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[[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 for [[American]] football in the [[United States]].  Beginning in the 1960's it became surpassed [[Major League Baseball]] as the most popular sports league in the United States; several of its franchises are among the most valuable in the world, even surpassing the European soccer clubs.

The '''National Football League (NFL)''' is a professional sports league for [[American]] football in the [[United States]].  It is one of the four major sports leagues in the United States (the others being [[MLB]], [[NBA]], and [[NHL]], though it has never had a franchise in Canada).

 

The league would begin to supplant baseball as America's most popular spectator sport in 1958, when the then-NFL Championship Game between the then Baltimore Colts and the [[New York Giants]] was broadcast nationwide (though ironically not in New York City) and ended in a sudden-death overtime win by the Colts.  As a result, several NFL franchises are among the most valuable in the world, even surpassing the European soccer clubs.

However, the league is not without controversy: teams routinely fleece taxpayers to build new stadiums then keep nearly all the revenue earned (even from non-football events such as major concerts), the league itself promotes [[gambling]] (via both [[fantasy football]] and sports betting), and players routinely suffer serious injuries ([[concussion]]s being the most common) which have life-altering effects and, in some cases, have led to deaths (not only the players but innocent parties, the case of [[Aaron Hernandez]] among the most prominent).

However, the league is not without controversy: teams routinely fleece taxpayers to build new stadiums then keep nearly all the revenue earned (even from non-football events such as major concerts), the league itself promotes [[gambling]] (via both [[fantasy football]] and sports betting), and players routinely suffer serious injuries ([[concussion]]s being the most common) which have life-altering effects and, in some cases, have led to deaths (not only the players but innocent parties, the case of [[Aaron Hernandez]] among the most prominent).

*In 1970 it merged with the American Football League, which began operations in 1960.  As part of the merger agreement, beginning in 1967 it hosted a championship game between the leagues, which is now today's [[Super Bowl]].  Also, in order to equalize the number of teams between what would be the [[National Football Conference]] (comprised of NFL teams) and the [[American Football Conference]] (comprised of AFL teams), three NFL teams -- the Browns, the Colts and the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] -- were moved to the AFC.

*In 1970 it merged with the American Football League, which began operations in 1960.  As part of the merger agreement, beginning in 1967 it hosted a championship game between the leagues, which is now today's [[Super Bowl]].  Also, in order to equalize the number of teams between what would be the [[National Football Conference]] (comprised of NFL teams) and the [[American Football Conference]] (comprised of AFL teams), three NFL teams -- the Browns, the Colts and the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] -- were moved to the AFC.

Otherwise, the league has grown through expansions into new markets, which has proven tremendously successful: as an example it expanded into [[Dallas]] in 1960 with the [[Dallas Cowboys]] franchise, which is the league's most valuable and among the most valuable of all sports franchises worldwide.  It is also very active in teams relocating to other markets (and sometimes returning, such as the [[Los Angeles Rams|Rams franchise]] moving from Cleveland to Los Angeles, then moving to St. Louis and then returning back to Los Angeles).

Otherwise, the league has grown through expansions into new markets, which has proven tremendously successful: as an example it expanded into [[Dallas]] in 1960 with the [[Dallas Cowboys]] franchise, which is the league's most valuable and among the most valuable of all sports franchises worldwide.  It is also very active in teams relocating to other markets (and sometimes returning, such as the [[Los Angeles Rams|Rams franchise]] moving from Cleveland to Los Angeles, then moving to St. Louis and then returning back to Los Angeles).

==Arrangement and League Play==

==Arrangement and League Play==

Each team is permitted to have 55 players on its roster; however, only 48 may be active (eligible to play) on game day.  Each team is also allowed 12 additional players on a "practice squad"; any team can sign a player from another team's practice squad to its main roster without compensating the other team.

Each team is permitted to have 55 players on its roster; however, only 48 may be active (eligible to play) on game day.  Each team is also allowed 12 additional players on a "practice squad"; any team can sign a player from another team's practice squad to its main roster without compensating the other team.

The NFL does not operate a minor league system nor does it have working arrangements with any other football league (such as the [[Canadian Football League]]) for player development.  A player may be drafted (or sign as an undrafted free agent) once the player has been out of high school for three seasons.  A player may declare himself eligible for the draft and is permitted a window whereby he can revoke his decision, except if the player has signed with a sports agent the decision is irrevocable.

The NFL does not operate a minor league system nor does it have working arrangements with any other football league (such as the [[Canadian Football League]]) for player development.  A player may be drafted (or, if not drafted, sign as an undrafted free agent) once the player has been out of high school for three seasons.  A player may declare himself eligible for the draft and is permitted a window whereby he can revoke his decision, except if the player has signed with a sports agent the decision is irrevocable.

Teams play 17 regular season games (eight at home and eight on the road with the 17th game alternating each year home and away) over 18 weeks, with each team receiving a "bye" week roughly in the middle of the season, comprised of:

Teams play 17 regular season games (eight at home and eight on the road with the 17th game alternating each year home and away) over 18 weeks, with each team receiving a "bye" week roughly in the middle of the season, comprised of:

*Six games in a home-and-home against the other three teams in its division (the final week of the season features only divisional matchups),

*Six games in a home-and-home against the other three teams in its division (the final week of the season features only divisional matchups),

*Four teams against all the opponents of a designated division from the other conference,

*Four teams against all the opponents of a inter-conference designated division (e.g. NFC vs. AFC) for that year (over an eight-year span every team in one conference will face every team in the other conference at least twice, once home and once away),

*Four teams against all the opponents of a designated division from the same conference,

*Four teams against all the opponents of a intra-conference designated division (e.g. NFC vs. NFC and AFC vs. AFC) for that year (over a six-year span every team in a conference will face every other team in its conference at least twice, once home and once away),

*Two games against conference opponents of the non-designated divisions of the same conference for that year; the teams will be those which finished in the same place in the standings in their respective divisions (i.e. the first place team plays the other two first place teams, etc.), and

*Two games against conference opponents of the non-designated divisions of the same conference for that year; the teams will be those which finished in the same place in the standings in their respective divisions (i.e. the first place team plays the other two first place teams, etc.), and

*Beginning with the 2021 season, a designated opponent from the other conference which is not in the "designated division from the other conference" that the team would otherwise face.

*A designated opponent from the other conference, which is not in that team's designated inter-conference division they would face during the season.

As an example, the [[Green Bay Packers]] finished first in the NFC North after the 2020 season.  They therefore played the following teams during the 2021 season:

As an example, the [[Green Bay Packers]] finished first in the NFC North after the 2020 season.  They therefore played the following teams during the 2021 season:

*A designated AFC team not in the AFC North, which for 2021 was [[Kansas City Chiefs|Kansas City]].

*A designated AFC team not in the AFC North, which for 2021 was [[Kansas City Chiefs|Kansas City]].

The season generally begins on the Thursday after [[Labor Day]] and concludes the week after [[Christmas]].  Most games are played on Sunday, with one or more games played on Monday and on Thursday as well.  Games are not played on Friday or Saturday during most of the season due to federal laws prohibiting NFL games competing with high school or college games; the league will play some Saturday games once the college football season ends and has very rarely played on Friday.

The season generally begins on the Thursday after [[Labor Day]] and concludes the week after [[Christmas]].  Most games are played on Sunday, with one or more games played on Monday and on Thursday as well.  Games are not played on Friday or Saturday during most of the season due to federal laws prohibiting NFL games competing with high school or college games; the league will play some Saturday games once the college football season ends and has very rarely played on Friday.  It does not play games on Wednesday and did not on Tuesday, though in 2020 and 2021 some games were moved to Tuesday due to COVID-related issues involving one or both teams.

At season's end, seven teams from each conference (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), or 14 teams total, make the playoffs.  The remaining 18 teams, in strict reverse order of finish, receive the first 18 picks in each of the seven rounds of the subsequent NFL Draft (the NFL does not use a "lottery" system like the [[NBA]]), which can be freely traded between teams subject to league rules (or, if a team is disciplined for conduct, can be forfeited).  Teams are also awarded "compensatory" picks for players who sign as free agents with other teams; the picks are awarded at the end of rounds 3-6 depending on the salary paid to the former player.  Also in an attempt to create "racial diversity", teams who lose minority staff to other teams (as either head coaches or general managers) are awarded picks (third round, after free agent compensatory picks) for two consecutive years for one person, or three consecutive years for two or more persons.

At season's end, seven teams from each conference (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), or 14 teams total, make the playoffs.  The remaining 18 teams, in strict reverse order of finish, receive the first 18 picks in each of the seven rounds of the subsequent NFL Draft (the NFL does not use a "lottery" system like the [[NBA]]), which can be freely traded between teams subject to league rules (or, if a team is disciplined for conduct, can be forfeited).  Teams are also awarded "compensatory" picks for players who sign as free agents with other teams; the picks are awarded at the end of rounds 3-6 depending on the salary paid to the former player.  Also in an attempt to create "racial diversity" in the higher ranks of franchise management, teams who lose minority staff to other teams (as either head coaches or general managers) are awarded picks (third round, after free agent compensatory picks) for two consecutive years for one person, or three consecutive years for two or more persons.

The playoff teams are seeded in each conference as 1 (the division winner with the best record in the conference; that team gets a first-round bye and has home-field advantage through the conference championship), 2 through 4 (the next three division winners based on record; they will have home-field advantage against any lower-seeded opponent through the conference championship), and 5 through 7 (the three wild-card teams based on record; they will play their initial playoff games on the road, and would only host a playoff game against a lower-seeded wild-card team with the 7 seed not able to host any games).  A division winner will always be seeded higher than a wild-card team even if the wild-card team has a better regular-season record.

The playoff teams are seeded in each conference as 1 (the division winner with the best record in the conference; that team gets a first-round bye and has home-field advantage through the conference championship), 2 through 4 (the next three division winners based on record; they will have home-field advantage against any lower-seeded opponent through the conference championship), and 5 through 7 (the three wild-card teams based on record; they will play their initial playoff games on the road, and would only host a playoff game against a lower-seeded wild-card team with the 7 seed not able to host any games).  A division winner will always be seeded higher than a wild-card team even if the wild-card team has a better regular-season record.

*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).

*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).

The league's "all-star game", the Pro Bowl, is played the week before the Super Bowl; as such, in order to avoid injuries which could affect the outcome of the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl players from the Super Bowl participating teams do not play in that game.  The night before the Super Bowl is when regular season awards are announced, such as the league MVP and new entrants into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The league's "all-star game", the Pro Bowl, is played the week before the Super Bowl; as such, in order to avoid injuries which could affect the outcome of the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl players from the Super Bowl participating teams do not play in that game.  The week before the Super Bowl is when regular season awards are announced, such as the league MVP and new entrants into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

==Controversy==

==Controversy==