By Alexandra Savage
On Sunday, February 12th, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will compete in Super Bowl LVII. Some people view this event as a big deal. They will host parties, cook dinners, and celebrate with their friends. For the rest of us, the Super Bowl is just another day. Personally, I have never watched a football game in its entirety, and I couldn’t explain the rules of the game if I tried. However, I still don’t want to miss out on that Super Bowl excitement. In my quest to understand football, I’ve set out to answer some of the most pressing questions about the sport.
What is football?
When someone uses the phrase “American football,” some of us may think about the iconic Midwestern emo band with the same name. However, football refers to an entirely different concept. According to Merriam Webster, football is “an American game that is played between two teams of 11 players each and in which the ball is moved forward by running or passing.” We’re off to a great start.
Who plays football?
Lots of people play football, but this Sunday, the two important teams are the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. According to the official team roster, the Chief’s starting quarterback (I looked for this position because I’ve heard that word before) is named Patrick Mahomes, and the Eagle’s starting quarterback is named Jalen Hurts. Upon further investigation on the NFL website, I can see that there are 32 teams in the league, and they’re also divided into two leagues within the overall league. From personal experience, I know that high schools have football teams, and colleges as well. We can conclude that many people must play football.
Do we have football here in Washington, D.C.?
Sometimes, we have football in Washington, D.C., but this depends on where you look. George Washington University does not have a football team, according to our school website. Other D.C. schools that do not have football teams include American University and the University of the District of Columbia. However, other colleges do indeed play football, such as Georgetown University and Howard University.
On a national level, D.C. has a football team called the Washington Commanders. Under the leadership of Daniel Snyder, the team’s owner, the Commanders received a ten million dollar fine following a federal investigation into claims of workplace harassment and sexual assault under his ownership, according to the New York Times. So we have football in D.C., but the team appears embroiled in controversy at the moment.
How does one play football?
Isn’t that the million dollar question? I consulted the ultimate source of knowledge on the internet, wikiHow, to answer this pressing matter. A football game has four 15-minute quarters, but like many other sports, the clock often stops. In general, each team wants to take the football from their end of the field to the other end of the field, called the end zone. The team has four chances, or “downs,” to move the football ten yards. If they cannot achieve ten yards after four downs, they have to give the ball to the other team. If the team reaches the end zone holding the football, known as a “touchdown,” they receive six points. In order to prevent the team from scoring, the opposing team will tackle whoever is holding the football, which looks very scary and makes me fear for everyone’s safety.
What do the different people on the field do?
This is where the game starts to fall apart for me, but I consulted Nike’s website for more information. There are eleven players for each team on the field. Here I’ve covered some of the positions that stuck out to me the most.
The Quarterback: Decides where to throw the ball.
Offensive Linemen: Includes the center, who throws the ball under their legs to the quarterback. The other linemen use themselves as human shields to prevent the other team from reaching the quarterback with the football.
Running Back: Runs. Who would have guessed?
Wide Receiver: Their main job is to catch passes. They also wear sticky gloves.
Safety: Described as the “last line of defense.” Intense.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you are feeling more confident about the upcoming Super Bowl. I’m excited to finally watch a football game and have some clue as to what’s going on. Go Eagles!
