Things in this world draw interests to people; it could be a person, a place, or even a thing, no matter what it is, people will always have interest. People are unique and can have both similar and different interests than someone else. Sports are a huge interest in the world, but within that are many types of interests, some people may like one sport while others like a different sport, different sports peek the interests of different cultures and people.
Europeans take interest in soccer, while Cubans take interest in baseball. However not all Europeans like soccer and not all Cubans like baseball; some sports may interest some people, but have no effect on others. For example, rugby is a sport that is also played in Europe, people in the United States don’t watch rugby to the extent as people in Europe do mainly because to many Americans, rugby is not interesting. We all have different interests, one of mine is American Football, mainly the NFL.
I find it entertaining because of the complexity of the game, the physical aspect of it, and the uniforms. Reading a defense is something that every quarterback has to do in order to call the right audible, or throw to the right receiver. By reading a defense one must prepare for hours at a time watching the opponents defense and picking up on what coverages the defense likes to run. This is done in the film room and usually with a coach who helps the quarterback and gives him advice on what to do in certain situations.
In addition to film, the week before a game the first team offense will play against the second team defense, or scout team, as it is called in the NFL. The scout team’s defense will mimic what the opponent’s defense will look like, this may not always be accurate, but it is helpful and helps the quarterback and the offense in general get a better understanding for what to expect on Sunday. The defense gets ready in a similar way, only the defense will watch film of the offense and study their tendency’s and plays that they like to run.
They will watch offensive linemen and see if the way they line up or what type of stance they are in determines what play is coming. I was watching a documentary about the 2004 New England Patriots and a defensive player, Rodney Harrison, explained that one team that they were going to play had an offensive lineman who, if there was a running play would be in a three-point stance and if there was a pass play would be in a two-point stance. Not every player has tendencies like this, but defensive players look for these types of things.
Defensive players also look at offensive formations; they see which type of play is most common in a certain formation. One team may have a mobile quarterback, so if there is a running back in the backfield the defense needs to be alert to see if the quarterback or running back is running the football. Some teams don’t have a mobile quarterback, so in a formation with the running back in the backfield, the only one running the ball would be the running back.
Both the offense and defense of a football team are complicated things, it takes years of hard work and determination to be a great football player, it is next to impossible to grab someone off the streets put them in a uniform and put them on the field. Even though one could be athletic enough to play the sport, if they have no background on reading a defense or an offense, then they will indeed fail because of the complexity of the game. The most successful players in the game are the players who take care of their bodies, work hard at practice, and watch game film.
These are all equally important and one cannot compete on a high level without the other, this is what is so interesting to me; sports aren’t just about athletics, there is so much more that goes on behind the scenes. In order to play professional football or even any professional sports for that matter you need to be smart and know what you are doing at all times. Football is a physical sport. In order to play, one needs to be athletic and strong. One needs great hand eye coordination and great footwork.
Players spend weeks working on these skills before the start of the season because it is a crucial part of the game. Without any of these skills a defensive back would not be able keep up with a wide receiver, a defensive lineman would not be able to maneuver around the offensive line, a wide receiver would not be able to make cuts and run their routes correctly, offensive linemen would not be able to keep the defensive blitzers at bay, and a running back would not be able to find holes and make quick decisions.
Seeing athletes having nice footwork, great hand eye coordination and quickness that is beyond the average human is something that is mind baffling, this is what make football interesting is seeing players make great plays and competing against their opponent to be the best in the game. Making out of the ordinary plays is also something that is interesting in the game of football. Throughout history there are a number of plays in the NFL that stand out as some of the greatest; The Immaculate Reception, the David Tyree helmet catch, and Odell Beckham jr. tching the ball with one hand while keeping himself inbounds and scoring a touchdown. These plays require great footwork, hand eye coordination, awareness, and determination. This is what makes the game interesting as well, players who give it their all and make plays that are remembered by fans and players forever. Without the right equipment a player would not be allowed to enter the game. In order to play, a player must have a helmet that has been certified by the NFL, shoulder pads, a jersey with the eligible number on it, and the same uniform as fellow players on the team.
It is interesting that only certain players can have certain numbers, an offensive lineman can only have numbers in the 60’s or 70’s while a running back can have 20 through 39, a quarterback can have any number starting from one and going up to 19. This helps the referees know which players are which and that they are where they are supposed to be on the field. The design of the uniform is interesting as well; the Pittsburg Steelers have their logo shown only on the right side of the helmet while other teams have logs on both sides; each team can be unique and have their own little differences.
There are some rules when it comes to what the uniform should look like, but other than those regulations stated earlier and a few others not mentioned, everything else is able to be customized. Color is a big part of customization and not every team has the same color scheme. While some teams have similar colors, their logos and secondary colors are different making the team unique. An example of customization would be the Arizona Cardinals and the Atlanta Falcons. Both teams have a primary color of red, but the Cardinals have white as a secondary color and the Falcons have black.
It is interesting to see that even though there are rules, there is freedom to be creative and that is what teams do. Throwback uniforms are also an interesting part of the game, during certain weeks of the season, teams will wear uniforms that look like uniforms worn in the past, it depends on what year they will choose, some will choose the 1970’s or even before that. An example of this is the Green Bay packers, they will wear throwback uniforms from the 1950’s. To be clear these are not the exact same uniform, the players still wear helmets with facemasks and shoulder pads, but the jersey is made to look like one from the past.
This is an interesting part of the game, because it gives the fan a chance to see older uniforms and even bring back memories from older fans of their past. It is also interesting to see how the logos have changed over the years, some have stayed the same while others have made dramatic changes. Football is an interesting sport, millions of people turn on their TVs or even go to games to catch a glimpse of their favorite players and teams, the NFL is one of the more interesting leagues when it comes to football.
Players get payed to be the best and work hard to make sure they stay the best, when doing this interesting things happen, great plays are accomplished, plays that would have been are broken up, and history is made. Football is an interesting to me because of the great plays, the complexity of the game, and the uniforms. These things are not the only things that make football interesting, but they are some of the major aspects that keep people watching and wanting more.
