FOOTBALL LINGO
A number of words and phrases currently in everyday usage can also be found in the language of football. Here is a selection of such terms, which you may find enlightening and entertaining.
Bootleg.   In popular talk, to bootleg is to smuggle alcoholic liquor. In football, it’s a type of running play intended to make [...]

FOOTBALL GAME PLAN
From a novice’s point of view, the apparent randomness displayed on a football field is, in fact, well-thought-out strategy. At any one time, there may be dozens of different plays every team player has committed to memory and knows by heart.
Here’s a thumbnail sketch of some key pieces of a typical game plan, [...]

FOOTBALL TEAM PLAYERS
To rookie fans, the feverish activity on a football field may seem like somewhat erratic behavior. Veteran spectators of the sport, however, know that the game is, in fact, well organized. What a player does depends on his assigned position. Following is a simplified overview of how a football team is put [...]

FOOTBALL TALK
Newcomers to the football scene may be puzzled by some of the terms they hear others use when speaking of the game. You may find the following, with brief explanations, useful in shedding light on some of these words and phrases. Even if you are a veteran fan, you may still find this an [...]

FOOTBALL RECAP:  PART THREE
The previous two articles of this series touched upon football basics and personnel. This concluding article offers brief notes on equipment used in the sport, and miscellaneous facts of interest.
Equipment
Players use various pieces of equipment according to the positions they play. As the team’s leader, the quarterback wears an earpiece in his [...]

FOOTBALL RECAP:  PART TWO
The first of this three-part series of articles briefly examined the origin of football, the dimensions of the field, the game itself and categories of players making up a team. Now let’s look at other team members not previously mentioned, to rules of the game and to penalties for breaking these rules.
The [...]

FOOTBALL RECAP:  PART ONE
Football played in the USA and Canada was created at Princeton University in 1867 as a soccer variant. By 1922 the NFL (National Football League) was born. This is perhaps the world’s best-known football league. It consists of 32 professional teams from cities throughout the USA.
In 1960 the Super Bowl came into [...]

BASEBALL STADIUMS:  PART THREE
The previous two articles were devoted to the origins of baseball stadiums and their progress toward enclosed ballparks with artificial turf. This final article in the series will examine multipurpose facilities and those resulting from high-tech innovations.
Multipurpose facilities
The 1970s may be regarded as the era of multipurpose facilities. Stadiums were designed not [...]

BASEBALL STADIUMS: PART TWO
The First of this three-part series of articles dealt with the earliest baseball stadiums. Now you will read about some famous ballparks, past and present.
Wrigley Field in Chicago, now the oldest ballpark in current use in the National League, opened in April 1914. It wasn’t until August 1986, however, that lights were [...]

BASEBALL STADIUMS: PART ONE
The streets of New York in the 1800s may be regarded as the first baseball stadium. It was open and it was free. As the crowds increased, however, players moved across the Hudson River to Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey.. It was around this time that the Knickerbocker Club was formed.
Enclosed [...]