The USA and American Football.

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The USA and American Football.

• Mr. P. Leighton
• St Marys 11-18 High School
• Sport and Culture.

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Todays Session

• Look at American Football- why does this sport
  suit the way of life in America?
• What is the Frontier Spirit?
• How have the Professionals helped the collegiate
  and amateur game?

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NFL across America
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American Football

• American Football or Grid Iron is simply known
  as Football- the most popular spectator sport in
  America.
• Task- in groups of 2 or 3 make a poster/ info
  sheet to show your knowledge of American Football

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Mobile Chess or a mixture of brute force and
science?
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Some History then

• The game developed in prestigious Ivy League
  schools such as Yale, Harvard, Princeton and
  Rutgers Why?
• In the 1800 there were no set rules they were
  agreed before they played!
• It was so rough that it was banned by University
  authorities for a while.

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The first game

• Was played between Rutgers and Princeton in the
  first Inter-collegiate game.
• By 1900 the game had developed several
  characteristics
• Violent.
• Sensational.
• Hazardous.
• Success based on Survival through physical force.
• In 1910 six players were killed before the rule
  changes. Death wasnt uncommon- very little
  protective clothing worn at first.

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Football and the USA

• The characteristics shared reflected society then
  and now
• The Frontier Spirit emerged
• To stand up to harsh environments and situations
  and succeed.
• "Football is like life, it requires perseverance,
  self-denial, hard work sacrifice, dedication and
  respect for authority.
• Vince Lombardi.

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American Football and Commercialism

• Teams are either privately owned or public
  companies (Chicago Bears Cartel/ Green Bay
  Packers Foundation)
• Teams are run as franchises
• Competition for TV time inflates the cost of
  franchises- which sometimes means that they must
  relocate hundreds of miles away from their
  traditional fans. i.e. Oakland Raiders.
• Top players earn millions through contracts-
  where else does the money come from?

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Continued

• The NFL is split into 2 conferences the AFC and
  the NFC- each having latitudinal sections
  (N,S,E,W)
• Commercial time at the Super Bowl is BIG
  business 2.6M dollars for 30 seconds at last
  count!
• Half time shows have included- Justin Timberlake,
  Janet Jackson and the Rolling Stones- big
  business and big entertainment value for 12 mins!

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The Franchise System in NFL.

• Franchises can be bought and sold by owners- it
  isnt unknown for owners to trade their franchise
  names- why?
• Teams which finish last get first pick in the NFL
  Draft- meaning they get the option to take the
  top talent or trade them on for different
  players.
• How is this reflective of society?

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The rising cost of a franchise

• Year
• 1920
• 1960
• 1995
• 2007

• Cost of a franchise
• 100
• 2Million
• 150Million
• 600Million

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American Football Controversy.

• The game, historically was racial in parts.
• Integration was banned in the NFL all the way up
  until the mid-forties.
• Quarterbacks were always white, Receivers,
  Running backs and tackles were generally black
  why?
• The first black quarterback was Marlin Briscoe in
  1972.

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The Collegiate System and the NFL.

• NFLs Main talent pool once was in serious danger
  of becoming defunct.
• Colleges were in serious debt and needed TV time
  to help subsidize their spending.
• They both had a problem to which a symbiotic
  solution was needed
• The Pros agreed not to play on Saturdays
  allowing the amateurs a share of TV coverage!
• The amateurs continue to provide talent to be
  turned into the mega-stars of the game-
  benefiting the owners!
• Are there any pros and cons to this
  arrangement?

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Exam Style Questions

• Take into account your prior knowledge on the USA
  and American Football.
• These two topics will form a key area and a base
  for your knowledge when answering a question on
  Commercialism, The American Dream or on the
  Win Ethic that surrounds professional sports.
• With that in mind try the following exam
  questions with your group (Green, Blue and Yellow
  groups)

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Review

• Commercialism is the machine which drives
  American sport give reasons for and against this
  statement (10).
• With reference to the American Dream,
  Commercialism and the Lombardian Win Ethic
  explain sport in the USA. (10)
• American football is a game that reflects
  American society Critically analyse and evaluate
  this statement (10).

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Key words from today