage as it can to try and move closer to the opponents end zone. Each time the offense gets the ball, it has four downs, or chances, in which to gain ten yards. If the offensive team successfully moves the ball ten or more yards, it earns a first down, and another set of four downs. If the offense fails to gain ten yards, it loses possession of the ball, as the defense tries to prevent the offense not only from scoring, but also from gaining the 10 yards needed for a first down. If the offense reaches fourth down, it usually punts the ball or kicks it away. This forces the other team to begin its drive further down the field, but if the offense cannot score a touchdown, they may try to kick a field goal. Football is a very complicated sport with many simple, but important aspects. For most people who enjoy football, they cannot wait until football season starts. The players on the field are told what to do by the coaches, who call different plays, while performing those plays the athletes use the skills obtained from their trainers. Football is a game of strength, ability, and toughness, for it is a very physical and mentally tough gridiron sport. Wearing the protective gear helps these athletes prevent major injuries during the game. Each piece of equipment provides protection to certain parts of the athlete’s body. The rules of football can be complex to understand right away, but become more easier to comprehend once physically engaged in a game.