The Super Bowl is fun. But when you don’t know how the game is played, it can be frustrating. As women, we’re not usually exposed to football at a young age. And for the few of you that were, I envy you. Football is actually a really interesting and fun sport to watch! That’s why it’s so popular! But not knowing the rules of football makes it impossible to watch, let alone to enjoy it. Plus, most males are too busy watching to be bothered with your “silly” questions about what that move means or why that last play was bad. Believe me, it took two years of badgering before an old boyfriend of mine gave me some basic ground rules of the game. We at Her Campus realized that we weren’t alone in our lack of football knowledge. So, get ready ladies, cause we’re gonna drop some knowledge bombs on ya!
The Rules of American Football: HerCampus Style!
Objective: Two teams (A &B) have four 15-minute quarters to move the football into the opposite team’s endzone (where their team name is painted). There is also a half-time show where Beyoncé will KILL IT. Moving on…
- While team A is on offense (They have the ball), team B plays defense (no ball)
- Team A is given four chances (downs) to move forward 10 yards towards Team B’s endzone.
- If they don’t succeed in moving forward 10 yards in 4 downs, Team B gets the ball and they will then be given 4 downs to move 10 yards towards Team A’s endzone.
- If team A does reach their 10-yard mark, they continue moving down the field.
Scoring
- A Touchdown is worth 6 points. It happens when Team A reaches Team B’s endzone with the football in hand or caught by a player.
- The Extra point happens after a touchdown. The kicker attempts to kick the football in between the goalposts.
- Field goals happen when Team A attempts to kick the ball into Team B’s endzone for someone to catch. This is worth 3 points and happens while in play, not after a touch down.
If you’re watching with guy friends, boyfriends, brothers, uncles, dads or even women who are well versed in football don’t be afraid to ask questions! Just maybe wait until the announcers are talking, no one wants to miss the game or those commercials!
If watching the game for the attractive men in tight pants is way more your scene, then you’re in luck. We went through both teams facing off this Sunday and found some cuties for you to keep your hands, I mean eye, on.
Baltimore Ravens:
- Ray Lewis #52
- Chyckie Brown #23
- Sean Considine #37
- Joe Flacco (Quarterback) #5
- Asa Jackson #25
- Ray Rice #27
**Michael Oher #74 à I just love his story so much that I love him. So.
San Francisco 49ers:
- Garret Celek #81
- Chris Culliver #29
- Chad Hall #14
- Alex Smith (Quarterback) #11
- Trenton Robinson #30
- Jewel Hampton #33
So ladies, kick back and give thanks to the person who made those tight spandex pants that we all enjoy.