Dawgs By Nature
Some situations appear to have always been, but began somewhere
As fans, we watch a game of football in person or on the tube. We enjoy the contest, especially if our team wins.
But just about everything you see on the field wasn’t always part of the game. The game of American Football has evolved from its beginnings in the late 1800s. Rules are added constantly. Things change. Actions are altered. Rules are adopted to make the game easier to play or to assist in player safety.
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American Football evolved from the game of rugby. Rugby began as a new sport that sprang up from soccer. Both rugby and American Football still have circumstances, rules, strategy, equipment, and terminology from the game of soccer.
Rugby has a kickoff because soccer has a kickoff. American Football just followed their lead. In soccer, there are punts, interceptions, tackles, offsides, halftimes, sudden death, goal lines, sidelines, changing ends of the field, the word “goal,” positions called fullbacks, halfbacks, and center, plus have 11 players that compete on the field. Sound familiar?
There are also functions during the game of American Football that we see every competition, but just don’t notice because it has always been this way.
Would you notice if the goal posts were painted red instead of yellow? Of course, but their origins were they were painted white. What about all those lines on a football field? Every 10 yards, there is a number painted on the field to distinguish each increment of 10, which makes sense since there are four downs to make 10 yards before a new set of downs is obtained.
But why is there a line also painted every five yards, in between the 10-yard increments? Why does the game need these lines? The origins of the game were that one team was given 15 plays to go the length of the field and score. That was later changed to the offense given three plays to make five yards, and if successful, given a new set of downs. And even though the distance was later changed to 10 yards, the markings at every five-yard increment were already an institution and have remained.
What else goes on in every game that has its own story? There isn’t enough ink to cover them all, but here are five to start us off with.
Almost every NFL team has stripes somewhere on its uniform or helmet. It is a way to incorporate other accent colors into their look. Back before World War II, several teams used striping on the front or sleeves of their jerseys. This trend came from soccer and remains popular even today.
The game referees wear black pants and shoes, and shirts that have vertical black and white stripes. These men are affectionately called “zebras” during a contest. In the origins of the game, all referees wore solid white apparel from their shirts...
