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ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL

Professional football is by nearly every measure the most popular, important, and successful sports league in American history. The numbers are staggering, with more than 120 million people watching a Super Bowl, and more than $10 billion in annual revenue, pro football dominates the sports landscape. While many series focus on the games and players, this series takes a broader, deeper look at the sport off the field. How is the league operated? How has the media covering the sport changed? What is the intense life of a pro coach? Learn about the lives of the players off the field, both good and bad. INCLUDED IN THE SERIES IS A PAIR OF BOOKS THAT LOOK AT HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS DOMINATION BY PRO FOOTBALL. BOOKS IN THIS SERIES WERE WRITTEN BY VETERAN JOURNALISTS WHO HAVE BOTH COVERED AND WORKED FOR THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, AS WELL BY WRITERS FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, ESPN, AND NEWSWEEK. JUST BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHO WON THE SUPER BOWL DOESNT MEAN YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL. But the President also had a son who was in- jured, cut badly above his eye, while playing as a freshman atHarvard. Moved by the experience, Roosevelt twice met with coaches and athletic advisors from several ma- jor colleges, including Harvard and Yale, to propose rules changes. The new rules included stopping the game when a player fell on the ball, and allowing for forward passes. Today, many of football’s most dan- gerous plays involve downfield passes to vulnerable receivers. At the time, the forward pass spread the field and reduced the violence in the scrums. When the NFL was formed in 1920 (it was called the APFA for its first two seasons), pro foot- ball adoptedmost of the rules of college football.For most of its history, though, the NFL has led the way inmodifying the rulebook, including thepartsdealing with player safety. Rules to Protect Players Some elements of the NFL rulebook have evolved gradually. The dangerous crackback block, where a Actual Text Size called the APFA for its first two seasons), pro foot ball adopted most of the rules of college football. For most of its history, though, the NFL has led the way in modifying the rulebook, including the parts dealing receivers. At the time, the forward pass spread the field and reduced the violence in the scrums. When the NFL was formed in 1920 (it was player lined up outside runs parallel to the line of scrimmageandhitsanun- suspecting defender be- low the waist, is banned. Since it was introduced in the 1970s, the no-crack- back rule has been ex- tended to more players, and to awider area. Anotherexample:strikinga “defenselessplayer.” Since 1982, this rule has expanded to include more ways of hitting an opponent and, especially, the pool of players considered defenseless. It now refers to kickoff and punt returners attempting to field a kick in the air, players on the ground at the end of plays, placekickersandpunters in theactofkicking,aquar- terback during change of possession, a receiverwho hasn’t had time to protect himself, and a receiver af- ter a pass is intercepted. The tinkeringneverstops. In2015,amongother safetymeasures,NFLowners authorized injury spot-

Football receivers are particularly vulnerable to hard hits as they focus first onmaking the catch.

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