Author: jove

There are 2 Conferences:
American Football Conference
National Football Conference

They are split into 4 Divisions each:
both; North, South, East, & West

4 Teams make up each Division:
Http://www.nfl.com/standings

Each team plays 16 games in 17 weeks. Each team is rewarded a "bye week", in which they get the week off. Typically between weeks 3 & 13.

Each team plays their "Division Rivals" (the other three teams that make up their division) twice a year. The rest of the schedule is usual set by playing the same teams from a particular division.
I.e. Colts played NFC & AFC North.

At the end of the season (a lot of times sooner) the team with the best record wins their division, and a right to play in the NFL Playoffs. (they're can be ties but there is a HUGE list of rules and stipulations to avoid this)
So the Playoffs are intially made up of the 8 Division winners. 4 more teams are awarded the right to play by simply having the best record in their conference. So, the two highest ranked teams left in the AFC & NFC (regardless of their Division) have a right to play in the Playoffs.

The teams in the Playoffs are ranking 1-6. (per Conference)

#1 Ranked plays the lowest seed throughout and who ever is left plays the leftovers.

The Playoffs are single elimination.

After 2 weeks of Playoffs the Conference Championships are held to determine the Super Bowl Contenders. The winners are awarded another bye week, then there's the Super Bowl. Nothing new, single elimination, winner gets the Lombardi Trophy. A player is always named "Super Bowl MVP" and typically all that means is people will always remember them and they win a Cadillac. Lol.

As far as the rules of the game, it seems like diehard fans are learning new ones each day the way the NFL's officiating has been lately. I recommend just watching on Sunday's and you'll pick it up in no time.

In regard to positions:
Http://www.nfl.com/teams/clevelandbrowns…
Quarterback – leads the "Offense". Throws the ball, and sometimes he runs with it.
Runningback – runs the ball; sometimes catches it; sometimes he blocks.
Tight End – a pass reciever and blocker.
Wide Receiver – a pass reciever.
Offensive Line – Block for the Quarterback & Runningback

On defense it's a little different:
Defensive Line – Try to stop the run and "sack" the Quarterback.
Linebackers – stop the run and sometimes pass coverage.
Defensivebacks – these are called the "secondary" , and it's all in the name. They are the last defense against both the pass and the run.

I spent way too much time on this so i hope it helped. Enjoy.

I love sports even boring a** baseball…but, football and basketball both are my fav's.

I'd personally choose football, what's not to love about a bunch of grown men tackling the daylights out of eachother around like a boxing bag? But, besides all that, the game has hightlighted some extremely talented athletes like running backs Jim Brown, Barry Sanders and QB Joe Montana? These guys and many others revolutionized the sport to make it what it is today and it's only gotten better with time. How could you not love a sport where athletes can exhibit a combination of power, speed and agility? Oh and did I mention shit talking?
Sorry no pie charts just history of the game is what I carry and a true passion and appreciation.

**OH and yes I do realize that Payton and Emmit Smith have all surpassed Browns rushing record but I do love the guy, he was making history and I wasn't even born.

Problems with your assessment that rugby is unquestionably tougher than American football tough:

1) More and more Rugby players are wearing those foam helmets and foam shoulder pads under their uniforms. You might not, but your tough rugby brothers do. And when you hit them, there's padding for both of you.

2) In rugby everyone sees the hits coming. Try taking a blindside hit before you talk.

3) There are so few hits per "try" in rugby. Best case scenario the ball-carrier runs through 4 or 5 guys on his way to a touchdown. That happens in American football too, but everyone without the ball on offense is also trying to hit the guys on defense. In American football everyone is trying to hit everyone on every play. TV really doesn't do it justice.

4) Imagine your playing rugby and the guy tackling you is wearing a motorcycle helmet. He uses his helmet to hit you in the arm, or stomach, or ribs, or lower back, or side of your thigh, or any of the other places wear American football players wear no padding. It happens to someone on every single play of every single game in American football……Oh, you have no idea what it feels like? Then by all means, please strap a motorcycle helmet on your rugby teammate, tell him to keep off your face/head, and try to get past him. Then come back here and tell us what you think.

Although not all salaries are public knowledge, ESPN's sports anchors' salaries range from a low of $600,000 to a high of $1,000,000! Joe Theismann, the former NFL quarterback, gets a reported $1,000,000 serving as ESPN's color commentator, while sportscaster Chris Berman is reported to earn between $600,000 and $1,000,000 each year.

Read more Http://www.kgbanswers.com/what-is-the-sa…

ESPN would be considered a media company, typically such a far reaching service does sell ad space, perhaps making them a marketing facilitator.

This association roster should give you what you need.
Http://sportsmarketingnetwork.com/member…

ESPN, formerly the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. It was founded by Scott Rasmussen and his father Bill Rasmussen, and launched on September 7, 1979 under the direction of Chet Simmons, who was the network's first President and CEO. The current president, since November 19, 1998, of ESPN is George Bodenheimer. Bodenheimer is also the current head of ESPN on ABC, having been named to that position on March 3, 2003. Its signature telecast, SportsCenter, debuted with the network and aired its 30,000th episode on February 11, 2007. ESPN broadcasts primarily out of its studios in Bristol, Connecticut; it also operates offices out of Charlotte, San Francisco, and Los Angeles which will open in 2009. ESPN is available in over 100 million homes in the United States and over 150 countries and territories via ESPN International. The name of the sport company was lengthened to "ESPN Inc." in February 1985.

ESPN unofficially refers to itself as "The Worldwide Leader in Sports"; the slogan appears on nearly all company media, though its origin is unknown.