This section of our guide will discuss the National Football League (NFL), one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, and the world's highest level of professional American football.
Founded in Canton, Ohio, on August 20, 1920, as the American Professional Football Association, it took its current name in 1922. Originally a small Midwestern league, the organization grew under the leadership of its first president, Jim Thorpe, eventually merging with the rival All-America Football Conference in 1950, becoming the dominant league in professional football.
The NFL is governed by a commissioner, a central figure responsible for managing league operations, maintaining integrity, and representing the interests of owners. The league consists of 32 teams divided into the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each conference is further divided into four divisions: North, South, East, and West.
NFL teams are privately owned, with most teams having a single owner or family ownership group. The exception is the Green Bay Packers, a publicly owned non-profit organization with over 538,000 stockholders, unique in American professional sports.
The NFL Draft, held annually since 1936, is a central event in the league's calendar. Teams select eligible college players over seven rounds, with the order determined by the teams' performance in the previous season. The worst-performing team picks first, providing competitive balance.
Free agency allows players to negotiate contracts with other teams once their existing contract expires. This system has revolutionized the NFL, giving players greater mobility and influencing team-building strategies.
The NFL's regular season initially consisted of a few games, but it has steadily expanded. The current format, adopted in 2021, includes a 17-game regular season over 18 weeks. Teams play divisional rivals, interconference opponents, and a rotating selection of teams from other divisions.
The playoff system has also evolved. Currently, 14 teams, seven from each conference, qualify for the postseason, culminating in the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl has grown into a global spectacle, attracting millions of viewers annually.
The NFL season begins with pre-season games in August, followed by the regular season from September to January. The post-season playoffs occur in January, leading to the Super Bowl in February.
The NFL celebrates excellence with awards such as Most Valuable Player (MVP), Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. Teams vie for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy, awarded to the Super Bowl champion.
The NFL has many unique traditions, such as the Thanksgiving Day games, the Pro Bowl (an all-star game), and the NFL International Series, which brings games overseas to the United Kingdom, Germany, and elsewhere. Its Super Bowl halftime shows and commercials are cultural events in their own right. Even people who don't watch the game will often tune in for the halftime shows and commercials.
Fantasy football has also significantly boosted fan engagement, turning casual viewers into invested participants.
Online resources representing NFL conferences, divisions, or teams, official or otherwise, are appropriate topics for this category, as are any other websites focused on the National Football League.
Categories
American Football ConferenceNational Football Conference |
Recommended Resources
1440 is a fact-driven news and knowledge resource curated by humans, not algorithms, and employee-owned, not affiliated with any larger media outlet. The company covers various topics, such as business, finance, science, technology, health, medicine, world history, society, culture, and football. Its section on the National Football League includes its background, history, evolution of its rules, and what to expect in the future, along with other information about the NFL.
https://join1440.com/topics/nfl
The 33rd Team is a go-to destination for information about the National Football League (NFL). Dedicated to bringing in-depth analysis, expert insights, and reactions to the latest news from around the NFL. Its team of current and former NFL players, coaches, and executives, along with insights from analysts and writers, works to break down the game, providing unique perspectives and cutting-edge content. Its team is introduced, and content is sorted by NFL Analysis, NFL Draft, and NFL Teams.
https://www.the33rdteam.com/
The two main goals of the Hall of Football are to keep track of the best players from high school to retirement and beyond and to provide real-time player ratings at every level throughout each season. Publisher Frank Cooney founded NFL Draft Scout in 1987, which is now part of the Hall of Football. The website includes Prep Class ratings by year, NFL Draft Scout teams and ratings, Pro Football teams and ratings, and Hall of Fame teams and ratings. A search feature is also available.
https://www.halloffootball.com/
National Football League Foundation
The NFL Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization established by the NFL's member clubs in 1973. It enables clubs to collectively make grants to charitable and worthwhile causes nationally. Among other things, the foundation works with USA Football to teach children the fundamentals of playing football safely, including offering grants to youth and high school football teams. The foundation also worked with USA Football to develop NFL FLAG, a non-tackle version of the game.
https://www.nflfoundation.org/
National Football League Stadiums
Here, each of the current stadiums used by NFL teams is highlighted, featuring photographs, addresses, telephone numbers, official websites, seating statistics and other information, attendance history, tenants, field rankings, and other facts and figures, along with news items related to each. Also included are past and future stadiums, listed alphabetically by stadium name. Reader comments may also be submitted for inclusion. Advertising opportunities are available.
http://football.ballparks.com/
Created by Ronaldo Baker, the site is dedicated to the promotion of the design and history of the logos of the National Football League teams, providing fans, designers, and historians with a comprehensive and insightful resource that celebrates the evolution, artistry, and significance of NFL team logos throughout the history of the league. Intended to enlighten and engage an audience with the journey of NFL logo designs, the site showcases the development and stories behind them.
https://nfldesigns.com/
NE is an online destination for an insider's look into the lives of the women behind National Football League players. The platform is dedicated to providing an exclusive and respectful space for fans to connect, engage, and celebrate the lives of the inspiring wives and girlfriends who play a role in the NFL community. Included are National Football League news, NFL lifestyle content, NFL facts, NFL trades and trade rumors, along with fantasy football information.
https://nflexclusive.com/
NFL Mocks is an NFL news and opinion platform provided by the FanSided Network. Dedicated to delivering NFL news, views, and original content, the website also serves as a community for like-minded fans to come together, catch up on the latest news, and discuss their passion. Its team is introduced alongside guidelines for those interested in writing for the platform, which includes a place to pitch stories and advertising opportunities. Topic categories are included.
https://nflmocks.com/
Owned and operated by Minute Media, whose other brands include Sports Illustrated, The Players' Tribute, 90min, and Mental Floss, the NFL Spin Zone is an NFL news and opinion site, by fans and for fans. Its goal is to deliver up-to-date news of the National Football League, including both league-wide and team-specific analysis that isn't found elsewhere. Content categories are included for the NFL in general, AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West, NFC East, NFC North, NFC South, and NFC West.
https://nflspinzone.com/
Stylized NFLTradeRumors, the website covers the latest NFL rumors and insider news every day of the year, with a heavy focus on roster movement. NFLTR launched in 2010 with the goal of providing comprehensive, up-to-the-minute NFL coverage and giving users an idea of what's going to happen with each of the teams in the NFL. NFLTR aggregates news and rumors from a select list of reporters and news outlets, along with social media feeds. Subscriptions are available.
https://nfltraderumors.co/
Located in Canton, Ohio, the Pro Football Hall of Fame celebrates the history and achievements of professional American football. The museum honors players, coaches, and contributors who have made a significant impact on the game. Visitors can explore exhibits showcasing memorabilia, interactive displays, and historical artifacts spanning the National Football League's past. Its location, hours, events, and Hall-of-Famers are featured, along with football history.
https://www.profootballhof.com/
The Super Bowl, first held on January 15, 1967, is the annual championship game of the National Football League. It has been the concluding game of each NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. The game was created as part of the merger agreement between the NFL and the competing American Football League (AFL) to have their best teams compete for a championship. Initially called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, the Super Bowl name was adopted in 1969's Super Bowl III.
https://www.nfl.com/super-bowl/
