The biggest football game of the year is upon us. Not only does this bring excitement for our favorite team, anger towards the one we are hoping to lose, and enough chicken wings to feed a small country–it brings a sense of confusion and anxiety to those who know little to nothing about the sport. Have no fear! Football can be easy to understand (or pretend like you do)!
For those who actually know nothing, here are the most basic of the basics. Teams are a part of one of these conferences, the American Football Conference or the National Football Conference. Each conference consists of sixteen teams, meaning there are thirty-two teams within the National Football League. In the regular season, teams within their decided conference play each other. Two teams play at once, with eleven players from each team on the field at a time. When team A is on offense, team B is on defense, and vice versa. Every game has four fifteen-minute quarters, meaning each game lasts sixty minutes overall.
When a team is on offense, they have four attempts, named “downs,” to travel ten yards closer to the end zone to gain four more attempts. If they gain ten or more yards in less than four tries, they keep possession of the ball. If they do not, they can either try to make all ten yards at once or aim for a field goal (will be discussed next). If either misses and they cannot gain the yards, the possession of the ball goes to the other team. This system continues on and on for basically the entire game.
One of the more simpler areas of football regards the scoring system. A touchdown is six points, and happens when team A crosses the end zone of team B. After a touchdown is made, a team has two choices–a kick worth one point or a “two-point conversion,” which in basic terms is when the offense would do the same play as when they scored the touchdown. A field goal can be made when a team is on its fourth attempt and close enough to the goalpost to make a kick. It is worth three points. A safety is worth two points and goes toward the defense when an offensive player is tackled in the defense’s endzone.
Ending this minor tutorial with another basic tip: at the beginning of each play, the ball is given to the quarterback. They can either throw the ball and pass it to another player or they can run with the ball.
Simple right! If not too simple, do not worry. There is at least one man who will be at the party that will not mind explaining it in great detail. My only advice is to pay somewhat close attention, and the rest falls into place pretty fast. When all else fails, Google becomes your best friend! Or, focus on the commercials or the wonderful halftime show, and prove your knowledge in that field!
