American football is a game with an
intriguing and unique history, one that sets it apart from every
other sport. While there are a few mentions of Native Americans
having some influence on how the game came about, American football
began being played at villages and schools in Europe long before
anyone even knew America existed.
Some historians have uncovered reports
of early settlers at Jamestown who played games involving inflated
balls. These early games seemed to have a lot in common with the more
traditional and already established game called “mob football” in
England. This game was mostly unorganized and underground, until the
19th century rolled around and intramural games were being
played on college campuses. It was when the games became recognized
as a sport among the universities, that football would truly start to
be defined. Walter Camp, who would go on to be called the father of
American football, came up with many of the ground rules we still
adhere to today.
One of the oldest traditions
established for American football was at Harvard. This tradition was
known as “Bloody Monday”, and began the school year by playing a
massive football game between the freshman and sophomore classes.
Even Dartmouth had its own version of this tradition. Though the
rules of the game they played were only first published in 1871, many
were playing it as early as the 1830s, even in academia and colleges.
Akash Brahmbhatt is a professional
businessman who also loves football, including the interesting and
unique history that it has.
