National Football League

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. It has 32 teams split into two conferences: the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference. The NFL is one of the biggest sports leagues in the world, with the highest level of professional American football. Each season starts with a preseason, followed by an 18-week regular season where each team plays 17 games. The top teams then compete in the playoffs, ending with the Super Bowl, a big game between the best teams from each conference.

The NFL began in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before becoming the National Football League in 1922. It used to decide its champion through season standings but later added playoffs. In 1967, the Super Bowl started after merging with another league called the American Football League. Today, the NFL is the wealthiest sports league globally, with very high attendance and huge fan interest. The Green Bay Packers have won the most championships, and the Seattle Seahawks are the current Super Bowl winners.

History

Main articles: Ohio League, History of the National Football League, and History of American football

Founding and history

On August 20, 1920, leaders from four teams met in Canton, Ohio, to start a new football league. This group became the American Professional Football Association (APFA). Soon after, more teams joined, and the league was renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922.

The NFL grew over the years, facing competition from other leagues. In 1960, a new league called the American Football League (AFL) began, which later merged with the NFL in 1970. This merger created the two conferences we see today: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC).

Today, the NFL is the most popular sports league in North America. It has worked hard to make the game safer and more fair for everyone. The league also focuses on supporting diverse businesses and communities.

Season and playoff development

Main article: List of NFL seasons

In the early years, the NFL did not have a fixed number of games. By 1935, each team played twelve games, but this number changed over time, especially during World War II. By 1961, teams played fourteen games, and in 1978, this increased to sixteen games. In 2021, the NFL changed to a seventeen-game season.

The NFL used to have two conferences, and the winners would play for the championship. Over time, the league added more teams and divisions, changing the playoff structure. Today, there are four divisions in each conference, and the playoffs include fourteen teams, giving more fans a chance to see their teams compete.

Teams

See also: List of defunct NFL franchises, Timeline of the National Football League, and NFL franchise moves and mergers

The NFL has 32 teams split into two groups called conferences. Each conference has 16 teams, and these teams are further divided into four smaller groups called divisions. During the regular season, each team can have up to 55 players on its list, but only 48 can play in a game. Teams also have a separate group of 16 players called a practice squad who help prepare the main team.

Each NFL team has a special permission called a franchise that lets it play in its home city. This gives the team certain rights in its local area for hosting games and events. Some areas share these rights if teams are very close to each other, like in big cities or states with more than one team.

The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports team in the world. On average, each NFL team is worth a lot of money, and together all the teams are worth even more.

Organizational structure

The NFL is made up of 32 teams that work together as a group. Until 2015, the NFL was a nonprofit group, but it changed to avoid taxes after people complained. The main leader of the NFL is called the commissioner, and he is chosen by the teams. The commissioner helps solve problems, makes rules, and can punish anyone who breaks the rules.

The NFL makes money mainly from selling things like team merchandise, showing games on TV, and selling ads. This money is shared equally among all the teams, no matter how well they play. This helps keep the league fair so one team cannot become too powerful just because it has more money.

Season format

Main article: List of NFL seasons

The NFL season has three parts: a short preseason, a long regular season, and a playoff tournament that ends with the Super Bowl, the league's championship game.

Preseason

Main article: NFL preseason

The preseason starts with a special game called the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. Each team plays three preseason games, which do not count toward the regular season. These games let coaches see how their players do and give players a chance to show what they can do. Fans and players sometimes dislike these games because they are not as important as regular games and can be risky.

Regular season

Main article: NFL regular season

Each team plays 17 regular-season games over 18 weeks. Most games are on Sundays, with some on Monday and Thursday nights. The NFL avoids playing on Fridays and Saturdays to not conflict with school and college games. Teams play many of their games against division rivals and also face teams from other divisions based on a set schedule.

Postseason

Main articles: NFL playoffs, Pro Bowl, and Super Bowl

After the regular season, 14 teams from each conference enter the playoffs. The top team from each conference gets a break, while the others compete in a series of games. The winners move on to the Conference Championships, and finally, the two conference champions play in the Super Bowl to decide the league's champion. The NFL also holds the Pro Bowl, an all-star game, the week before the Super Bowl. Players from the Super Bowl teams do not play in the Pro Bowl to avoid injuries.

Trophies and awards

Main article: List of NFL awards

Team trophies

Main articles: Vince Lombardi Trophy, Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy, and Brunswick-Balke-Collender Cup

The NFL has used three different trophies to honor its champion. The first was the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Cup, given in 1920. It was awarded to the Akron Pros for winning the first season. This trophy was later stopped, and its location today is unknown.

Next, the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy was used from 1934 to 1967. It was made to honor Ed Thorp, a referee who helped the early league. Each champion kept a smaller copy of this trophy. Today, it is believed to be in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

Now, the NFL uses the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It was named in 1970 for Vince Lombardi, the coach who led the Green Bay Packers to win the first two Super Bowls. A new Lombardi Trophy is made each year for the winning team. These trophies are made of silver by Tiffany & Co.. Players and coaches also get special rings to remember their win. The losing team gets smaller rings too.

The winners of each conference also get trophies. The NFC champions receive the George Halas Trophy, and the AFC champions receive the Lamar Hunt Trophy. Players on these teams also get special rings.

Player and coach awards

See also: Category:NFL trophies and awards

The NFL gives out many awards for players and coaches at its yearly NFL Honors event. The biggest award is the AP Most Valuable Player (MVP). Other important awards are for the best offensive player, best defensive player, best comeback player, and best new players. There is also an award for a player who does great work off the field, called the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. The best coach gets the NFL Coach of the Year award. There are also weekly awards for players of the week.

Media coverage

Main article: NFL on American television

See also: List of current NFL broadcasters

The NFL is shown on eight different TV networks in the United States. These networks include ESPN/ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Prime Video, Netflix, and NFL Network. Each network shows different games depending on the time and which conference is playing. For example, CBS shows afternoon games from the AFC, while Fox shows afternoon games from the NFC.

In addition to these regional games, there are also games shown nationwide. NBC broadcasts Sunday Night Football, which includes the Thursday NFL Kickoff game that starts the season and a Thanksgiving Day game. ESPN is the main broadcaster of Monday Night Football, with ABC sometimes showing these games too. Amazon streams the Thursday Night Football games. The NFL also has special channels like NFL Network and NFL RedZone that show the most exciting moments from games.

Draft

Main article: NFL draft

Every spring, the NFL holds a draft to choose new players from college teams. This draft has seven rounds, and each of the 32 teams gets one pick per round. Teams that did worse in the past season get earlier picks, while the team that won the Super Bowl picks last.

Players must wait three years after high school before they can be drafted. Teams can trade their draft picks to other teams for future picks. If a team misses its turn to pick a player, the teams behind them can choose instead. Drafted players can only sign with the team that picked them, and they usually sign a four-year contract. There are also special drafts for players who didn’t get picked in the main draft or for new teams joining the league.

Free agency

In the NFL, players who become free agents can either be restricted or unrestricted. Restricted free agents have played three seasons and can talk to other teams, but their old team can match any offer. If they don’t match it, they get draft picks as thanks. Unrestricted free agents have played four or more seasons and can join any team without their old team getting anything in return.

Teams can use something called a franchise tag on one unrestricted free agent. This tag gives the player a one-year contract for either 120% of what they earned before or the average of the top five paid players at their position, whichever is higher. There are two types: one where the player can’t talk to other teams, and another where they can, but their old team can match any offer and get draft picks if they don’t. Teams can also use a transition tag, which works like the second type of franchise tag but doesn’t give any thanks if the old team doesn’t match the offer.

Every team must follow a salary cap, which was set at US$188.2 million for the 2019 season. Players on a team’s practice squad are also considered a kind of free agent. They can join another team’s main roster, but not if that team is about to play their old team. They can’t join another team’s practice squad unless they are let go first.