by Brian Williams

Created on: September 19, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

In the 21st century there is a new pastime in The United States of America, the game of football! After The All-Star Break, it seems as if the entire country counts down to the second when The NFL preseason begins. There is no sport in America that has fans anticipating heavily like in The NFL. The National Football League is a billion dollar a year industry. Everything from helmets, jerseys, towels, dishes, even stationary is selling at an enormous rate. Each and every fan is passionate about their team whether they're winning or losing! The fans are not only loyal to their respected teams, but to the league overall!

The National Football League is almost 90 years old. Names like Vince Lombardi, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Bill Walsh and Don Shula lead their teams to historical feats. Vince Lombardi won so many championships with The Green Bay Packers, the Super Bowl trophy was eventually named after him. Don Shula was the first and only coach to lead his team to an undefeated season. While Coach Bryant established a dynasty in Chicago in the 1950's, Bill Walsh was responsible for 3 of the 5 World Championship won for The San Francisco 49ers. But football is not just about great coaching, it's a determination sport, you have to be easily motivated to play the game of football.

In the past, football was a fraternity, men and even women would meet to discuss the values of life learned just from playing football. On the east coast, the weather was cold in the fall. The grass was so frozen, it literally looked like tundra. With no high performance tennis shoes or equipment, players would play with injuries constantly. This sport was born based on the freezer burnt faces of players slamming themselves on to each other. The sport was so bizarre, both the winning and losing teams would find ways to be inspired. Now the winning teams didn't need much explanation to be inspired, but the losing teams needed reverse psychology to get prepared for their next opponent. The coaches would be more like ministers or mentors using logic to keep hope alive for a strong season.

It tough to determine a great sport, without a great champion. So many players like Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, and Jim Brown exhibted invincibilty in an already toughning sport. The championship games were so dramatic, a new championship game was invented. After several championships won by the likes of Green Bay, Baltimore, Chicago, and New York, it was time to test the championship grit by inventing a game that

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