Football is one of the most famous sports in America.

It is played everywhere across the states. Whether it is on the field or in your own backyard, it has become the center of many people’s lives.  The more you know about this All-American sport, the more you will be able to enjoy it as part of your American experience.

American Football Simplified:
A football field is 100 yards long. There is a Goal Post at each end of the field, in the End Zone, one for each team. A Football Game is made up of 60 minutes of play time. The 60 minutes is divided into four Quarters of 15 minutes each. At the end of two Quarters, there is a break called Half Time. On the Scoreboard you can see the minutes and seconds running out. The team with the most points at the end of four Quarters wins.
Each team has an Offense and a Defense. If the Offense has the ball and tries to score by getting it across the Goal Line – the line where the playing field and the End Zone meet. The Defense tries to stop them.
The Offense gets four tries to move the ball 10 yards toward their own goal post. These are called Downs. If they make the 10 yards or more, they get another four tries to move the ball another 10 yards. If they don’t move the ball 10 yards in four tries, the ball goes to the other team, or the team “loses the ball.”
The Super Bowl is the final game of the Football season when two teams play each other for the championship. The game takes place in late January or early February. For some people the TV commercials are the best part of the Super Bowl.

Visit http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/football.asp for the full rules of American Football and http://www.patriots.com/games/index.cfm?ac=gamedetails&eid=3663 for the game schedule.