| The term "American football" refers to a type of | | | | However, merchandising is also a factor and the NFL |
| game, not a regional sport. American football is | | | | has advocated rule changes, such as a sponsor time |
| enjoyed world-wide. Professional American-style | | | | out which is a pause in the play of the game, that |
| football leagues exist in Canada, Europe, South | | | | are solely for the purpose of allowing the sponsor to |
| America and Japan. NFL Europa is a organization | | | | show commercials. The NFL decides which cities can |
| operated by the US based National Football League. | | | | have a team and how many teams will make up the |
| NFL Europa has teams in six German and Dutch cities. | | | | two franchises, The Amercan Football League and |
| In Canada, there are 2 organizations, the Canadian | | | | the National Football League, which originally was the |
| Footbal Leage, a professional league, and Canadian | | | | only and prototypic league in American football. Fans |
| University Spot, which is a network of | | | | have intese loyalties to these two franchises, which |
| nonprofessional University level teams. Both Canadian | | | | is capitalized upon in the yearly Superbowl. This game |
| leagues play American style football but with some | | | | was established to play upon this rivalry and pits the |
| variations known as Canadian Rules. New Zealand, | | | | AFL and NFL Champions against each other. This is |
| Mexico, Japan and several other countries have | | | | held in February and is the single most watched |
| amateur football leagues. American style football is | | | | event on American television. It is an event that |
| governed by the International Federation Of | | | | begins weeks in advance with football interveiws, |
| American Football (IFAF), which has over 45 affliates | | | | panels of sports figures who speculate on the game's |
| in North and South America, Europe, Asia and | | | | outcome, and bettiing oportunities. This hype grows |
| Australasia. However, the true moving force in | | | | over the weeks of playoff games and builds to a |
| american footbal is the NFL, or National Football | | | | near frenzy by the time Superbowl Sunday arrives. |
| Association. The NFL is the regulatory and | | | | The game is an all day event with ceremonies and a |
| organizational arm of football in the US. It makes and | | | | legendary half time, Las Vegas style, show that |
| enforces rules for sportsmanship and drug use. When | | | | features top celebrities. For the multitudes watching |
| a player behaves overly aggressively during a game, | | | | at home, the Super Bowl is also augmented by the |
| misses practice sessions or becomes involved in | | | | premeire screening of a collection of the most |
| extracurricular illegal activity, the NFL will impose a | | | | innovative and often humorous advertising blips. |
| fine and/or suspend a player. The NFL bans | | | | Because of the exposure and the terrific numbers of |
| recreational and steroid, or performance enhancing, | | | | viewers, the competition to be one of the favored |
| drug use. It authorizes and conducts urine testing on | | | | advertisers is nearly as hearty as the team |
| its professional atheles. The NFL also decides yearly | | | | competition to play in this game. American Football is |
| whether the rules of the game should be changed, | | | | sweeping the rest of the world and becoming a |
| and in what ways. Often the rules are done to make | | | | popular phenomenon in nearly every country. This |
| the game more interesting or more fair. Safety is | | | | growth in popularity is slower in countries that have |
| another motivation behind rule change and the NFL | | | | established rugby or soccer francishes but American |
| tries to make this aggressive and even violent game | | | | Football is rapidly becoming as popular as American |
| as safe as possible by modifying the existing rules | | | | fast food. |
| and the forms of protective equipment used. | | | | |