The Sweeping Popularity of American Football

The term "American football" refers to a type ofchange and the NFL tries to make this aggressive and
game, not a regional sport. American football iseven violent game as safe as possible by modifying
enjoyed world-wide. Professional American-stylethe existing rules and the forms of protective
football leagues exist in Canada, Europe, Southequipment used. However, merchandising is also a
America and Japan. NFL Europa is a organizationfactor and the NFL has advocated rule changes, such
operated by the US based National Football League.as a sponsor time out which is a pause in the play of
NFL Europa has teams in six German and Dutch cities.the game, that are solely for the purpose of allowing
In Canada, there are 2 organizations, the Canadianthe sponsor to show commercials.
Footbal Leage, a professional league, and CanadianThe NFL decides which cities can have a team and
University Spot, which is a network of nonprofessionalhow many teams will make up the two franchises,
University level teams.The Amercan Football League and the National
Both Canadian leagues play American style footballFootball League, which originally was the only and
but with some variations known as Canadian Rules.prototypic league in American football. Fans have
New Zealand, Mexico, Japan and several otherintese loyalties to these two franchises, which is
countries have amateur football leagues. Americancapitalized upon in the yearly Superbowl. This game
style football is governed by the Internationalwas established to play upon this rivalry and pits the
Federation Of American Football (IFAF), which hasAFL and NFL Champions against each other. This is
over 45 affliates in North and South America, Europe,held in February and is the single most watched event
Asia and Australasia. However, the true moving forceon American television. It is an event that begins
in american footbal is the NFL, or National Footballweeks in advance with football interveiws, panels of
Association.sports figures who speculate on the game's outcome,
The NFL is the regulatory and organizational arm ofand bettiing oportunities. This hype grows over the
football in the US. It makes and enforces rules forweeks of playoff games and builds to a near frenzy
sportsmanship and drug use. When a player behavesby the time Superbowl Sunday arrives.
overly aggressively during a game, misses practiceThe game is an all day event with ceremonies and a
sessions or becomes involved in extracurricular illegallegendary half time, Las Vegas style, show that
activity, the NFL will impose a fine and/or suspend afeatures top celebrities. For the multitudes watching at
player. The NFL bans recreational and steroid, orhome, the Super Bowl is also augmented by the
performance enhancing, drug use. It authorizes andpremeire screening of a collection of the most
conducts urine testing on its professional atheles.innovative and often humorous advertising blips.
The NFL also decides yearly whether the rules of theBecause of the exposure and the terrific numbers of
game should be changed, and in what ways. Often theviewers, the competition to be one of the favored
rules are done to make the game more interesting oradvertisers is nearly as hearty as the team
more fair. Safety is another motivation behind rulecompetition to play in this game.