Football

"Football is fun because you get to run and tackle people. It's fun when you make touchdowns and when you get to catch the ball."
        -Kalen Kane, age 12, Santa Cruz, California

What is your background in this sport?
I have coached the Junior Varsity football team at Monte Vista High School for two years.

How does this sport help your body?
Any time you condition your body it helps.  To play football your body has to be in great shape.  You need to be able to stay strong the whole game.

How does this sport help you mentally?
You have to stay sharp, you have to pay attention at all times and  you need to recognize plays the other team is trying to run at you,.  You also need to know what your responsibilities are, where you have to be, and where your teammates are.  You have to have a sharp mind. Different positions need to have different body types.  For example,  receivers need to be lean and tall and fast.  Linemen have to be big and tall..

What are the dangers involved in playing this sport?
There are always dangers in playing sports.  Football seems to have a lot of neck injuries and muscle pulls..

What equipment do you need to play this sport and how much does it cost? 
You need all the pads that protect you:  helmet, hip pads, shoulder pads, etc. I don't know about the cost.  In High School the equipment is free.

Do you have anything else to add?
Football is a great team sport but you have to spend a lot of time at it. 
 

Links to Other Sites
www.dickbutkus.com/dbfn/popwarner

History
Football was originally a game in which the object was to kick a ball across the opponents goal line. Originally football looked a lot like rugby.
     As more people played football, rules started to form. Some of the rules were that 11 players were on a side, and you could have four downs (tackles within the line of scrimmage and fifteen yards forward. Having the four downs rule caused the field to be marked the way it is today. In the 1900's no pads were worn. Players were getting hurt so often that in 1905 Theodore Roosevelt, made the game safer by making the players wear pads. In 1913 the rule that you could throw the ball forward behind the line of scrimmage was entered as a rule. And the rules have stood the same ever since.