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American football portal

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American football, known as football in the United States, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players with an oval ball on a rectangular field 120 yards long and 53.3 yards wide with goalposts at either end. The team in possession of the ball (the offense) attempts to advance down the field by running with or passing the ball. In order to continue their drive, the offense must advance the ball at least 10 yards down the field in a series of four downs. If they succeed, they receive a new set of four downs to continue their drive, but if they fail, they lose control of the ball to the opposing team. The offense can score points by advancing the ball into the end zone (a touchdown) or by place or drop kicking the ball through the opponent's goalpost (a field goal), while the defense can score points by forcing an offensive turnover and advancing the ball into the offense's end zone or by tackling the ballcarrier in the offense's end zone (a safety). The team that has scored the most points by the end of the game wins.

American football evolved from early forms of rugby (particularly rugby union) and association football (soccer), with the first game played on November 6, 1869. Rule changes from 1880 on by Walter Camp included the snap, 11-a-side teams and downs; further rule changes legalized the forward pass and created the neutral zone along the width of the football. Today, American football is the most popular sport in the United States, where the National Football League (NFL) is the most popular league. The league's championship, the Super Bowl, is among the most-watched club sporting events in the world.

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Paul Harvey, the deliverer of the "So God Made a Farmer" speech

"So God Made a Farmer" was the name given to a speech given by the radio broadcaster Paul Harvey at a 1978 Future Farmers of America convention. The speech was a derivative of a 1975 article written by Harvey in the Gadsden Times, which was itself similar to a 1940 definition of a dirt farmer published in The Farmer-Stockman. The 1940 article was copied verbatim in a letter to the editor in the Ellensburg Daily Record. The speech was given as an extension of the Genesis creation narrative referring to God's actions on the 8th day of creation. Harvey described the characteristics of a farmer in each phrase, ending them with the recurring "So God Made a Farmer". In a collaboration with the FFA, Dodge agreed to donate $100,000 for every 1,000,000 views that the YouTube video of the ad received up to $1,000,000. This goal was reached in less than five days. The ad was mostly well-received, but attracted criticism for its similarity to the earlier video and for poorly representing Hispanic farmers. A nonprofit group, Cuéntame, later did a remake featuring Latino farmers.

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Credit: Gerald R. Ford Library

Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, played center and linebacker for the Michigan Wolverines, helping his team to two national titles.

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April 28: Australian Jesse Williams drafted in fifth round by the NFL's Seattle Seahawks
April 28: Chicago Bears select Marquess Wilson in seventh round of NFL draft
February 4: Super Bowl XLVII: Ravens defeat 49ers, 34-31
December 2: Kansas City Chiefs athlete commits murder-suicide
March 21: Wikinews Shorts: March 21, 2012

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Calvin Johnson (born 1985) is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Georgia Tech, and was recognized as an All-American twice. He was selected by the Lions with the second overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. On March 14, 2012, Johnson signed an eight-year, $132 million contract extension with the Lions, one of the largest sports contracts ever. Johnson has a rare combination of size, hands, speed, strength, leaping ability, body control and hand-eye coordination. His nickname "Megatron" was given to him by former Lions wide receiver Roy Williams and the name caught on with fans. On December 22, 2012, Johnson broke Jerry Rice's single-season record for receiving yards, which had previously been 1,848. In that same Saturday night game versus the Atlanta Falcons, Johnson also set the NFL records for consecutive 100-yard games (8) and consecutive games with 10 or more receptions (4). He also tied Hall of Famer Michael Irvin's record for most 100-yard games in a season with 11.

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An automatic first down is one in which a severe penalty is assessed against the defensive team, even if the penalty does not advance the ball beyond the point needed for a first down. In the NFL and NCAA, the fouls include pass interference and all personal fouls. Under NFHS (High School) rules only roughing the snapper, holder, kicker, or passer and forward pass interference by the defense are penalized with an automatic first down.

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