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IOC Drops Softball From Olympic Games
When the announcement came out of the International Olympic Committee meetings in Singapore that softball and baseball dropped were being eliminated from the Olympic program in 2012, many, including myself, were stunned.
I could understand why...
My God...It's Full of Stars!
There are not too many opportunities while running a business where there is a defined period of work stoppage, thus giving you the time needed to go over the details of your product or service. Right now, the NHL's little details are eagerly...
Passion For Baseball
For The Love of the Game What is something you are passionate about? Passion is contagious and feeds off this positive energy. Have you ever seen two people who truly love the game of baseball talk about baseball? I had a friend’s wife tell me...
Sports View for February
As the NBA reaches the midseason point most of the talk is of the MVP race, with many tabbing Steve Nash as the early favorite. My question is can a guy who is not even the best player on his team win the MVP? (Shawn Marion is the best player on the...
Teaching Your Boy the Game of Baseball!
Teaching Your Boy the Game For those who “coach your son” (or those players who are coached by Dear Old Dad), lend me your ears. Here are some quick and easy thoughts to answer the common problems that surround coaching your own kid. 1st &...
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From Bare Bones to Big Bucks-The Evolution of American Football
By the end of October, baseball fans pack up the party with the
boys of summer, and prepare for the cold months ahead with a
long list of hard-hitting heavyweights ready to take the field
as the Sunday afternoon, Monday night, and holiday highlight for
the winter months. But, football as we know it today started as
a bare bones game, evolving through continents, colleges and
contracts over the years.
Like most things, football can be traced back to the ancient
Greeks and Romans, who played a version of football which then
carried over to medieval Italy, where a game called "calcio,"
the Italian word for "soccer," began to flourish. Years later,
in England, a young man at the Rugby Boys' School got tired of
kicking the ball around the field, and decided to pick it up and
run. That was the beginning of Rugby.
Rugby merged back and forth through different sets of rules
from Australia to England, and eventually to the States in 1869,
when Rutgers and Princeton played a game that resembled
something more like soccer than football. It wasn't until 1875
that the ball came off the ground. Harvard and Yale fixed a
field meeting of the Ivy Leagues, and the Intercollegiate
Football Association (IFA) was created to finalize the match up
in 1876.
In upcoming years, a prominent Yale player named Walter Camp
convinced the IFA to change a series of rules that pushed the
game closer to the version of football we know today.
Intercollegiate football evolved through the 1800's, until the
downfall of the IFA in 1895. In 1920, organizers from 10
professional football teams across the country met, and the
American Professional Football Association was born. It was
reorganized a year later, and in 1922 renamed the National
Football League, and that was just the beginning.
The
rules changed, the league expanded with conferences and
changed again with the addition of conference divisions. In the
1970's throwing the ball accompanied the traditional run, and in
the 90's the emphasis moved from field goals to two-point
conversions.
Today, football is big business. Players demand more money,
entertainment is a regular part of televised games, and the
retail industry makes a fortune helping fans maintain team
loyalty and personal nostalgia for a game they grew up with.
Sports Nostalgia Company, Mitchell &
Ness sells everything from jackets to pennants to remember
unforgettable moments of games past, and the players that made
them happen. Mitchell & Ness's business was born out of
fans' desire to remember the old days with throwback jerseys of
NFL favorites like Joe Namath, Marcus Allen, and Steve Young.
Although baseball is known as America's favorite past time,
football is certainly in the running for taking the title.
Football has become as much a staple at Thanksgiving as turkey
and pie. Sunday tailgates are planned months in advance, and
office pools change weekly with team standings.
Football is a modern game with ancient roots. It's a game with
loyal fans that brave the cold, suffer defeat, and turn up in
droves to one of the most watched sports showdowns in February,
right before the boys of summer head south for spring training.
About the author:
Nina Nocciolino is a copywriter with DMI Partners, an
interactive marketing agency specializing in higher education,
finance, retail and real estate. For more information, visit www.dmipartners.com
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