Football is commercially stronger than ever, yet it faces serious questions about player health and about who will play the game in the future. How the sport handles them will shape the next decades. Head injuries and long-term health Research on concussions and on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease found in many … Read more
American football can look chaotic at first: 22 players, frequent stops, flags on the field. Once you understand downs, scoring and the clock, the game becomes a strategic contest you can follow play by play. The field and the teams Each team has 11 players on the field. The field is 100 yards long between … Read more
Rivalries give football much of its emotion. Some are based on geography, some on decades of meaningful games, some on cultural identity. Here are several of the best known. NFL rivalries Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears. The oldest and most-played rivalry in the NFL, dating back to 1921. Two of the league’s founding-era franchises, … Read more
For decades, football decisions relied mainly on experience and instinct. Today, every NFL team employs analytics staff, and data influences play-calling, roster building, training and officiating. Fourth downs The most visible change is on fourth down. Models based on expected points and win probability showed that teams were punting far too often, especially near midfield … Read more
Special teams handle the kicking plays: kickoffs, punts, field goals and extra points. They are on the field less often than the offense or defense, but they influence field position on almost every change of possession and often decide close games. Field position is the hidden score An offense starting at its own 40-yard line … Read more
Football is mostly played outdoors in autumn and winter, so weather often shapes games. Wind, cold, rain and snow change what teams can do, and coaches adapt their game plans accordingly. Wind Wind affects the ball more than anything else. Long passes and kicks become unpredictable, and teams often choose which goal to defend at … Read more
An ice hockey game is divided into three periods of 20 minutes of playing time each, for a total of 60 minutes. This applies in the NHL, in international (IIHF) competition including the Olympics, and in most college and professional leagues. Stop time The 20 minutes are not continuous. The clock stops whenever play stops: … Read more
