History of American football

American football can be traced to early versions of . Both games have their origin in  played in Britain in the mid-19th century, in which a  is kicked at a  and/or run over a line. resulted from several major divergences from rugby, most notably the rule changes instituted by considered the "Father of American Football". Among these important changes were the introduction of the and of  rules. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, gameplay developments by college coaches such as  and helped take advantage of the newly introduced . The popularity of  grew as it became the dominant version of the sport in the United States for the first half of the 20th century.  a college football tradition, attracted a national audience for collegiate teams. Bolstered by fierce  college football still holds widespread appeal in the US.
The origin of  can be traced back to 1892, with contract to play in a game for the  against the . In 1920 the American Professional Football Association was formed. This league changed its name to the  (NFL) two years later, and eventually became the American football. Primarily a sport of Midwestern industrial towns in the United States, professional football eventually became a national phenomenon. Football's increasing popularity is usually traced to the  a contest that has been dubbed the "Greatest Game Ever Played". A rival league to the NFL,  (AFL), began play in 1960; the pressure it put on the senior league led to a between the two leagues and the creation of the  which has become the most watched television event in the United States on an annual basis