American football: References & Edit History
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Additional Reading
The most comprehensive history of the U.S. intercollegiate game is John Sayle Watterson, College Football: History, Spectacle, Controversy (2000). Michael Oriard, Reading Football: How the Popular Press Created an American Spectacle (1993), and King Football: Sport and Spectacle in the Golden Age of Radio & Newsreels, Movies & Magazines, the Weekly & the Daily Press (2001); Murray Sperber, Shake Down the Thunder: The Creation of Notre Dame Football (1993, reissued 2002), and Onward to Victory: The Crises That Shaped College Sports (1998); David M. Nelson, The Anatomy of a Game: Football, the Rules, and the Men Who Made the Game (1994); and Robin Lester, Staggâs University: The Rise, Decline, and Fall of Big-Time Football at Chicago (1995), also are authoritative treatments of aspects of the game. The NCAA publishes useful annuals.
For U.S. professional football, the most authoritative source is Bob Carroll et al. (eds.), Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League, rev. and updated ed. (1999; also published as Total Football II). Robert W. Peterson, Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football (1997), provides a narrative history of the NFLâs pretelevision era. A comprehensive narrative history of the NFL through the first years of the 21st century is found in Michael MacCambridge, Americaâs Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation (2004). Jeff Miller, Going Long: The Wild Ten-Year Saga of the Renegade American Football League in the Words of Those Who Lived It (2003), is a standout history of the AFL. The Sporting News Pro Football Guide is published annually.
Elements of the U.S. professional game are colourfully explored in George Plimpton, Paper Lion (1966); Jerry Kramer and Dick Schaap, Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer (1968, reissued 2006); and Michael Lewis, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game (2006). Racial aspects are documented in Arthur R. Ashe, Jr., A Hard Road to GloryâFootball: The African-American Athlete in Football (1993); Michael Hurd, Black College Football, 1892â1992: One Hundred Years of History, Education and Pride, rev., expanded 2nd ed. (1998); and Charles K. Ross, Outside the Lines: African Americans and the Integration of the National Football League (1999). A compelling account of the impact of high school football on a small Texas town is found in H.G. Bissinger, Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream (1990).
Article Contributors
Primary Contributors
- Michael Oriard
-
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors
Article History
| Type | Description | Contributor | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invalidated site: CORE - Expertise and decision-making in American football. | Jun 26, 2026 | ||
| Added a link. | Apr 21, 2026 | ||
| In the Super Bowl table, added the results of the 2025â26 season. | Feb 08, 2026 | ||
| Added the winner of the 2025â26 season. | Jan 19, 2026 | ||
| Added reference to the Rooney Rule in section about racial transformation of the game. | Apr 30, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: Pennsylvania State University - CiteSeerX - Injuries to Kickers in American Football (PDF). | Apr 15, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - The Anatomy of American Football: Evidence from 7 Years of NFL Game Data. | Feb 04, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: Purdue e-Pubs - Popular Culture and the Rituals of American Football. | Nov 18, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: Purdue e-Pubs - Popular Culture and the Rituals of American Football. | Nov 18, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: CORE - Expertise and decision-making in American football. | Aug 31, 2024 | ||
| Corrected cross-references in âThe game emergesâ section. | Jul 22, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: Frontiers - Frontiers in Sports and Active Living - Periodization for successÂin-season external training loads relative to competition load in American football. | Jul 19, 2024 | ||
| Walter Achiu's role as a pioneering NFL player noted. | Jun 23, 2023 | ||
| Media added. | Feb 14, 2023 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Feb 09, 2023 | ||
| Media added. | Feb 06, 2023 | ||
| Link added. | Jan 10, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: Liveabout - The Basic Rules of Football. | Dec 06, 2021 | ||
| New media added. | Jan 29, 2021 | ||
| Changed âblackâ to âBlackâ throughout article. | Aug 26, 2020 | ||
| Media added. | Aug 25, 2017 | ||
| Media added. | Apr 21, 2016 | ||
| In The play of the game section, updated to mention the NFL's new 15-yard kick-conversion rule. | Jul 17, 2015 | ||
| In the Football in the United States section, added the creation of the College Football Playoff. | Sep 03, 2014 | ||
| Changed "playoff" to "play-off." | Dec 19, 2013 | ||
| Three videos added. | Jul 05, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: Football Almanac - History, Players, Statistics and More. | Apr 02, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: Football Almanac - History, Players, Statistics and More. | Apr 02, 2012 | ||
| Clarified opening paragraph to note that gridiron football developed independently in Canada and the U.S. | Mar 01, 2012 | ||
| Mentioned that Walter Camp is credited with creating the quarterback position. | Dec 15, 2011 | ||
| In The play of the game section, corrected distances of collegiate and professional kickoffs. | May 25, 2011 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Feb 04, 2011 | ||
| Five titles added to bibliography. | Jan 13, 2011 | ||
| Football in the United States section updated with developments to 2010. | Nov 16, 2010 | ||
| Revised Football in Canada section to mention the folding of the Ottawa franchise in 2006 and the renewed profitability of the CFL in the 21st century. | Nov 16, 2010 | ||
| Table of American football all-time records added to the article. | Aug 27, 2010 | ||
| Article updated to mention U.S. Supreme Court's antitrust decision and the reinstatement of the Arena Football League. | May 25, 2010 | ||
| Added final years for the Arena Football League and NFL Europe. | Sep 09, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Entertainment - How American Football Works. | Mar 05, 2009 | ||
| Article revised. | Jul 09, 2008 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Jul 09, 2008 | ||
| Media added. | May 07, 2008 | ||
| Media added. | Oct 18, 2007 | ||
| Added tables of major championship winners. | Mar 22, 2007 | ||
| Article revised. | Jul 16, 2004 | ||
| Article revised. | Mar 14, 2002 | ||
| Article revised. | Feb 22, 2002 | ||
| Article revised. | Dec 21, 2000 | ||
| Article revised. | Oct 05, 2000 | ||
| Article added to new online database. | Jul 26, 1999 |