Football

Football, American, distinct type of football that developed in the United

States in the 19th century from soccer (association football) and rugby
football. layed by professionals and amateurs (generally male college or high
school teams, football is one of the most popular American sports, attracting
thousands of participants and millions of spectators annually.!he football
playing field is rectangular in shape, measuring 91." m long and "#.9 m $ide.
A game of football is divided into four periods, %no$n as &uarters, each
consisting of 1' minutes of playing time. !he first t$o periods constitute the
first half( the second t$o comprise the second half. )et$een the halves, a rest
period, usually lasting about 1' minutes, is permitted the players, $ho may
leave the field. !he teams change halves of the field at the end of each
&uarter. !he cloc%s stop at the end of each &uarter and at certain other times,
$hen particular events occur or $hen designated by the officials.
Football is played by t$o opposing teams, each fielding 11 players. *ach team
tries to move the ball do$n the field to score in the end +one defended by its
opponents. ,uring a football game the teams are designated as the offensive
team (the team in possession of the ball) and the defensive team (the team
defending a goal line against the offensive team). layers involved in %ic%ing
situations are %no$n as the special teams. !he 11 players of the offensive
team are divided into t$o groups. !o protect themselves from the often violent
bodily contact that characteri+es football, players $ear elaborate e&uipment.
layers also $ear plastic helmets $ith guards that cover most of the face.
)as%etbal
)as%etball is a sport played by t$o teams of five players on a rectangular
court. !he ob-ective is to shoot a ball through a hoop ". cm in diameter and /
m high mounted to a bac%board at each end. )as%etball is one of the $orld0s
most popular and $idely vie$ed sports.
A team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the bas%et during
regular play. A field goal scores t$o points for the shooting team if a player is
touching or closer to the bas%et than the three1point line, and three points
(%no$n commonly as a / pointer or three) if the player is behind the three1
point line. !he team $ith the most points at the end of the game $ins, but
additional time (overtime) may be issued $hen the game ends $ith a dra$.
!he ball can be advanced on the court by bouncing it $hile $al%ing or running
or thro$ing it to a team mate. 2t is a violation to move $ithout dribbling the
ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball $ith both hands then resume dribbling.
3iolations are called 4fouls4. A personal foul is penali+ed, and a free thro$ is
usually a$arded to an offensive player if he is fouled $hile shooting the ball. A
technical foul may also be issued $hen certain infractions occur, most
commonly for unsportsmanli%e conduct on the part of a player or coach. A
technical foul gives the opposing team a free thro$, and the opposing team
also retains possession of the ball.
!ypically, the tallest and strongest members of a team $ill play the center or
po$er for$ard positions, $hile slightly shorter and more agile players $ill
play small for$ard, and the shortest players or those $ho possess the best
ball handling s%ills and speed play point guard or shooting guard.At the
professional level, most male players are above 1.91 m and most $omen
above 1.56 m. 7uards, for $hom physical coordination and ball1handling s%ills
are crucial, tend to be the smallest players. Almost all for$ards in the men0s
pro leagues are 1.9# m or taller. 8ost centers are over 9.6# m tall.