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As we all know, the most famous sports in the US are basketball, baseball and football. Rugby, which is an English game in the early 1800s, is also the original of American football, and it is fully different from ordinary football, that is, soccer or association football. The two sports differ in many different ways, however, and though they trace their roots back to the same age and same sport, they have now both become distinct sports, with their own fans bases and rules. American football is the most popular sport in all schools and colleges in autumn. There are professional football teams in almost all major cities of the United States. Their players are nearly always form college footballers. The game is played with an oval-shaped ball and has similar scoring and passing methods, and the eleven players on each side may carry it and tackle each other. In the US, the first intercollegiate football game in history took place on November 6th, 1869, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. More than 25 players participated in the game, but no umpires. That early game was very different from the one we know today. A round leather ball was used in that game, which much like a soccer ball and players were not permitted to wear any protection on the field. The game was played by male students at colleges. These early players helped develop the regulations we know today. Soon an egg-shaped leather ball was being used replacing a round ball. Umpires were introduced into the game. In the end teams were made smaller, to only 15 players on a side, and the size of the field was brought down as well. In the 1870s, football players from Harvard and Yale Universities met in Massachusetts to formulize the regulations of the new game, creating the Intercollegiate Football Association (IFA), which was to be the forerunner to the modern college football association. Although many teams were already founded in different universities and colleges, each team played by distinct regulations, and there was no common set of guidelines. Within several decades, though the popularity was increasing, the sport was banned in many colleges and universities for its rough play and high rate of injury. By then, there are 250 schools had teams, and the sport was expanding fleetly. However, the rough play and lack of protective equipment had leaded to hundreds of serious injuries. As a result, a meeting of more than 60 schools was hold, electing a seven-member Rules Committee which would later become known as the NCAA, the National Collegiate Athletic Association. From that time on, college football has continued to develop and grow in popularity. Hundreds of colleges and universities across the nation have football leagues and teams.
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