The Observation on Football and How It Relates to Sociology

American football can be traced back to 1889 where they used a sawdust filled balls to throw back and forth and kick around. (PERA 2008) American football is found to be divergences from rugby which was played in Europe.(PERA 2008) In 1892 William Heffelinger who was paid $500 to play for the Athletic Association against the Pittsburg Athletic club this was known to be the first player who was paid to play( PERA 2008). Later in the 1820s football was introduced to college campuses everywhere. It was used as a form of stress relief. In the early years of football and football teams there were no rules or referees the norm was the guys that were the biggest usually won the game. (PERA 2008) Then Water Camp who was considered the "father of football" brought on rules and changes. As in the line of scrimmage and of down and distance. Later in the 19th and 20th centuries many of the college coaches came together and formed new rules. College football became the dominate version of the sport in the first half of the 19th century. Bowl games attracted many and rivalries and traditions were born... American Football has a wide spread of followers from college to NFL on down to little league we love the sport and love to watch the games. (PERA, 2008)

In relation to the sociodemographic of football I can say that I have watched and been to several football games that range from High school to college and even the NFL games I have to say that the stadiums were full and that people ranged from young to old and every ethnic group you can imagine. In the demographics aspect I think that in America we watch football as we know it.But elsewhere there is more a poplulatary to soccer, or ruby (Foley 2011). American Football is known to be professional or amateur. Professional football is played in large stadiums with many fans and shown on television. There is college football that is very similar but the players do not get paid to participate in the game, many of these fans are known to have a long history to the team and participate in many traditions. Then there is your little league and high school football where parents participate and cheer on their favorite player or son. I have also seen many people playing the sport during a Sunday at half time or any nice day in a park. I think you can see football and participants in many different places and different groups of people.

As football grew from a sport in which people only did to relieve stress or to see the bigger team win. (PERA 2008) We as contemporary America have come to play and watch the sport for entertainment (Foley 2011). We go to the games to be entertained and to watch the players play and sometimes get into fights on the field. We meet our friends there to tailgate and eat before a game and enjoy a day away from the tasks of work and other day to day situations. We can even enjoy watching a game on TV and have friends and family come to your house for food and socialization. In some situations there are traditions such as watching the super bowl and eating chicken wings. As said in the great American ritual,"rituals are everywhere in football and many generations". (Foley 2011). Even in little league games is there know to be a social setting parents talking on the field with other parents each watching their child play a game and then afterward going to eat pizza and enjoy each other's company.( Clayton 2007). , Some people choose to go to sports bars and public places to watch games and you meet up with friends and meet a new group. I find that football is has a wide range of followers(Clayton 2007) We here in America love to make it a time to get away from our normal day to day life.

Culture has made a huge impact on football mostly due to the invention of TV. (Foley, 2011) Before football was broadcast on TV only a few people could go watch the games. Mainly this was college games and only a few teams( PEFRA 2008) .So you would either have to travel far to watch the sport of football or live close to a college team that had football. Now we can get football games on many different channels and several different days. (PEFRA, 2008) You can watch football on TV or go to a game and I think that either way it is exciting. The media has made the announcers exciting and you can feel