Let’s face it: most women do not like football. And honestly, it’s not that we don’t like it – what is there not to like about sexy men in tight pants tackling each other? It’s that most women simply don’t understand it, and their boyfriends are too engaged in their fantasy teams to even try and explain.
Fear no more ladies. The HerCampus team is here to help! Fortunately, we love football. Personally, I especially love it, considering that I grew up with a family that was passionate about it. I was a cheerleader for my school’s football team in high school, and that’s where my passion for the sport began. Then on Sundays, we would all gather around and watch the Jacksonville Jaguars lose while we screamed at them through the TV set. As I’ve grown older, I’ve grown to love teams that are actually good at football – such as the Seattle Seahawks. I have fallen more in love with the game, and the atmosphere of intensity, especially when attending a UCF Knights game.
Football season can be fun for everyone, but it’s a lot more interesting if you know what’s going on. So let’s go through some basics of the game, and a few simple phrases to learn that will get you through the remainder of the season – and maybe even help you score a couple points with your date.
Football is somewhat like a war. The 100-yard field is the battleground. The offense – the team with the ball – makes their way up the field for a touchdown, and it’s the defense’s job to stop them. Easy enough, right? Not quite.
Downs
The offense only has four chances (downs) to carry the ball 10 yards. Once they get the 10 yards, they are given another four chances. Sometimes, it takes a few tries to get to 10 yards. So when you hear “2nd and 6th, that means that the offensive line has 6 yards to go and they are on their 2nd try.
It gets a little more complex when you get to the 4th down. If you take a chance to get 10 yards, and miss, the other team gets to start from the exact spot that you left off, only they are headed in the other direction – much closer to the end zone (their goal line). You are also allowed to use your 4th down to kick a field goal, for three points.
When the offense makes it into the end zone (the other side of the field), it’s a touchdown, which is worth 6 points. Then, they have an opportunity to score one extra point by a kick. The offensive line can also go for a two-point conversion, where they can use another play to get the ball into the end zone a second time.
Sacks
A sack is a pretty huge deal for the defense. A sack is when the quarterback (Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Russel Wilson) is tackled before he has a chance to get rid of the ball. Some quarterbacks have had their careers ended by properly timed sacks. Remember the beginning of the Blind Side?
Safety
A safety is when the quarterback is sacked in their own end zone, thus resulting in two points.
Turnovers
A turnover can happen three ways: a fumble, an interception, or a turnover on downs.
A fumble is when the offense drops the ball, and the other team recovers the ball. An interception is when the quarterback throws the ball, and the other team receives the ball. A turnover on downs is when the offense is stopped short of a 1st down on a 4th down play.
Penalties
A penalty is a rule put in place to keep the players safe and the game fair. If a rule is broken, a yellow flag will be thrown, thus bringing about a penalty. A few examples of major penalties are:
Off sides – when the defense crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is hiked
False start – when the offense moves before the ball is hiked, excluding the one man that is allowed to move before the ball is snapped
Helmet to helmet – no helmet-to-helmet contact
Horse collar – a player cannot pull another player down by his collar
Face mask – a player cannot grab another player’s face mask
Penalties can often make or break a game.
Finally, my favorite thing about football (and the easiest part for most ladies): dressing up for your favorite team! You can easily accessorize with your favorite teams’ colors, and you can impress your date by wearing his team’s favorite colors! PINK by Victoria’s Secret has an NFL collection as well as a college collection! Support your man’s favorite NFL or college team AND wear VS PINK! It’s a win-win situation!