National Football League facts for kids
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| Formerly | American Professional Football Conference (1920) American Professional Football Association (1920–1921) |
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| Sport | American football |
| Founded | September 17, 1920 Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Commissioner | Roger Goodell |
| No. of teams | 32 |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | 345 Park Avenue New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Seattle Seahawks |
The National Football League (NFL) is the top professional league for American football in the United States. It has 32 different teams. The teams are divided into two equal groups called the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the premier sports leagues in North America and has millions of fans around the world.
Each football year begins with a preseason in August where players get ready for games. Next comes an 18-week regular season starting in September. Every team plays 17 games and gets one rest week. When the regular games finish, 14 top squads move on to the NFL playoffs. This tournament is a knockout competition that ends with the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is one of the most famous games in the world, matching the champions of the AFC and NFC. The league offices are located in New York City.
Contents
History and Growth of Pro Football
The NFL was founded in 1920 in Canton, Ohio. Before the league began, teams played in smaller groups like the Ohio League or traveled as independent squads.
Early Meetings and First Champions
On August 20, 1920, leaders from several football teams met in an automobile showroom in Canton, Ohio. They represented the Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, and Dayton Triangles. They wanted to help organize schedules and stop teams from bidding against each other for players.
A second meeting happened on September 17, 1920. Leaders like George Halas, Ralph Hay, Frank Nied, and Carl Storck joined together. Teams arrived from four states. They included the Hammond Pros and Muncie Flyers from Indiana, and the Rochester Jeffersons from New York. Illinois sent the Rock Island Independents, the Decatur Staleys, and the Racine Cardinals. The group formed the American Professional Football Association (APFA). Famous athlete Jim Thorpe became the first president.
More teams soon joined, including the Buffalo All-Americans, Chicago Tigers, Columbus Panhandles, and Detroit Heralds. The Massillon Tigers came to early meetings but did not field a team that year. Only two original teams still play today: the Decatur Staleys (now the Chicago Bears) and the Racine Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals).
The first season began on September 26, 1920. The Rock Island Independents beat the St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. The Akron Pros won the first championship because they had no losses. The next year, the Chicago Staleys won after a famous title dispute. On June 24, 1922, the group officially took the name National Football League.
Indoor Playoff and Growing Rules
In the 1932 season, the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans finished with the same top winning percentage. At that time, ties did not count in standings. The league needed a special tiebreaker game to name a true champion.
The game was scheduled for Wrigley Field in Chicago. Bad weather brought freezing cold and deep snow to the city. Officials moved the game inside to Chicago Stadium. The arena was small and did not fit a regular football field. Workers covered the dirt floor with dirt left over from a circus. The teams played on an 80-yard field with special rule changes. The Bears won 9–0 and took the championship.
Fans loved the excitement of a final title match. In the 1933 season, the NFL split into two divisions. The division winners played in the first official NFL Championship Game.
Facing Rival Football Leagues
During the 1930s and 1940s, the NFL competed with other leagues. Several groups called the American Football League formed and faded. Another strong group was the All-America Football Conference (AAFC).
Several modern NFL teams started in these rival leagues. The Los Angeles Rams began in a 1936 version of the AFL. The Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers came from the AAFC when it closed in 1950. Across the northern border, Canadian football grew into the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 1958. Canadian football has different rules, such as twelve players on a bigger field.
AFL Merger and Super Bowl Era
In 1960, a new rival called the American Football League (AFL) began playing games. The AFL signed talented college players and signed television contracts. The NFL and AFL soon competed fiercely for new athletes and fan attention.
On June 8, 1966, the two leagues agreed on an historic merger. They decided to combine into one large league by 1970. In the meantime, they held a shared player draft. They also created a world championship game between their champions.
The first big clash took place in January 1967 as Super Bowl I. The Green Bay Packers won that game and Super Bowl II. The AFL showed its strength when the New York Jets won Super Bowl III and the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl IV. When the merger finished in 1970, the league organized into the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC).
Great Growth Under Commissioners
Commissioner Pete Rozelle led the league from 1960 to 1989. He helped football become the most popular sport on television. Annual stadium attendance grew from 3 million to 17 million people under his leadership. A massive worldwide audience of 400 million people watched Super Bowl XXIII in 1989.
Rozelle created NFL Properties in 1963 to sell team shirts, hats, and souvenirs. He also started NFL Charities to support good causes and built a strong partnership with the United Way. After Rozelle retired, Paul Tagliabue served as commissioner from 1989 to 2006. He helped add four new teams and signed large broadcast deals.
In 2006, Roger Goodell became the commissioner. He worked to protect athletes from head injuries like a concussion. The league changed tackling rules to keep players safe and made new safety equipment mandatory.
Teams of the National Football League
The league features 32 teams divided equally between the AFC and NFC conferences. Each conference has four divisions: East, North, South, and West.
Every team is allowed 55 players on its roster. On game day, 48 players dress in uniform and are active to play. Teams also have a 16-player practice squad to help train during the week.
Each team receives an official territory around its home city. Teams have exclusive rights to host home games and advertise in their area. Teams sharing a city, such as in New York or Los Angeles, share their regional market. The Dallas Cowboys are known as one of the most valuable sports clubs in the world.
How the NFL Season Works
The football calendar includes warm-up exhibition matches, a long regular season, and elimination playoff games.
Summer Preseason Games
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Football starts in August with the NFL preseason. The first exhibition game is the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Teams play at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Each team normally plays three preseason games. These matches do not count toward the standings. Coaches use these games to test younger athletes and decide who will make the final team. Players work hard on the field to earn a permanent spot on the roster.
Regular Season Schedule and Rules
The regular season lasts 18 weeks. Each team plays 17 games and receives one week off, called a bye week. In total, the league stages 272 games between early September and January.
The games follow a strict mathematical scheduling system:
- Teams play six games against their three division rivals, facing each one at home and away.
- Teams play four games against every team from another division in the same conference.
- Teams play four games against every team from a division in the other conference.
- Teams play two games against teams that finished in the same position in other divisions of their conference.
- Teams play one final interconference match based on previous standings.
Most games kick off on Sunday afternoons. The NFL also features special evening games on NBC Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and Thursday Night Football. The opening game of the year, called the NFL Kickoff Game, is hosted by the defending champions.
Exciting Playoff Tournaments
When the regular season ends, 14 teams advance to the NFL playoffs. Seven teams qualify from the AFC and seven qualify from the NFC.
The four division winners in each conference are ranked as seeds 1 through 4 based on their records. Three additional teams with the best remaining records qualify as wild card teams, taking seeds 5, 6, and 7. The number one seed in each conference gets a first-round bye and home-field advantage.
The playoffs are single-elimination games:
- Wild Card Round: Seed 2 plays seed 7, seed 3 plays seed 6, and seed 4 plays seed 5.
- Divisional Round: The top seed plays the lowest surviving seed, while the other two winners play.
- Conference Championships: The final two conference teams battle for the AFC or NFC title.
- The Super Bowl: The AFC champion faces the NFC champion for the world title.
The league also hosts the Pro Bowl. This is an all-star game for the most popular and skilled players of the year.
Big Trophies and Special Honors
The NFL celebrates team victories and individual heroics with famous awards.
Historic Championship Trophies
The first trophy ever given was the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Cup, given to the Akron Pros in 1920. It was a silver cup donated by the Brunswick Corporation. That old trophy disappeared, and nobody knows where it is today.
From 1934 to 1967, the champion received the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy. Ed Thorp was a respected league referee. Teams held the trophy for one year before passing it to the next winner. The original trophy is now on display at the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
Today, champions lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It is named after coach Vince Lombardi, who led the Green Bay Packers to the first two Super Bowl crowns. The silversmiths at Tiffany & Co. craft a brand-new trophy each year from sterling silver.
Winning players and coaches also receive expensive Super Bowl rings. The conference champions win trophies too. The NFC winner takes the George Halas Trophy, and the AFC winner takes the Lamar Hunt Trophy.
Player and Coach Awards
Every year, the league announces major individual honors at the NFL Honors show.
- AP Most Valuable Player: Given to the best overall player of the regular season.
- Offensive Player of the Year: Honors the best player on offense.
- Defensive Player of the Year: Recognizes the top tackler, defender, or pass rusher.
- Walter Payton Man of the Year award: Celebrates a player's charity work and kindness in his community.
- NFL Coach of the Year: Honors the head coach who guided his team with the greatest skill.
Watching the NFL on Television
Millions of families gather around televisions and computers to watch games every week.
Games are broadcast by major networks including CBS, Fox, NBC, and ABC, alongside cable channels like ESPN and NFL Network. Sunday afternoon games are split between CBS for AFC road games and Fox for NFC road games. Fans can also follow games using modern internet streaming through Paramount+, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix.
Television directors use exciting technology to make broadcasts fun to watch. The Skycam flies high on cables over the field to show angles from behind the quarterback. Famous television announcer John Madden popularized the telestrator, a special screen tool used to draw yellow lines over video replays to explain plays.
How New Players Join the League
Every spring, teams gather to select top college athletes in the NFL draft.
The Annual NFL Draft
The draft lasts seven rounds. Each of the 32 clubs receives one selection per round. The team with the worst record from the previous season picks first, while the Super Bowl champion picks last. This rule helps struggling teams choose top young stars so they can improve.
Athletes must be finished with high school for at least three years to enter the draft. College underclass players can apply early if they decide to leave college sports. Teams are allowed to trade their picks to other teams for current players or future picks.
If a team lets the clock run out without making its pick, the next team in line can make a choice. This famously happened during the 2003 NFL draft, allowing the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers to pick before the Minnesota Vikings could finish their turn.
Free Agency and Player Trades
A player whose contract has ended becomes a free agent. A restricted free agent has played three seasons, and their original team can match any contract offer from other clubs. An unrestricted free agent has played four or more seasons and is free to sign with any team.
To keep games fair, the league uses a salary cap. This rule sets a limit on how much total money a team can spend on all player salaries. The cap prevents wealthy teams from buying all the best players, keeping games balanced and unpredictable for fans everywhere.
Related Pages
- List of Super Bowl champions
- List of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
- American football
See also
In Spanish: National Football League para niños
- American football in the United States
- List of NFL champions (1920–1969)
- List of Super Bowl champions (1966–present)
- National Football League (1902)
- National Football League All-Decade Teams
- National Football League Cheerleading
- National Football League franchise moves and mergers
- National Football League records
- National Football League 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
- National Football League 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
- NFL Europe
- NFL Films
- Timeline of the National Football League
- List of current NFL franchise owners
- List of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
- List of NFL players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
- International Player Pathway Program (IPPP)
