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Advantages of Martial Arts for Kids
Martial arts are still considered a rather controversial subject, and the unfortunate misconception that they can promote violence is still present. However, just a little research will show any parent that martial arts promote the exact opposite of...
choosing a good Baseball Bat!
choosing a good Baseball Bat!
Ash
Most wood bats today are made from Northern White Ash generally harvested in Pennsylvania and Upstate New York. It is graded for quality with straight grain being the most important criteria. (Southern Ash...
Clemens Strikes Out 20, Again; Rocket Repeats Magic 10 Years After
DETROIT--In 1986, Roger Clemens was a young fireballer amidst his first Cy Young season when he struck out 20 Seattle Mariners and established a Major League Baseball record. That same year, Clemens won All-Star Game MVP honors as well as the...
No Excuse for Not Exercising
For many people in today's busy world it's quite easy to come up
with an excuse for not being in shape and exercising regularly.
Some of the more common ones are "I'm too busy", "There aren't
enough hours in a day", and "I'm so tired after work...
Stretching 101
The two main purposes of stretching are prevention of injury caused by exercise or day-to-day activities and a faster rate of recovery from exercise. Stretching can also be used to improve posture and restore proper anatomical functionality. A...
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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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