subject: The Beginnings Of Football [print this page] Everyone knows what football is and everyone has probably watched a football game one way or the other, whether in a football stadium or on television. But do we know when did football start? Yes, many of us know how it is played but many of us also do not know the beginnings of this sport. Why don't we find out so we can appreciate the sport more.
Every time we watch this sport, we can't help not to notice that it has a lot of similarities with rugby and soccer. Well, when it was developed in the 1800s, the idea was really to combine the two sports mentioned. Maybe it is safe to say that it was in the 1800s when football did start.
Perhaps, we would want to know the exact year as to when did football really start. The first ever recorded football game was between McGill University and Harvard University. This transpired in 1874 but the game created confusion because McGill wanted to play it more like the rugby sport while Harvard wanted it soccer style. They ended up playing two games that resembled both sports. In the end, Harvard realized that it was better if football resembled rugby more. Soon, they were playing football the McGill way which they both introduced to other colleges and universities in the eastern part of the United States. This was the start of college football.
Many football fans, when asked when did football start, would probably answer 1895. Technically, it is correct because it was on August 31, 1895 when the National Football League (NFL) first conducted a game. The first match ever conducted under the NFL was between two Pennsylvania cities, namely, Jeannette and Latrobe. In this game, Jeannette lost, and during this time, NFL was not yet popular. It was in the 1950s when NFL started to become popular. This may also be the reason why some football fans would answer 1950s when asked when did football start.
Of course, there are many differences on how football was played in the past and how it is played in the present. In the past, not much protection was given to the football players. Moreover, not many penalties were being called during early times. It was only in 1900 when United States President Theodore Roosevelt did an action to make the sport better and safer for the players. Moreover, the move made by Roosevelt also paved the way to make the sport more interesting to the audience.
So, when did football start? It started as early as the 1800s but gained popularity only in the 1900s because of the birth of the NFL.
