Hey there! Have you ever seen a football? It’s a cool-looking ball used in one of the most popular sports in North America. But did you know that footballs didn’t always look like they do today? A long time ago, they were more round, like a soccer ball!
Someone named Janzen asked an interesting question: “Who invented football?” It’s a great question because we usually think of inventions as machines or gadgets. But games, with their rules and equipment, are also inventions! So, who thought up the idea of football?
First, let’s talk about what we mean by “football.” In many parts of the world, “football” means what Americans call “soccer.” But here, we’re talking about American football. It’s funny because in American football, you don’t use your feet much to play! This is a clue about how the game started.
American football has a lot in common with a sport from Great Britain called rugby. In both games, players try to carry a ball to a goal. The balls even look similar! Players also try to tackle each other to stop them from reaching the goal.
Even though American football and rugby are similar, there are some key differences. For example, in American football, only one player, called the quarterback, can throw the ball forward. In rugby, any player can throw the ball, but they usually pass it side to side.
A rugby coach named Walter Camp is often credited with inventing American football. About 100 years ago, he created many of the rules that make American football different from rugby today.
But wait, there’s more! People have been playing ball games for thousands of years. Some of these ancient games might be the early versions of the games we know today. Both American football and rugby might have come from an old game called mob football. In mob football, two towns would compete, trying to get a ball to the other town’s goal. Sometimes, the goal was to toss the ball into the other town’s church balcony!
And it’s not just football that has ancient roots. Some old games involved hitting a ball with a stick, like baseball or hockey. Others used only hands, like volleyball. Do any of these sound familiar?
So, while Walter Camp helped shape American football, people have been playing similar games for a very long time. Thanks to Janzen for asking such a fun question! Remember, there are always new things to learn, so stay curious and keep exploring!
Football Evolution Timeline: Create a timeline of how American football has changed over the years. Use paper and crayons to draw pictures of what footballs looked like in the past and how they look now. Include key events, like when Walter Camp introduced new rules. Share your timeline with your family and explain how the game has evolved!
Invent Your Own Game: Imagine you are an inventor like Walter Camp. Create your own ball game! Decide on the rules, what the ball looks like, and how players score points. Draw a picture of your game and write down the rules. Try playing your game with friends or family and see how it works!
Observe and Compare: Watch a short video of both American football and rugby. Make a list of similarities and differences you notice between the two games. Discuss with a friend or family member why you think these sports have different rules and what makes each one unique.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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(ringing) – Hi, it’s Doug. This might be familiar to you. It’s a football. One of the most popular sports in North America. But you know, footballs haven’t always looked like this. Back when football was first invented, a football looked more like this. Or like this. You can see they were more round back then. Someone named Janzen has a question about football. Let’s give him a call now. (ringing) – Hi Doug. – Hi Janzen. – I have a question for you. Who invented football? That’s a great question. It might seem unusual to think of a game as something that was invented. When you think of an invention, you might think of something more like a machine or a device that does something useful. But games involve rules and equipment, and all of those are things that some person or group of people had to think up. So who thought up the idea of football?
Well, to start with, we’ve got to be clear about what we mean when we say football. In most of the world, if you say football, that means this sport, which in American English people tend to call soccer. So what we’re talking about is American football. In fact, the name football to describe the sport has led some people to wonder why we even call it football when you hardly use your feet to touch the ball. But that’s actually a really interesting clue about how it got started because it turns out American football has a lot in common with another sport where you use your hands a lot. A sport that started in a different country. It might be fun for you to try to guess which sport and country. Before I say anything more, now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss.
Okay, you ready? Even though American football is hugely popular in the United States, it owes a lot to a different sport that started in Great Britain. You might know it. It’s a sport called rugby. Rugby has a lot in common with American football. Both sports involve trying to carry a ball towards a goal. Even the shape of the ball is similar. And both sports involve trying to tackle the person carrying the ball in order to stop them from reaching the goal zone.
But American football has some important differences from rugby. For example, in American football, only one person is allowed to throw the ball. That’s the quarterback, and they throw the ball forwards. In rugby, any player can throw the ball, and they usually move the ball forward by tossing it to each other side to side. There are other differences, too. A rugby coach named Walter Camp is often credited with inventing American football because about 100 years ago, he created many of the rules in American football that we have today. Rules that now make it a different sport from rugby.
But when we look at drawings and pictures from even further back in time, we can see that human beings have been playing ball games for thousands of years. Some of these ancient games are probably the early versions of games you know today. Both American football and rugby might have come from the same sport, something originally called mob football, where two neighboring towns would compete against each other. You can see here, mob football is still played today in certain towns in Great Britain. There are very few rules. As you can tell, there’s an unlimited number of players allowed, and they try to stop each other from tossing the ball all the way to a goal in the other team’s town. Back in ancient times, sometimes their goal was to toss a ball into the balcony of the other town’s church.
And it’s not just sports like football that have their beginnings in ancient times. Some of these ancient games involved hitting a ball with a stick. Does that remind you of anything? Other games involved only being able to use your hands, never your feet. Does that sound familiar?
So in summary, many of the rules of American football were invented by someone named Walter Camp, but earlier versions of football have been played for centuries. That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Janzen, for asking it. Now for the next episode, I reached into my question jar and chose three questions submitted to me that I’m thinking about answering. When this video is done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from what is tape made out of, why is the ocean salty, or how does dust form. So submit your vote when the video is over. I want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious and see you next week.
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
