The American football style has developed from a combination of rugby and soccer. Football is much younger and developed only in the nineteenth century. This is one of the most popular sports in the United States. American football attracts millions of spectators and thousands of enthusiastic players.

Football has a unique tradition in the US. American football is like an institution in the people of USA. Football gets the center stage of students' activity in the high school. The entire school comes to back their team during tournaments. The homecoming games and dances are nearly bigger than prom. The quarterback of the football team is the most popular guy in the school.

There is a complex set of rules that go along with football and for those who aren't enamored with the sport it can seem slow and tedious. However, strategy plays a huge part in the game, not just running and tackling your opponent. People spend years studying offensive and defensive strategies, and quite often not enough credit goes to the coach and his assistants, which play a huge role in getting a touchdown.

Professional football began way back in 1895 in Pennsylvania. Within the next ten years more teams emerged and colleges started creating football teams as well. The American Football Association formed in 1920, but two years later became known as the National Football League.

These days pro football and the NFL are extremely popular. Many of the top players are national celebrities. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest television draws each year. As it's the final game between the two top contenders, millions of people from the US and many from Canada crowd around their TV sets to watch.

Television commercials are a big part of the draw of the Super Bowl game. The networks charge their advertisers millions of dollars for a few minutes of air time. The elaborate and star-studded half-time show is also a major event. Thanks to the recent "wardrobe malfunction" it will probably be more popular than ever.

Why is football so wildly popular in the United States? Many people think its because of the game's violent nature. Tackles are hard and rough, many players end up severely injured. Also, many people find the anticipation quite exciting. Anyone who has played football at one time or another enjoys thinking up what strategy they would employ given the current situation. Yelling at the coach for a poor plan also seems to be a favorite of many spectators.

Football has turned into an attractive professional sport. It is as popular as baseball and hockey. Canadians play a different style of football which has slightly different rules from the one played in the US. But it is not as popular as it is in the US.

Young children, both boys and girls start playing football early on. Teams used to be made up only of boys, but now the girls are proving that gender doesn't have to play a part in sports.