just watched my first american football game

[goldenwave77]

This can help you out for starters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_football

You are correct, it originated from Rugby.

Wikipedia article is really good. A lot of people who have never played the game think the game is about hitting the other guy as hard as you can....wrong...wrong. First off, there are rules about this. Secondly, if you try to do this tackling a guy, there's a decent chance you'll miss...or be faked out of your shoes by the ballcarrier. Really, the number of times you can pull this off is small, and it is not what the game is about.

I've read articles analyzing American football from an anthropological perspective----the game itself is very complex and has a myriad of players performing very specialized tasks--it kind of mirrors modern society in its complexity. Secondly, any one playing the game for the first time will spend a substantial part of time just learning the different plays---and what they are supposed to do--in each of them. A HS or college team will have a decent-sized playbook.

The slight pause between plays also makes it a great spectator sport. My son was a very good HS and club soccer player, and I have come to appreciate watching high level soccer ("proper football" you might call it), but it takes a different kind of viewing appreciation.

[Mike White]

Wikipedia article is really good. A lot of people who have never played the game think the game is about hitting the other guy as hard as you can....wrong...wrong.

What???

I suppose next you're gonna say there is more to Soccer than Kick Boxing, with a ball, and a large amount of acting.