Professional American Football Leagues besides the NFL
The National Football League (NFL) isn’t the only professional American football league. Diehard American football fans can watch games in the summer months, football’s traditional offseason, and watch games in countries other than the United States. Here’s a rundown of the NFL’s sister leagues:
Arena Football: Arena football is a fast-paced, offense-oriented, indoor sport played with only eight players per team on the field at a time. Six of those eight players must play both offense and defense. The field is 85 feet wide and 66 yards long.
Kurt Warner, the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV, began his professional career with an Arena Football team (the Iowa Barnstormers, to be exact). To find out more about arena football, visit the Arena Football League website.
Canadian Football League: CFL play begins in June and ends in late November with the Grey Cup, its version of the Super Bowl. The field is 110 yards by 65 yards, bigger than the 100 yards by 53 yards of an American football field, which gives offenses more room to maneuver and score points. Several former NFL stars, notably Warren Moon and Doug Flutie, got their start in the CFL. You can find out more about the CFL by visiting the league website.
United Football League: UFL teams play on the traditional 100-yard field. The league has five teams, which have pretty cool names:
For more information about the UFL, visit its website.
Football Glossary
ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference of college football teams.
Football Glossary
AFC
An acronym for the American Football Conference.
Football Glossary
AFL
An acronym for the American Football League.
Football Glossary
BCS
An acronym for the Bowl Championship Series.
Football Glossary
Big Ten
A college athletic conference whose eleven-member institutions are located mainly in the Midwestern United States.
Football Glossary
bye week
A week during which an NFL team doesn’t play; every NFL team has one week of the season off.
Football Glossary
center
The player who snaps the ball to the quarterback. A center handles the ball on every play.
Football Glossary
DEF
An acronym for Team Defense.
Football Glossary
fullback
A player who’s responsible for blocking for the running back and also for pass-blocking to protect the quarterback. Fullbacks, who are generally bigger than running backs, are short-yardage runners.
Football Glossary
kicker; placekicker
The member of the special team who is responsible for field goal and extra point attempts.
Football Glossary
NCAA
An acronym for the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Football Glossary
NFC
An acronym for the National Football Conference.
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NFL
An acronym for the National Football League.
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Pac-10
The Pacific-10 Conference is a college athletic conference that operates in the western United States.
Football Glossary
Punt
A kick to the opponent without the use of a tee.
Football Glossary
quarterback
The leader of the team. The quarterback calls the plays in the huddle, yells the signals at the line of scrimmage, and then receives the ball from the center. Then he hands off the ball to a running back, throws it to a receiver, or runs with it.
Football Glossary
running back; tailback; halfback; wingback
A player who runs with the football.
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SEC
The Southeastern Conference of college football teams.
Football Glossary
snake draft
A draft in which each fantasy coach has one pick in each round. Each team makes its first-round pick based on a predetermined order.
Football Glossary
ST
An acronym for Special Teams.
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stud
A top-rated fantasy football starter.
Football Glossary
tight end
A player who serves as a receiver and also as a blocker. The tight end lines up beside the offensive tackle to the right or the left of the quarterback.
Football Glossary
waivers
A situation where a player is dropped from a team roster; the player goes on waivers for a limited time before becoming a free agent. All coaches then have a set amount of time (usually two days) to decide whether to add him to their teams.
Football Glossary
wide receiver
A player who uses his speed to elude defenders and catch the football. Teams use as many as two to four wide receivers on every play.
