madscientist
RPC Supergenius
The origins on the "BOWL", as I understand it.
American Football essentially started in American cottages as a modified form of Rugby. Soon rivalries started between schools, and every school had to have a team. The started by setting up divisions, with the champions of each division playing each other. Those stadiums were essentially 'BOWL" shaped hence the adoption of the word bowl in reference to an American Football game. These "Bowl" games adopted assorted names which are still in use today, all usually played on January 1 but that has changed somewhat in the last 10 years. There are Cotton Bowls, Sugar bowls, rose bowls, fiesta bowls, more bowls than I know or care about.
Professional American Football began in the 1920's I believe (New York Giants were one of the first teams, did I mention I a Giant's fan!) which was a standard professional schedule and a final championship game (NFL CHanpionship). Once Television hit American in teh 50's we became infatuated with the sport as it was once a week on Sundays and generally got the American male out of any work for a Sunday afternoon. Helped the economy alot as the American Female started shopping at the Malls (yes it is our UB for a reason) on Sunday afternoons. But I digress.....
So in the 1960's another upstart football league called the AFL (American Football League) sprung up and gave the NFL a run for their Money. By the late 1960's television and the media thought the best way to settle why leagues was better would be and AFL-NFL Championship game. This was done 2 years in a row with Green Bay of the NFL beating the upstart AFL. Year three the game adopted the name "SUPERBOWL" as a nickname and more importantly the New York Jets of the supstart JETS kicked the Baltimore COlts backsides all over the field, winning the game. THe next year the two leagues merged together as one, allowing cross-palying of old NFL and old AFL teams (NFL now being NFC and AFL teams being AFC) with some team reassignment.
What evolved was an obsession over the last, great game resulting in lot's of partying, drinking, and merry making mostly because the games were typically the most boring of the year and blowouts on one side or the other. Nevertheless Americans were very happy to adopt the new "unofficial holiday" with the idea of being able to call in sick the next day with a hangover. It has only been in recent years (and 1990) that the games have actually been competitive and exciting, leading the advertising companies in a bit of a difficult situation, do they like people watching the entire game or prefer them being more interested in teh commercials than the game itself.
If there are still any ridicules, mockeries, or running jokes about American Football I would very happy to write another dirge on the merits of such a fine American institution!
American Football essentially started in American cottages as a modified form of Rugby. Soon rivalries started between schools, and every school had to have a team. The started by setting up divisions, with the champions of each division playing each other. Those stadiums were essentially 'BOWL" shaped hence the adoption of the word bowl in reference to an American Football game. These "Bowl" games adopted assorted names which are still in use today, all usually played on January 1 but that has changed somewhat in the last 10 years. There are Cotton Bowls, Sugar bowls, rose bowls, fiesta bowls, more bowls than I know or care about.
Professional American Football began in the 1920's I believe (New York Giants were one of the first teams, did I mention I a Giant's fan!) which was a standard professional schedule and a final championship game (NFL CHanpionship). Once Television hit American in teh 50's we became infatuated with the sport as it was once a week on Sundays and generally got the American male out of any work for a Sunday afternoon. Helped the economy alot as the American Female started shopping at the Malls (yes it is our UB for a reason) on Sunday afternoons. But I digress.....
So in the 1960's another upstart football league called the AFL (American Football League) sprung up and gave the NFL a run for their Money. By the late 1960's television and the media thought the best way to settle why leagues was better would be and AFL-NFL Championship game. This was done 2 years in a row with Green Bay of the NFL beating the upstart AFL. Year three the game adopted the name "SUPERBOWL" as a nickname and more importantly the New York Jets of the supstart JETS kicked the Baltimore COlts backsides all over the field, winning the game. THe next year the two leagues merged together as one, allowing cross-palying of old NFL and old AFL teams (NFL now being NFC and AFL teams being AFC) with some team reassignment.
What evolved was an obsession over the last, great game resulting in lot's of partying, drinking, and merry making mostly because the games were typically the most boring of the year and blowouts on one side or the other. Nevertheless Americans were very happy to adopt the new "unofficial holiday" with the idea of being able to call in sick the next day with a hangover. It has only been in recent years (and 1990) that the games have actually been competitive and exciting, leading the advertising companies in a bit of a difficult situation, do they like people watching the entire game or prefer them being more interested in teh commercials than the game itself.
If there are still any ridicules, mockeries, or running jokes about American Football I would very happy to write another dirge on the merits of such a fine American institution!
That's those things on the end of your legs i.e. not your hands 
