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[[File:4cfa9dfc804a63675b92e458ea0e9d1c.jpeg|thumbnail|300px|left|Figure 1. Depiction of <i>Episkyros</i>]]American football, while a relatively young sport, has developed and evolved over a long history of development and evolutiontime. While we tend to think of it as a uniquely American sport, its origin and history is complex demonstrate that slowly evolved from sports that played and variedancient times.
==Beginnings of Football==
Ball games or games involving an object a player possesses while others try to tackle or wrestle have a long history. We know of games such as <i>Harpastum</i>, which was Roman ball game probably similar to a Greek ball game called <i>Episkyros</i> (Figure 1).<ref>For more on these early Greco-Roman games, see: Nardo, Don. 1999. <i>Greek and Roman Sport. World History Series. </i> San Diego, CA: Lucent Books.</ref> We do not know the exact rules for each of these games but it seemed to involve a ball where two teams would try to score or place the ball in a position that would register the game's points while the other team would tackle and try to prevent the other team from scoring. In essence, the basic concept is the same as sports such as rugby and American football. AdditionallyDuring this time period, already the idea of using an air-filled ball had balls developed. Later in the Middle Ages, in Europe, a type of ball game developed that had towns or cities competing with one another. In this game, which likely had different rules in various places, teams would form and a ball would be used where the goals were likely similar to <i>Harpastum</i>. This was a type of mob ball or mob football, where towns would try to have bragging rights by beating their rival towns. A few images from the Medieval period show it was a type of team activity.<ref>For more on Medieval ball games, see: Curry, Graham, and Eric Dunning. 2015. <i>Association Football: A Study in Figurational Sociology.</i> Routledge Research in Sports History. New York: Routledge.</ref>
Later in the Middle Ages, in Europe, different types of ball games developed where towns or cities competing with one another. In these game, which likely had different rules in various places, teams would form and a ball would be used where the goals were likely similar to <i>Harpastum</i>. This was a type of mob ball or mob football, where towns would try to win bragging rights by beating their rival towns. A few images from the Medieval period show it was a type of team sport.<ref>For more on Medieval ball games, see: Curry, Graham, and Eric Dunning. 2015. <i>Association Football: A Study in Figurational Sociology.</i> Routledge Research in Sports History. New York: Routledge.</ref> Essentially, ball based games where people tackled each other have been around for a very long time.
==Later Developments==
[[File:1895 Auburn - Georgia football game at Piedmont Park in Atlanta Georgia.jpg|left|300px|thumbnail|Figure 2. Auburn vs. Georgia football game in 1895.]]
Up until the 19th century, many versions of what can be called mob football existed. In fact, this variety of football may have inspired alternative ideas about the development of American football, although the formation of American football was ultimately tied to the development of rugby. Older American universities, particularly Harvard and Yale, had developed student football traditions.<ref>For more on the origins and influence of mob football, rugby, and other related sports, see: <i>The DNA of Rugby Football A Short History of the Origin of Rugby Football</i>. 2015. Partridge Africa.</ref> These games initially had few clear rules except masses of students would play together and two sides would compete to possess a ball and try to achieve some points with this ball. The games were more like soccer but much more violent. In fact, some places began banning the sports due to the excessive violence.
==Conclusion==
The evolution of American football has been varied. Key influences were likely Greco-Roman games that left their mark in Europe. With the Medieval Period, those games emerged to form the beginnings of what would become rugby and soccer (or football). However, within that were the origins of American football. In the United States, it was concern over safety that led to rules that shaped what became American football and how it differed from its European counterparts (i.e., rugby and soccer). The formalization of rules and social events such as war (e.g., World War I) further shaped the sport. The rapid expansion of popularity in the early 20th century eventually led to professional teams, which served as the foundation of the modern NFL. Along the way after the founding of the NFL, rules were refined, often influenced by the medium of television.
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==References==
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