Football in America
Whenever someone talks about a sport that is a part of American culture, football is almost always brought into the discussion. Unlike sports such as soccer or basketball, football is a sport given less attention in foreign countries. That being said, this sport plays much importance in American culture as it is watched and played religiously all over the country. From the hard hits, to the colorful uniforms and the exciting crowds, American football is celebrated each fall in every state of the country. Football in America can be represented by being almost too aggressive at times, in fact, many safety regulations have been created to combat this in recent years. Even given this new awareness to many people, it hasn’t deterred them from putting the pads on and playing.
The NFL or National Football League, is the professional league in the United States where some of the worlds biggest and best athletes go head to head in games every Sunday. All the physicality they display, causes them to retire at such a young age. Even before the NFL, athletes play college and high school football where hitting people hard helps earn them playing time as well as winning games. While watching a game at a packed stadium, sitting on the couch watching it on T.V, or just listening to it on the radio a person will most likely see or hear a hard tackle that will make them cringe.
Much of the injuries and physical damage “washed up” football players deal with comes directly from this hard nose game called football. Those playing American football can be seen wearing some of the most vibrant uniforms. Football in America, particularly at the NFL and NCAA (college) level receives enormous amounts of money and sponsorships to allow for these flashy uniforms. For example, University of Oregon, a prestigious college football team has a close partnership with Nike and are able to wear new fluorescent uniforms almost every game.
Even those not playing football, can be seen in both football stadiums and other public places wearing their favorite player’s jersey or jerseys they think look the most cool. The large amount of people that are seen wearing these uniforms represents perfectly the culture and passion for this sport. So much money is invested in the sport of football, which explains why you can see some of the most detailed and clever uniforms being worn. On top of the hard hitting tackles and the variety of colorful uniforms, those fans who come to support their teams are some of the loudest and often times most obnoxious fans in the sports world. Fans pile into stadiums from every level of the sport with a competitiveness and a desire for their team to win the game.
With a regular season schedule having a significant less amount of games, when it’s time to play, fans all over America make the best out of it as they can. This involves tailgating in a parking lot hours before the game, then cheering as loud as they can when the game begins. When a touchdown is scored or a big play occurs, fans around the stadium corrupt, making it hard to hear something someone right beside you might be saying to you. Football is a sport made for fun, entertainment and competition. This sport plays a significant role in American society as people living all over this country continue to love this game.
Through rough hits, vibrant jerseys and boisterous crowds, football is something someone not from the United States would soon become accustomed to if they happened to move here.
