American Football - 美式足球

American football, known in the United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport known for its physical roughness despite being a highly strategic game. The object of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone, kicking a field goal, or scoring a safety by tackling an opposing team's ball-carrier in his own end zone. The ball can be advanced either by carrying it or by throwing it to a teammate. The winner is the team with the most points when the time expires and the last play ends.

美式橄榄球，在美国简称为橄榄球，尽管是一项极具策略性的运动，但其以身体粗暴的团队竞技著称。比赛的目的是通过将球推进到对方的端区，踢进一球，或在对方的端区擒获对方的持球人，从而获得安全得分。球可以通过带球前进，也可以将球抛给队友。当时间结束，最后一场比赛结束时，得分最多的队为胜。

American football descended from rugby football, played in the United Kingdom in the mid-nineteenth century. The first game of college football was played on November 6, 1869 between Rutgers University and Princeton University. The first modernized game was on June 4, 1875 between Harvard University and Tufts University.

美式足球源于十九世纪中叶在英国的橄榄球。第一场大学足球比赛是1869年11月6日罗格斯大学和普林斯顿大学之间的比赛。第一场现代化的比赛则是1875年6月4日在哈佛大学和塔夫茨大学之间进行的。

Professional football developed in the mill towns of Pennsylvania and the American Midwest in the early twentieth century. The National Football League (NFL) was founded in 1920 in Canton, Ohio, and is now comprised of 32 teams. Today, football is the most popular American sport, with the day of the NFL championship—the Super Bowl—being one of the biggest occasions for social gatherings in the United States.

20世纪初，职业足球在宾夕法尼亚州的磨坊镇和美国中西部地区发展起来。美国职业橄榄球大联盟（NFL）于1920年在俄亥俄州坎顿市成立，目前由32支球队组成。今天，足球是美国最受欢迎的运动，争夺NFL冠军的日子——超级碗——是美国最大的社交聚会场合之一。

Outside the United States, the sport is referred to as American football to differentiate it from other football games. In Australia and New Zealand, the game is known as Gridiron, although in America the word “gridiron” refers only to the playing field. Variations of the game include Canadian football and Arena football.

在美国以外，这项运动被称为美式足球，以区别于其他足球比赛。在澳大利亚和新西兰，这项运动被称为“网格”，虽然在美国，“网格”一词仅指比赛场地。美式足球的变体包括加拿大足球和竞技场足球。

American football dates from the early 1800s when teams in various colleges and secondary schools met. They usually played by kicking or batting at the ball, as in varieties of football played in the United Kingdom. In 1867, the convergence of various developments at Eastern colleges and schools led to the codification of American football. Rutgers University and Princeton University played the first recorded game of American college football on November 6, 1869 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, won by Rutgers 6-4. Today, Rutgers is popularly recognized as the “Birthplace of College Football.” However, English Football Association rules were followed in this Princeton/Rutgers contest; participants were only allowed to kick the ball, not handle it; and each side had 25 men. Thus, some see the Princeton-Rutgers meeting of 1869 as the first intercollegiate game of “soccer” in America, but not American football (Smith 1988). In 1870, Rutgers invited Columbia for a game, and the popularity of intercollegiate competition in football would spread throughout the country.

美式足球起源于19世纪初，当时各高校和中学的球队相遇。他们通常以踢球或击球的方式进行比赛，就像在英国玩的各式足球一样。1867年，东部高校和学校的各种发展融合在一起，促成了美式足球（规则）的编纂。1869年11月6日，罗格斯大学和普林斯顿大学在新泽西州的新不伦瑞克进行了有记录的第一场美国大学足球比赛，罗格斯大学以6比4获胜。如今，罗格斯大学被大众公认为“大学足球的发源地”。不过，普林斯顿和罗格斯的这场比赛遵循的是英格兰足球协会的规则，参赛者只允许踢球，而不允许以手持球，而且双方各有25人。因此，有研究者将1869年普林斯顿-罗格斯的比赛视作美国第一场“英式足球”校际比赛，但不是美式足球（Smith，1988）。1870年，罗格斯大学邀请哥伦比亚大学进行比赛，校际足球比赛的流行将传遍全国。

Dartmouth College students played a football-like game now known as “Old Division Football,” for which they published rules in 1871. In 1873, Columbia, Rutgers, Princeton, and Yale met to formulate the intercollegiate football rules for the games they played. This meeting is notable for two reasons. First, it is the first attempt at making a single set of rules for all schools to follow. Second, Harvard refused to join the meeting.

达特茅斯学院的学生玩过一种类似于足球的游戏，现在被称为“老式分歧足球”，他们在1871年公布了这种游戏的规则。1873年，哥伦比亚大学、罗格斯大学、普林斯顿大学和耶鲁大学召开会议，为他们玩的游戏制定校际足球规则。这次会议之所以引人注目，有两个原因。第一，它是第一次尝试制定一套单一的规则，让所有学校都能遵守。第二，哈佛大学拒绝加入这次会议。

Harvard University and Tufts University played one of the “first” games that would be recognizable to modern fans as American football on June 4, 1875 at Jarvis Field in Cambridge, Mass., won by Tufts 1-0. A report of the outcome of this game appeared in the Boston Daily Globe on June 5, 1875. In the Tufts-Harvard game participants were allowed to pick up the ball and run with it, each side fielded 11 men, the ball carrier was stopped by knocking him down or “tackling” him, and the inflated ball was egg-shaped. A year prior to the Tufts-Harvard game, Harvard faced McGill University of Montreal, Canada on May 14, 1874 in a game under rules similar to the Tufts-Harvard game. To this day, Harvard, McGill, and Tufts continue to field football teams though they no longer play each other.

1875年6月4日，哈佛大学和塔夫茨大学在马萨诸塞州剑桥市的贾维斯球场进行了一场“最早”的比赛，这场比赛被现代球迷称为美式足球，塔夫茨大学以1比0获胜。1875年6月5日，《波士顿每日环球报》刊登了关于这场比赛结果的报道。在塔夫茨-哈佛的比赛中，参赛者可以以手持球，带着球跑，双方各出动11人，通过将持球者击倒或“擒拿”的方式来阻止他，使用的是是充气的蛋形球。在塔夫茨-哈佛比赛前一年，即1874年5月14日，哈佛大学对阵加拿大蒙特利尔的麦吉尔大学，比赛规则与塔夫茨-哈佛比赛类似。时至今日，哈佛大学、麦吉尔大学和塔夫茨大学虽然不再相互比赛，但仍继续派出足球队。

Encouraged by Yale University's Walter Camp, the schools began to adopt the rules that would differentiate American football from rugby in the 1880s. The scrimmage was introduced in 1880 and the system of downs in 1882.

在耶鲁大学（足球教练）沃尔特·坎普的鼓励下，学校在19世纪80年代开始采用美式足球与橄榄球不同的规则。“混战”于1880年开始实行，“倒台”制度于1882年开始实行。

However, by the turn of the twentieth century, football had become notoriously dangerous, and 18 college players died in 1905 alone. Colleges responded with a series of rule changes to open up the game, most importantly the forward pass, along with outlawing dangerous formations such as the “flying wedge,” and introducing and requiring better equipment such as helmets. The game achieved its modern form by 1912, when the field was changed to its current size, the value of a touchdown increased to six points, and a fourth down added to each possession.

然而，到了20世纪初，足球已经变得臭名昭著，仅1905年就有18名大学球员死亡。高校的回应是一系列规则的改变，以开放比赛，最重要的是向前传球，以及取缔“飞楔”等危险阵型，并引入和要求更好的防护装备，如头盔。到了1912年，比赛达到了现代的形式，场地改成了现在的大小，达阵的价值增加到了6分，每次进攻还增加了第四次进攻。

Originally dominated by the Ivy League, football soon captured the interest of colleges nationwide. By 1916, when the Rose Bowl game matching eastern and western teams became an annual event, football had developed a national following, second only to baseball among team sports.

足球最初是由常春藤联盟主导的，很快就引起了全国高校的兴趣。到了1916年，当东西部球队对阵的玫瑰碗比赛成为一年一度的盛事时，足球已经在全国范围内形成了追随者，在团队运动中仅次于棒球。

Professional football developed in the mill towns of Pennsylvania and the American Midwest in the early years of the twentieth century. The future National Football League (NFL) was founded in 1920 in Canton, Ohio as the American Professional Football Association; it adopted its current name in 1922. Professional football remained a largely regional sport of secondary importance to college football until after World War II, when television broadcasts boosted NFL football's national appeal. The professional game had surpassed both college football and baseball in popularity by the early 1970s. The first Super Bowl—between the champions of the NFL and the rival American Football League—was played in 1967, and the leagues merged in 1970.

20世纪初，职业足球在宾夕法尼亚州和美国中西部的诸多磨坊小镇发展起来。未来的美国职业橄榄球大联盟（NFL）于1920年在俄亥俄州坎顿成立，名为美国职业足球协会，1922年采用了现在的名称。直到第二次世界大战之前，职业足球仍是次重要于大学足球的区域性运动，电视转播提升了NFL足球的全国吸引力。职业比赛已经超过了大学足球和棒球的普及程度，到20世纪70年代初。第一届超级碗——在NFL的冠军和竞争对手美国足球联盟之间——于1967年举行，联盟于1970年合并。

Befitting its status as a popular sport, football is played in leagues of different size, age, and quality, in all regions of the country. Organized football is played almost exclusively by men and boys, although a few amateur and semi-professional women's leagues have begun in recent years.

作为一项大众运动，足球在美国各地区都有不同规模、年龄和质量的联赛。有组织的足球运动几乎完全是由男子和男孩参与的，尽管近年来开始了一些业余和半职业的女性联赛。

The 32-team National Football League (NFL) is currently the only major professional American football league. There are no developmental or minor leagues, but the similar sports Arena football and Canadian football are considered lower-level leagues.

由32支球队组成的美国职业橄榄球大联盟（NFL）是目前唯一的主要美国职业橄榄球联盟。虽然没有发展联盟或小联盟，但类似的运动项目“六人制足球”和“加式橄榄球”被认为是较低级别的联盟。

College football is also popular throughout North America. Nearly every college and university has a football team, no matter its size, and plays in its own stadium. The largest, most popular collegiate teams routinely fill stadiums larger than 60,000. Several college stadiums seat more than 100,000 fans and usually fill them to capacity. The weekly autumn ritual of college football includes marching bands, cheerleaders, homecoming parties, and the tailgate party, and forms an important part of the culture in much of small town America. Football is generally the major source of revenue to the athletic programs of schools, public and private, in the United States.

大学橄榄球在整个北美地区也很流行。几乎每个学院和大学都有一支橄榄球队，无论其规模大小，都在自己的体育场里比赛。最大、最受欢迎的大学球队的比赛通常会使得能容纳六万人的体育场爆满。有几所大学的体育场能容纳10万以上的球迷，而且通常都是满座的。大学橄榄球每周的秋季仪式包括军乐队、拉拉队、返校节派对和尾门派对，并构成了美国许多小镇文化的重要组成部分。足球一般是美国公立和私立学校体育项目收入的主要来源。

Most American high schools also have football teams. In the Southern United States, many schools regularly fill stadiums holding over 10,000 fans and can afford artificial playing surfaces. Since high schools in the United States are tied to the town they are situated in, the football team is often a chief source of civic pride in small towns, and football heroes are very well-regarded in their communities.

大多数美国高中也有橄榄球队。在美国南部，许多学校的体育场经常能容纳1万多名球迷，并能负担起人工比赛场地。由于美国的高中与其所在的城镇紧密相连，足球队往往是小城镇公民自豪感的主要来源，足球英雄在社区中备受推崇。

Football is also played recreationally by amateur and youth teams (e.g., the Pop Warner little-league programs). There are also many “semi-pro” teams in leagues where the players are paid to play but at a small enough salary that they generally must also hold a full-time job.

业余和青年队伍挑起了娱乐性足球的担子（例如，流行的华纳小联盟比赛）。在许多“半职业”球队的联赛中，球员是有报酬的，但只有一份小得够可以的工资，所以他们一般还必须有一份全职工作。

Due to the violence and expense of the sport, many football games involve variations of the rules to minimize contact. These include touch football and flag football, both of which do not involve tackling and usually omit helmets and padding.

由于这项运动的暴力性及（较高的）花费，许多足球比赛都有不同的规则来减少（球员间的）接触。其中包括触式足球和旗式足球，这两种运动都不涉及擒抱，通常省去了头盔和护垫。

Football is an autumn sport. A season typically begins in mid-to-late August and runs through December, into January. The professional playoffs run through January.

足球是一项秋季运动。一个赛季一般从8月中下旬开始，贯穿整个12月，直到到1月。职业季后赛则贯穿整个1月。

It is a long-standing tradition in the United States, though not universally observed, that high school football games are played on Friday night, college games on Saturday, and professional games on Sunday. In the 1970s, the NFL began to schedule one game on Monday night on ABC¹⁾. In recent years, nationally televised Thursday night college games have become a weekly fixture on ESPN²⁾.

在美国，高中橄榄球比赛在周五晚上进行，大学比赛在周六进行，而职业比赛在周日进行，这是一个由来已久的传统，虽然没有得到普遍遵守。20世纪70年代，美国国家橄榄球联盟开始将一场比赛安排在周一晚上在ABC电视台³⁾转播。近年来，全国电视转播的周四晚上的大学比赛已经成为ESPN⁴⁾每周的固定节目。

Certain fall and winter holidays—most notably Thanksgiving and New Year's Day—have traditional football games associated with them.

某些秋季和冬季假期，尤其是感恩节和元旦，都有与之相关的传统足球比赛。

The professional Canadian Football League and collegiate Canadian Interuniversity Sport play under Canadian rules, which involve fewer downs, a wider field, more players, and thus emphasize the passing game more than the NFL. The NFL operated a developmental league, NFL Europa, with teams in five German cities and one in the Netherlands, but this league folded following the 2007 season. The sport is popular as an amateur activity in Mexico and American Samoa and to a lesser extent in Japan, Europe, Korea, The Bahamas, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Australia (Gridiron Australia), Israel, and the United Kingdom (BAFL).

加拿大职业橄榄球联盟和加拿大大学间体育学院按照加拿大的规则进行比赛，其中涉及较少的下场次数、较宽的场地、较多的球员，因此比NFL更强调传球。NFL运营了一个发展联盟：NFL欧洲，在德国的五个城市和荷兰的一个城市都有球队，但这个联盟在2007年赛季后倒闭。美式足球运动作为一项业余活动在墨西哥和美属萨摩亚很受欢迎，在日本、欧洲、韩国、巴哈马、智利、巴西、乌拉圭、阿根廷、澳大利亚、以色列和英国也有一定程度的普及。

The International Federation of American Football is the governing body for American football with 45 member associations from North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. The IFAF also oversees the American Football World Cup, which is held every four years. Japan won the first two World Cups, held in 1999 and 2003. Team USA, which had not participated in the previous World Cups, won the title in 2007. Despite this, the game has been slow to catch on in most countries.

国际美式足球联合会是美式足球的管理机构，有来自南北美洲、欧洲、亚洲和大洋洲的45个成员协会。国际足联还负责监督每四年举办一次的美式足球世界杯。1999年和2003年举办的前两届世界杯，日本队都获得了冠军。没有参加过前几届世界杯的美国队在2007年获得了冠军。尽管如此，这项运动在大多数国家的普及速度还是很慢。