Football is a team sport where players try to advance the ball down the field by running with it or throwing it to other teammates, until the opposing team tackles them or brings the ball to the ground. The goal is to score points by advancing the ball into the opponent’s end zone or kicking it through a structure called the goal posts (a touchdown is worth six points). The game was first played in the US in the 19th century and is now played around the world, including in high school and college teams that compete in the NCAA for a national championship. The game is also known in some countries as soccer.
The term football originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe played on foot and contested by teams of different sizes. The name evolved into association football in the 19th century, when it was adapted from various forms of rugby football, which had become popular at public schools in Britain. Modern football games are typically higher-scoring than soccer matches and are rarely tied at full time, but may go into overtime if neither team scores after two 45-minute halves.
A game of football begins with a kickoff based on the results of a coin toss. The offensive team then has four downs, or attempts to advance the ball at least 10 yards down the field, to maintain possession and continue toward the opposing team’s end zone. If they fail to make this progress, the ball is turned over to the other team.
The team that makes the most progress on each down is awarded a first down, which gives them another chance to advance the ball. Alternatively, they can choose to kick a field goal, which is worth three points. A team can also score two points by tackling an opponent who has the ball in its own end zone, which is called a safety.
Despite the violent nature of the game, the NFL emphasizes that it is a team sport and that the individual players’ abilities are less important than their ability to play together. The league also tries to discourage violent behavior by banning fighting and excessive physical contact, and by punishing players who break these rules.
In addition to the professional NFL, there are also amateur and college football leagues, as well as a number of international associations for women’s and men’s football. The most prominent of these, the Premier League, is a multi-national competition that attracts many foreign-born stars to its rosters.
There are several streaming services that provide access to the NFL, including the company’s own NFL Plus and the ad-free Peacock service, which is exclusive to CBS. However, none of these services offers as many games as traditional cable or satellite providers do, and the cost of an annual subscription to one of these services is often more than $100 a year. As the market for live sports streaming continues to develop, it will be interesting to see if any of these services can unseat the big three.