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National Football League (view source)
Revision as of 19:03, February 5, 2021
, 19:03, February 5, 2021move all controversy items to the Controversy section
[[Image:2006 Pro Bowl.jpg|thumb|350px|NFL quarterback [[Peyton Manning]] of the [[Indianapolis Colts]] attempts a pass at the 2007 [[Pro Bowl]].]]
[[Image:2006 Pro Bowl.jpg|thumb|350px|NFL quarterback [[Peyton Manning]] of the [[Indianapolis Colts]] attempts a pass at the 2007 [[Pro Bowl]].]]
The '''National Football League (NFL)''' is a professional sports league, representing the top level of American football in the United States.
== History ==
The origins of the NFL go back to a single game of soccer played between Rutgers and Princeton on November 6, 1869. The game used modified London Football Association rules that began the distinction between (American) soccer and rugby. The NFL was originally formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association but in 1922 it officially adopted the name of the National Football League as it is today. George Halas, of Chicago is credited with being the father of the league and is compared to [[George Washington]] by many enthusiasts of the game. Most of the original teams in 1922 no longer exist, but some like the Giants are still around. In 1960, [[Kansas City]] businessman Lamar Hunt founded the [[American Football League]] (AFL) to be a competitor to the NFL. By 1970, the two leagues merged with most of the original NFL teams becoming the [[National Football Conference]] and the AFL teams plus the Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh and Cleveland becoming the [[American Football Conference]]. During the 1970s, the league had many electrifying quarterbacks like Johnny Unitas, Roger Staubach and Fran Tarkenton. In the 1980s, one dynasty emerged as predominant- the 49ers led by [[Joe Montana]], although the 1985 Bears went 15-1 and won the Super Bowl with a top 3 all-time defense. Dallas Cowboys, with running back Emmitt Smith, were a dynasty that won 3 Super Bowls in the 1990s. The 2000s had more parity, while the 2010's saw the rise of the New England Patriot dynasty.
==Arrangement==
The league is composed of 32 professional [[American Football|football]] teams from the [[United States]], divided into two conferences (the American and the National), each of which have four, four-team divisions. Although the divisions have "directional" names (East, North, South, and West) they have little meaning geographically (for example, the NFC East is comprised of the New York Giants, Philadelphia, Washington and Dallas, notwithstanding that Carolina is further east and geographically closer than Dallas to the other three teams) and much to do with rivalry and media (the aforementioned NFC East comprises four top-10 media markets, and all four teams have long-standing historic rivalries with each other; Dallas-Washington being the most well-known).
Teams play sixteen regular season games over seventeen weeks (each team receives a "bye" week in which it doesn't play), comprised of six games in a home-and-home against the other three teams in its division, six games against other conference opponents (two from each of the other conference divisions, over a six-year period every team will play every other conference opponent home-and-home), and four teams against all the opponents of a division from the other conference (over an eight-year period, every team will play every other team in the other conference home-and-home).
Fourteen teams qualify for the playoffs (the winners of each division and three "wild-card" teams which are the teams in each conference with the best record among non-division winners). The playoff consists of four rounds:
*The first round features the three wild card teams from each conference against the three division winners with the poorer records (the division winner with the best record is given a bye).
*The second round features the winners from the first round, the lowest-seeded winner goes up against the division winner that had the first-round bye, while the other two teams play each other with the higher seeded team hosting.
*The third round is the "conference championship", featuring each second round winner; the team with the highest seed hosts.
*The playoffs culminate in the NFL's championship game, the [[Super Bowl]], featuring the winners from each conference. The Super Bowl is played at a pre-determined location: not until Super Bowl LV would a team play a Super Bowl game in its own stadium (the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] in Raymond James Stadium).
==Controversy==
{{See also|Unplug the NFL}}
{{See also|Unplug the NFL}}
The '''National Football League''' (NFL) is a [[politically correct]] sports league that is subsidized by taxpayers to the tune of $1 billion per year, and is so heavily influenced by the [[liberal media]] that [[Christian]] players are typically not even allowed to express their [[faith]]. The league relies heavily on [[emotional gambling]] and monetary [[gambling]], as well as violence, for its popularity among television viewers. Due to its dependence on the pro-gay media, the NFL typically promotes the [[homosexual agenda]]. While fining its players for doing various acts of self-expression, including patriotic and pro-police acts, the NFL does not fine players for dishonoring the United States, our flag, and our [[National anthem|anthem]].<ref>Nolte, John (September 25, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2017/09/25/nfl-hates-america-9-pieces-proof/ The NFL Hates America: 9 Pieces of Proof]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved September 26, 2017.</ref>
The '''National Football League''' (NFL) is a [[politically correct]] sports league that is subsidized by taxpayers to the tune of $1 billion per year, and is so heavily influenced by the [[liberal media]] that [[Christian]] players are typically not even allowed to express their [[faith]]. The league relies heavily on [[emotional gambling]] and monetary [[gambling]], as well as violence, for its popularity among television viewers. Due to its dependence on the pro-gay media, the NFL typically promotes the [[homosexual agenda]]. While fining its players for doing various acts of self-expression, including patriotic and pro-police acts, the NFL does not fine players for dishonoring the United States, our flag, and our [[National anthem|anthem]].<ref>Nolte, John (September 25, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2017/09/25/nfl-hates-america-9-pieces-proof/ The NFL Hates America: 9 Pieces of Proof]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved September 26, 2017.</ref>
As an NFL game ends and fans begin leaving the stadium, it is best to avoid the nearby roads. One study showed that the ''average'' fan at many NFL games has a blood-alcohol level higher than safe level for driving as recommended by the NTSB.<ref>https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/14/national-transportation-safety-board-drunken-driving/2158107/</ref>
As an NFL game ends and fans begin leaving the stadium, it is best to avoid the nearby roads. One study showed that the ''average'' fan at many NFL games has a blood-alcohol level higher than safe level for driving as recommended by the NTSB.<ref>https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/14/national-transportation-safety-board-drunken-driving/2158107/</ref>
The NFL was recently listed as one of numerous leftist-controlled companies that have gone "[[woke]]" and now support the criminal rioters of [[Antifa]] and [[Black Lives Matter]] in the wake of the [[2020 leftist riots]].<ref>[https://gab.com/a/posts/104311289660016704 Here Are The Companies That Support Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and Want You Dead] at Gab.com</ref>
The NFL was recently listed as one of numerous leftist-controlled companies that have gone "[[woke]]" and now support the criminal rioters of [[Antifa]] and [[Black Lives Matter]] in the wake of the [[2020 leftist riots]].<ref>[https://gab.com/a/posts/104311289660016704 Here Are The Companies That Support Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and Want You Dead] at Gab.com</ref>