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How did American football develop

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By this time, many universities in the east coast and increasingly in the west coast began to adopt the emerging game of American football (Figure 2). However, this was still considered an illegal move and it was not until 1906 that the forward pass was formally adopted, although limitations existed with how it was applied and was still a minor part of the game. By 1905, what became the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which helped to not only organize games around the country but helped establish more formal rules, was formed. By then, more than 432 cities had some form of American football team. Even the concept of the halftime show emerged by 1907 in Champaign, Illinois. The popularity of football may have reflect American social norms at the time, which included embracing leisure activities in greater numbers and the social Darwinian aspects of the game, which emphasized competition and fitness for the best teams and players.

In 1909, a touchdown worth six points and field goal worth three were formalized. At this point, American football developed more greatly as the game was opened up more. In fact, as more universities adopted football, it also became an interest for universities to protect their players and students. A crisis in 1905-1906 led to the realization there needed to be changes in the rules in American football to make it less violent. Thus, many of the rules were intended to protect players but they also helped radically change the game.<ref>For more on the early 20th century developments of American football, see: Dyreson, Mark, and Jaime Schultz. 2015. American National Pastimes: A History.</ref> It may seem ironic but it was finding new rules to protect players that allowed American football to begin to look even more different from its rugby counterpart. In particular, rules protecting the passer became of greater importance. Rules for catching the ball and who can catch the ball downfield were made easier by the 1910s. Further crises of safety, where at the high school level many players died or were severely injured, influenced more reforms.<ref>For more on injuries, see: Coombs, Danielle Sarver, and Bob Batchelor, eds. 2013. American History through American Sports: From Colonial Lacrosse to Extreme Sports. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger, p. 246.</ref> I

n In particular, the introduction of the line of scrimmage and number of players that had to align there has its origin in this crisis. At times in the 1910s, American football was severely criticized for its excessive violence and what appeared to be overly competitive behavior that emphasized winning at all costs. World War I, however, in a way made those sentiments less important, as competition and athletics were seen as ways for men to become better soldiers. This helped to make the game once again very popular and allowed it to survive its crises years regarding safety.<ref>Watterson, John Sayle. 2000. College Football: History, Spectacle, Controversy. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, p. 143.</ref>

==Emergence of the Modern Game==

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