American football
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Although American football (the term "football" in this article will mean American football unless otherwise noted) is played throughout the world, it is still mostly seen as "America's sport" and is the most popular sport in the United States. By far the best talent plays in the United States' National Football League (NFL), so football enthusiasts worldwide will most likely have to travel to the USA to see their idols play live, even with the occasional NFL or college football match held outside of North America. Additionally, in many areas of the country (especially those that lack top-level pro teams), there is a huge following for collegiate and even high school football—millions of adults and youth play the game so no matter where you are in North America, you aren't far from football for several months out of the year.
For the purposes of this article the Canadian variety of the game—mostly played in the Canadian Football League (CFL)—will be considered the same sport, even though the differences in rules and gameplay are more than trivial.
UnderstandFootball finds its origins in rugby, which bears some general similarities to gridiron-style football.
Going to a gameIf you're a football fan and like to travel, it's very easy to combine the two. You can plan your trips about when and where your team is playing. There is nothing as exciting as watching your team on the road.
National Football LeagueThe National Football League (NFL) is the premier football league in the world and has become synonymous with the sport in some areas and languages.
College footballCollege football is the primary and almost only source of talent for the NFL. The college season runs roughly concurrent with the NFL season, with most games held on Saturdays.
High school footballThough not professional play, high school football is extremely popular in many towns and small cities across North America, particularly in the American South and the Midwest, where local followings can rival the…
Canadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League (CFL) is the second professional league of the sport. Canadian football has significantly different rules from the American version of the sport:
Other leaguesAs football is very popular in the United States, there are minor leagues to serve cities without a NFL franchise.
Leagues outside the U.S. and CanadaThere is a football world cup held every four years since 1999 with the next event scheduled for the summer of 2019, with eight teams participating.
WorkAlmost all top-flight football teams outside of North America employ some American talent in their top teams; if you're a former college player, you might have a chance to get paid playing football in Europe at usually…
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "American football" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons