American football is one of the biggest sports in the US. It is even enjoyed far beyond the borders of the United States. The NFL has created a thriving culture of fans and competition among its players culminating in major sporting events like the Super Bowl. But, as with everything, its beginnings were far more humble. While we know and love American football today, we forget where it all started and how it became the sport it is today. Until now, that is. We’re going to take a brief look into the history of American football and understand how the sport we love became the sport we know. Let’s play ball!
The Origins of Football
Football has been around in some form or another for centuries. It can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks, and likely long before them too. The Greeks would play a sport of similar nature called Episkyros. The rules were simple; throw a ball over a scrimmage, all while evading tackles. Sound familiar? For centuries the came evolved throughout Europe before declining in the 19th century.
The 19th-Century Beginnings of American Football
When America was settled in the 18th century, football was played by early European settlers. Over time this largely unorganised game was becoming more formal, with rules being created and organisations forming. There’s even an urban legend that says a player by the name of William Webb Ellies once played football and picked up the ball and ran with it. As a result, he allegedly created a precedent for football where running with the ball is predominant over the mob mentality of the previous versions of the game. Then things began to truly pick up steam come 1869.
1869: The Birth of College Football
In 1869, the first official game of American football was played. This was not only the birth of American football but the birth of college football in the US, which has become a million-dollar industry. In its early days, it wasn’t exactly how we know it to be today. The game was played more like a soccer game, but eventually, rugby rules were thrown in, and it became almost identical to rugby. They didn’t change the name of American football to rugby because it simply wasn’t the exact same thing, and even those beyond America’s borders didn’t refer to it as rugby, instead calling it American football or ‘gridiron.’
The first game between Princeton (at the time known as College of New Jersey) and Rutgers was the game that laid the foundation for American football’s rise in popularity. It would eventually transcend college fields and take on a life of its own.
The ‘Father’ of American Football
At the centre of making American football what we know it today was a man by the name of Walter Camp. His legacy has long been cemented as the supposed ‘father of American football.’ A gifted athlete, he was a Yale student with honours in every sport Yale had to offer. His contributions to the foundational aspects of the sports rules and style revolutionised the game making it less unruly and less like rugby. Some of his biggest rule changes include the establishment of the line of scrimmage, reducing field size, reducing team sizes, and the legalisation of blocking and interference, which made the game more American. He was committed to American football right up to his death in 1925.
1876 – 93: American Intercollegiate Football Association
Like a lot of sports we know and love today, American football got its start on the fields of colleges. At first, it was very much styled after rugby and was even referred to as rugby. Then, they made minor changes to the rules of England’s Rugby Football Union Codes. Eventually, Princeton, Columbia, and Harvard formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, where they began adopting the more Americanised version of the game. It’s important to remember that the game was still being figured out at this time, so they adopted changes in real-time. As time went on, more colleges joined in laying the groundwork for what would become a defining aspect of college football which is widely followed in the US.
1892: Football Transcends College Campus
By 1892, American football was becoming far more popular and began extending beyond college campuses. In 1895 on November 12th, the first ever pro American football game was played in Pennsylvania in the town of Latrobe. It was between the Latrobe Athletic Association and Jeannette Athletic Club. By 1902 the National Football League was formed. However, it’s not the same NFL we all know and love. The game was growing and began becoming a fixture across the country, with more schools and pro teams forming every year. It became a competitive market, and it never stopped.
1920 – 1932: Birth of The NFL
Come 1920, the NFL was officially created. Of course, at the time, it was known as the American Professional Football Association. The core objective of the NFL was organising the sport, making it more high profile, organising games and standards, ending bidding for players, and more.
Its early years were nothing more than formal agreements between teams. However, as time went on, more teams began joining the league. First, it expanded in 1921 to 22 teams from the original 14. Then by the mid-20s, it grew again to 25 teams.
1932 – Present: The Rise of The NFL
When the 1930s rolled around, it was considered a transitional period for the NFL. As teams were going defunct, new teams were being created, and 1936 saw the first year of no franchise moves. They were looking to transform. Of course, WWII made that difficult as they began experiencing a player shortage. Come 1946, the league reintegrated. The NFL was transforming into something more serious, and it was picking up momentum. At the time, there was also a rival league that had started known as the All-American Football Conference. However, it didn’t last long, ceasing existence in 1949 when it merged with the NFL. The American Football League was the next NFL rival, but they, too, were eventually absorbed by the NFL.
Come the 70s, the NFL was growing steadily year by year. It expanded to 32 teams, and the Superbowl became a cultural phenomenon. Every year viewership grew for the Superbowl, and it has now become the United States’ biggest sporting event of the year, pulling in hundreds of millions of viewers.
The NFL continues to evolve its practices. However, the sports world has always been a bit slow to catch up to the times.
Conclusion
Many people might question why American football became as big as it did. While at its core, it looks like nothing more than a game of getting the ball and getting it to where it needs to be, like rugby, it takes strategy and tactics. It’s an enthralling game that has pulled in millions of supporters over the years, both on a college and professional level. In the US, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events in the country. Regardless of where you stand in terms of loving or hating American football, it’s a sport that has captured the hearts of millions and continues to be a favourite for sports fans.
