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The National Football League plays mostly on Sundays and Mondays from September to January/February. It consists of 32 teams, divided into the "American" and "National" conferences (an artifact of the NFL's 1970 merger with the American Football League), each of which has four divisions ("North", "South", "East", "West") of four teams each. These divisions are organized to promote established rivalries, so they bear little resemblance to actual geography, especially if teams change cities. The Dallas Cowboys are in the NFC East even though it's in the Southwest -- admittedly, a piece of the Southwest in the Central time zone; interestingly, this was ''not'' caused by the team moving. <ref> This is because Tex Schramm, at one point the owner of the Cowboys, figured Dallas would be better served to be in NFC East because much of the media runs through the Northeast. Therefore, the Cowboys would be ensured some of the best media coverage, and it paid off.</ref> The Baltimore Ravens are in the AFC North, despite Baltimore being in the mid-Atlantic <ref> since the team was created from the Cleveland Browns</ref>. The most extreme example, perhaps, is that the Indianapolis Colts are in the AFC South <ref>this team was originally from Baltimore, which as noted is south-ish</ref>, even though it's currently geographically north of Cincinnati, a member of the AFC North--unless it's the aforementioned NFC East Dallas Cowboys being geographically west of the St. Louis Rams, a member of the NFC West <ref> originally from Los Angeles</ref>. <ref> Even worse, the Arizona Cardinals (once located in St. Louis) played in the NFC East from 1988 to 2001.</ref> The regular season lasts from September to December; the division winners and a handful of "wild card" teams (the two best records in each conference not to win a division) proceed to a seeded playoff tournament through January, culminating in the [[Super Bowl]], played between the conference champions on the first Sunday in February, which is usually the most-watched television program of the year and therefore gets the [[Super Bowl Special|best commercials]]. One oddity of the NFL is that no team plays in either [[Big Applesauce|New York]] or [[Los Angeles]], despite them being the largest cities in the United States. This wasn't always the case, but L.A.'s teams have moved elsewhere and while there are still two official "New York" teams, they're both actually located nearby in [[Joisey|New Jersey]].
 
In terms of TV, a football game equals guaranteed high [[Ratings]]. Any professional football game is almost guaranteed to be the most-watched program of the day, and the [[Super Bowl]] almost always is the most-watched program of the ''year''. Several Super Bowls are among the highest-rated programs of all time, and Super Bowl XLIV unseated the series finale of ''[[M*A*S*H (TV)|Mash]]'' as the most-watched program in American history.<ref> ...which itself was unseated by Super Bowl XLV the following year.</ref>
 
But enough organizational stuff. Here's the rules and positions.
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* '''Vince Lombardi''' was ''the'' face of the NFL during the 1960s, as he led his team to five NFL Championship victories - three of them came before the Super Bowl Era, but he won the first two Super Bowls as well. He coached the Green Bay Packers for nine years and the Washington Redskins for one, and holds the distinction of not only being the only coach to win three consecutive championships during the modern playoff era <ref> 1965-1967, Packers, after already almost accomplishing it once before with them by losing the championship game in 1960 to Philadelphia, followed by back-to-back championships in '61 and '62</ref>, but of leading two of the greatest single-season turnarounds in professional league history <ref>his first year with the Packers, then first with the Redskins</ref>. As a result of his legacy, often considered to be [http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-top-ten/09000d5d810aeeb5/Top-Ten-Motivational-Coaches-Vince-Lombardi the greatest in the sport's history], the trophy given to the winner of the Super Bowl is called the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
* '''Marv Levy''' was the coach of the 4-in-a-row Super Bowl runner-up Buffalo Bills and the creator of the "K-Gun" no-huddle offense. His team dominated the AFC in the early '90s.
* '''John Madden''', while probably better known as a broadcaster, was once a coach (and even less famously, a player). His overall winning percentage ranks first in league history; also, his Raiders never posted a losing season under him. Later became a famous broadcaster, which in turn led to him being the face of the ''[[Madden NFL (Video Game)|Madden NFL]]'' video game.
* '''Chuck Noll''' was the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1969 to 1991. He has earned more Super Bowl rings as a head coach than anyone else. Architect of the feared "Steel Curtain" defense; ever since his tenure Pittsburgh has had a reputation as an excellent defensive team. His longevity has also contributed to the Steelers having more stability at head coach than almost any team in professional sports; the current head coach, Mike Tomlin, is only the third head coach (all of whom have won Super Bowls) since 1969.
* '''Bill Parcells''' is a two-time Super Bowl-winning coach, most famously coaching the New York Giants (both Super Bowl rings are with them). He also coached the Patriots, the Jets, and most recently, the Dallas Cowboys. Best known for his emphasis on defense, and, while leading Dallas, his preference for signing/trading for players whom had previously played for him. He's retired from coaching three times. Fun fact: he was the first recipient of the Gatorade shower after winning the Super Bowl. For a while, signing him was akin to the franchise [[Growing the Beard]]; he turned Dallas around after three 5-11 seasons, then later did the same in Miami (taking them from 1-15 to 11-5 in one year) in a front-office position.
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* '''Terrell Davis''' was a running back for the Denver Broncos, and one of Mike Shanahan's aforementioned stud runners. The quality portion of Davis' career only lasted for four years before a devastating knee injury. However, during those years, he was widely regarded as unstoppable. He was one of the focal points of their '90s Super Bowl years.
* '''John Elway''' is a quarterback who spent all of his seasons with the Denver Broncos, who had a reputation as being a great "comeback artist". At the time of his retirement, his 148 wins were an NFL record. After losing 3 Super Bowls (by often embarrassing margins) in the late 1980s, Elway staged a late-career renaissance and led Denver to Super Bowl wins in 1997 and 1998 before retiring.
* '''Brett Favre''' is the current all-time leading passer and was the [[Badass Grandpa]] of the NFL. A prototypical [[All-American Face]] as recently as three years ago, [[Ten -Minute Retirement|a string of un-retirements]] (from 2005 to 2010, he threatened retirement yearly and technically retired twice, but came back both times for different teams) and allegations of sexual harassment have arguably turned him into a bit of a [[Jerkass]], which has made him into somewhat of a running joke. He was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers for almost all of his career before his first "retirement" and then played for the Jets for one season before being traded to [[Face Heel Turn|the Packers' division rivals, the Minnesota Vikings]]. Favre's change of loyalty was (in)famous enough that [http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/70451747.html Iraqi prisoners used Favre's name to taunt troops from Wisconsin]. In 2010, his 297-game-straight starting streak (that began in ''1992'' for you keeping score at home) was snapped when his injuries didn't heal in time for a Monday Night Football game. He retired for good (at least so far, as rumors still pop up from time to time of him attempting another comeback) after the 2010-11 season. Many of his backup QBs have spent many years of their careers on the sidelines and in his last few seasons, several of his wide receivers were young enough to still be in diapers when Brett first started playing pro. This longevity and his high-risk, high reward "gunslinger" passing style is why he holds so many records, both good (career wins, attempts,completions, touchdowns, and yards) and bad (career interceptions).
* '''Doug Flutie''' was known to be a quarterback of modest success, but unique playing style. Very small for NFL standards (5'9", 180 pounds), Flutie often scrambled plays or threw hail mary passes, something that made him noticable when compared to the common drop back and play quarterbacks. Flutie took the long road back to the NFL after the lockout, spending several years in Canada dominating the Canadian Football League and, according to his fans in the north, became one of the few quarterbacks in the NFL to play a Canadian style game.
* '''Tony Gonzalez''' is the current holder of all the tight end receiving records, as well as the first tight end to amass over 1,000 receptions. He spent most of his career with the Chiefs, and is now playing for Atlanta.
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* '''Nate Kaeding''' is statistically the most accurate kicker in NFL history. He currently plays for the San Diego Chargers, but has an unfortunate habit of missing important kicks in the playoffs (whether he's solely to blame for the Chargers' playoff woes is [[Broken Base|up for debate.]])
* '''Shane Lechler''' is the punter for the Oakland Raiders, and considered the modern era's answer to Ray Guy.
* '''Scott Norwood''' is infamously known among the general public for missing a 47-yard field goal that sailed wide right in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XXV, giving the Bills the first of its four Super Bowl losses. However, at the time, only half of the field goals at long distances (40-plus yards) on grass were successfully made, and Norwood, a turf kicker, wasn't good at kicking them (he was one for five that season). Despite this, Norwood surpassed O.J. Simpson as the Bills' all-time leading scorer, which has since been surpassed by Norwood's successor, Steve Christie. Norwood did play with the Bills for one more season, before his release. Norwood was the subject of an episode of ESPN's "The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame..." series, which showed the other reasons why he can't be blamed for the loss. Finally, he was the basis for the character "Scott Wood" in the 1998 film, ''[[Buffalo '66]]''.
* '''Mike Vanderjagt''' is most accurate kicker in NFL and CFL history (having regained the NFL record after the afformentioned Nate Kaeding dropped a few accuracy points during the 2010 season). Played with the Indianapolis Colts for most of his NFL career, but ended his career with a rather dismal season in Dallas after Adam Vinatieri replaced him in Indianapolis.
* '''Adam Vinatieri''' is known as one of the better kickers in the league. He played for New England during their three Super Bowl wins and Indianapolis during their one Super Bowl win. He helped the Patriots win two of their three Super Bowls with field goals at the end of the games, and all three of the Patriots' Super Bowl wins were won by three points.
 
Broadcasters:
* '''John Madden''', as mentioned above, is ''the'' definitive pro football broadcaster. Madden has spent time on all four of the major networks. He also has his name on the ''[[Madden NFL (Video Game)|Madden NFL]]'' series of video games. Had a charming, if somewhat... [[Malaproper|unique]], commentary style and a fondness for the telestrator. He's known for a crippling fear of flying, which has been marketed to create one of his signature awards, the Madden Bus with his players-of-the-week posted on the sides. Retired from broadcasting in 2009. BOOM!! [[Memetic Mutation|Tough actin' Tinactin!]]
* '''Keith Jackson''' is the most famous college football announcer ever. He has a very soothing voice and tends to use a lot of homespun sayings in his commentary. Whoa, Nellie!
* '''Howard Cosell''' was a commentator on ABC's ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' from 1970-84. He was well known for his colorful personality, inimitable delivery, and awful toupee. Got fired after a [[Never Live It Down]] incident when he referred to a speedy black player (Alvin Garrett) as "that little monkey".
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* The '''[[Pittsburgh Steelers]]''' are perhaps the most successful team of the modern NFL era, a contrast to their status as perhaps the most pathetic team in the pre-merger NFL. They have won the Super Bowl six times and have played in eight, more than any other team for the former and tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the latter. Generally known for playing a conservative offense and aggressive defense. They won two Super Bowls in the 2000s, but are historically known for their great teams in the 1970s and their "Steel Curtain" defense. In a disturbing turn of fate, many members of the great 1970s teams later suffered various misfortunes and mental/physical problems traced to their playing days. The team of current broadcaster and occasional TV personality Terry Bradshaw, winner of 4 Super Bowls. They've recently had a couple of big-name players (Santonio Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger) in the news for various reasons (not good reasons, either). Heinz Field is known for having a field that's been called the worst in the NFL, though the players refuse to switch to turf like the Patriots did because of tradition (during a horrible rainstorm in 2006 the Steelers and Dolphins nearly played into overtime scoreless because of a very muddy field already pummeled by a pack of college and high school football games the week before; the Steelers only won near the end on a chip-shot field goal). Prior to Chuck Noll's tenure, which began in 1969, the Steelers had never won an NFL title in any era and had only one playoff appearance, which was a divisional tie-breaker, not a championship game. Since 1969, the Steelers have had just three head coaches: Noll, Bill Cowher and current head coach Mike Tomlin.
* The '''San Diego Chargers''' were an original AFL franchise who made the jump to the NFL. They were based in Los Angeles and [[Never Live It Down|got their nickname]] because they were owned by Barron Hilton (yes, [[Paris Hilton|Paris]]'s grandfather), who also owned the [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Carte Blanche credit card]] (though because of their lightning logo scheme this has almost been all but forgotten). Since Los Angeles thinks it's too good for the NFL, San Diego is pretty much the de facto Southern California team. San Diego has a longtime habit of choking in the playoffs, first with Dan Fouts in the 1980s, then 20 years later with LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers. Made the Super Bowl in 1994, but suffered a humiliating blowout at the hands of the 49ers. Fun fact: former Charger placekicker Rolf Benirschke once hosted ''[[Wheel of Fortune]]''. In other trivia Eli Manning was drafted by the Chargers, but demanded a trade before he even started playing. The Chargers' general manager, A.J. Smith, is widely mocked as "The Lord of No Rings" (coined by Eli's father Archie) for his inability to put together a Super Bowl winning team. His continued failure to do so, despite offensive superstars as Tomlinson and Drew Brees, and exceptional return specialist Darren Sproles having played for his team (all of them now playing elsewhere), has made the nickname stick among fans.
* The '''Tennessee Titans''' were formerly known as the Houston Oilers. Generally pretty good year in and out, they were well-known for using the "Run and Shoot" offense in which two extra wide receivers replace the tight end and fullback. Led by QB Warren Moon, they put together good records in the '90s but never made it through the playoffs, once blowing a 32-point lead in the 4th quarter to Buffalo (The largest surrendered margin in playoff history). They moved to Tennessee in the late 90's, dropped the "Run and Shoot", (and the "Oilers" name, since Tennessee is not particularly famous for oil production.) and got their revenge on Buffalo in 1999 by pulling off an absolutely ridiculous last-play kickoff return to win the game, dubbed the "Music City Miracle". They made it to the Super Bowl and lost when the game's final play ended [[Down to Thethe Last Play|just inches short of the goal line]]. The Titans were coached for 16 seasons by Jeff Fisher and Jeff Fisher's mustache, one of the great underrated coaching duos in the league; at the start of his tenure, they were still the Oilers.
 
'''NFC'''
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* The '''Minnesota Vikings''' are another entrant in the "ridiculous fans" department; some fans dress in elaborate Viking costumes for games. The Vikings were led by popular quarterback Fran Tarkenton in the '70s (except for his five-year interlude with the New York Giants), which only led to them becoming the first team to lose four Super Bowls. (Technically, the Vikings first Superbowl loss was with Joe Kapp as quarterback; this hasn't stopped Fran from being known as the guy who lost 4 Superbowls) Was the home of Brett Favre for his final two seasons, which caused some drama as he was essentially a cult hero in neighbor/rival Wisconsin (where the Packers play). Known for a rather ridiculous series of painful playoff collapses, including a loss in 1998 when their placekicker (who hadn't missed a single kick all season) shanked an easy game-winning FG against the Falcons, as well as in the 2010 NFC Championship game where despite dominating the eventual Super Bowl champion Saints in nearly every statistic, they gave up 8 turnovers and lost in incredibly painful fashion. Home to the "Purple People Eaters", a dominating defense in the 70's including the likes of Alan Page and John Randle.
* The '''New Orleans Saints''' have historically been a consistently terrible team, fans of the Saints actually started the practice of wearing paper bags over one's head to protest a poorly performing team. Their inability to win games also earned them the derisive nickname "The Ain'ts". They are the team that killed Archie Manning's once-promising pro career, as he was their only good player (and arguably their only even ''decent'' player). For a while in the '90s they were known as "the only team that has never won a playoff game", a label they finally shed in 2000. Their home city has this nasty tendency to get obliterated by hurricanes, so they've played home games elsewhere. Recovered in the late '00s after hiring Sean Payton and signing Drew Brees, they're now quite good, and won in [[Super Bowl]] XLIV against the favored Indianapolis Colts - their first ever [[Super Bowl]] game. The key to their turnaround has been developing a deep roster of solid, close-knit players rather than relying on big stars. The strategy paid off in the 2010 season when, despite injuries plaguing the starting lineup, the Saints called on a seemingly endless supply of effective running backs and wide receivers well-suited to Brees's pass-heavy play style.
** However this team may see a permanent image wounding, as Roger Goddell found out in 2012 that defensive players on that team (incuding the Super Bowl season) were encouraged by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to take out QB's and wide receivers on the other teams as part of a "[[Money, Dear Boy|bounty pool]]", and the league literally [[Dropped a Bridge Onon Him|Dropped A Bridge On Them]] for the next season, suspending coach Sean Payton for the full season without pay, his underlings for a few games less, loss of draft picks and a half million dollars, and Williams (who had moved onto the Rams) may not see himself in the league for a long time as part of an indefinite suspension ([[But Wait! There's More!|and they haven't even gotten around to player discipline yet]]). NFL Network has already made the 2010 Saints playoff run an [[Old Shame]], refusing to run those games for the time being.
* The '''New York Giants''' are the current Super Bowl champions, and historically the better of the two teams that play in New Jersey. Like the Jets, they used to actually play in New York, but they moved to New Jersey in 1976 so that they could have a dedicated football stadium instead of having to share with the [[Baseball|New York Yankees]]. One of the oldest teams in the NFL, dating back to 1925. Have won 4 Super Bowls and 4 additional NFL championships from before the Super Bowl. Officially named the "New York Football Giants", even though there hasn't been a baseball New York Giants since 1957. Won a miracle Super Bowl in '07 against the then-undefeated New England Patriots, the most notable part of which being a play where quarterback Eli Manning evaded an almost certain sack and threw the ball to third-string receiver David Tyree, who caught it against his helmet in mid-air with safety Rodney Harrison hanging on him. They're known for being "road warriors" who perform better in hostile stadiums than in their own...which was certainly the case in '07, in which their six losses included only one on the road, and their playoff run to win the Super Bowl was entirely on the road.
* The '''Philadelphia Eagles''' are known mostly for their rowdy, unpleasable fan base, which the ''[[British Newspapers|Guardian]]'' has [http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2005/dec/07/ussport.football compared] to British football hooligans<ref>Unfavorably, but [[Insult Backfire|a typical Eagles fan looks at an English soccer hooligan and goes, "Oh, how cute; does he know any other tricks]]?"</ref>. Veterans Stadium, before its demolition to make way for "The Link" (Lincoln Financial Field), had a courthouse in the basement, because of a number of fans that were arrested during games, although things have calmed down considerably in the past few years. Eagles fans are arguably best known for an incident in which [[Santa Claus]] was heckled and pelted with snowballs at halftime.<ref> This is the city's biggest [[Never Live It Down]] moment and has become a case of [[Did Not Do the Research]] for fans of other teams that like to cite it as recent history; the incident occurred in '''1968''' and the full story can be found [http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/santa/philadelphia.asp/ here] and [http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7377416/philadelphia-eagles-fans-once-booed-santa-santa-jovial-63-year-old-frank-olivo-loves-philly-teams/ here]</ref>. One on occasion, some fans cheered a career-ending neck injury to an opposing player<ref>Hall of Famer Michael Irvin</ref> who was a jerk off the field and the poster boy for everything fans of other teams hated about the Cowboys of the 1990s. That said, however, it should be noted that they have never killed or maimed fans of opposing teams (unlike other cities). They genuinely love their team and are extremely outspoken in their criticism. Their quarterback was Donovan McNabb for most of the 2000's, with whom the fans had a love-hate (well, mostly hate) relationship, which led the team to trade him in 2010 to the Redskins, which opened the door for his backup, Michael Vick to start his comeback the next season. Home games always sell out, no matter how bad they are, and to them the most important thing about their players is that they play with all their heart, guaranteeing the city's love (yes, it really does exist).
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** That $3 check [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/2006-08-07-usfl-retrospective_x.htm was never cashed (as of 2006)], and is considered one of the biggest collectors' items out there. Incidentally, the original amount of the award in that case was only $1, but under anti-trust law at that time, any damages awarded by a civil jury were to be automatically tripled, hence the odd value.
* '''Arena Football League''' (1987-2008, 2010-present): Just based on longevity and popularity, the Arena Football League is probably the best known alternative league since the 60's American Football League, even though the Arena League isn't technically a competitor to the NFL. The league plays "Arena football" which is different in several ways to regular football, stuff we'll let [[The Other Wiki]] [[wikipedia:Arena football|explain better]]. Did decently in the ratings and in popularity until the league surprisingly crashed and burned in 2008, and was re-activated in 2010. Like the AFL, a list of notable NFL players who also played/currently play in the Arena league would be way too long for this page.
* '''[[Let X Be the Unknown|X]] Football League''' (2000-2001): Founded by [[WWE (Wrestling)|Vince McMahon]], it combined the absolute failure of the WFL with the poor business decisions of the USFL. The XFL was a ratings failure ([[NBC]]'s lowest ratings in network history were scored mainly on XFL games) and lasted just one season. Was the home for a handful of very good players - mostly NFL second-stringers who were never really given a chance, like QB Tommy Maddox, the league's lone MVP. Probably best known at the time for Rod Smart, a RB for the Las Vegas Outlaws whose jersey read "HE HATE ME" on the back instead of his own name. Most of the XFL's [[Hatedom]] was a result of McMahon's brash antics (i.e, strippers as cheerleaders) as well as the fact that it just wasn't good football (it was designed to fit the old stereotype of defense and run-heavy "smash-mouth" football; forgetting that the NFL and NCAA built their audiences on the wide-open offensive game of the present).
* '''United Football League''' (2007-present): The most recent entry into the NFL competitor sweepstakes, it's remained largely low key and currently features only four teams in small markets. Has recently gained media attention for extending invitation to NFL players to play for them if the 2011 NFL lockout lasted until the regular season. This didn't happen. Current teams are in Virginia Beach, Virginia; Omaha, Nebraska; Las Vegas, Nevada and Sacramento, California. Not exactly football hotbeds, but each team has a small yet devoted fanbase.
* '''Lingerie Football League''' (2010-present): At this point, the only "major" [[Distaff Counterpart|female football league]] with any media attention, though most of it is [[No Such Thing Asas Bad Publicity|negative attention]] because the players basically play in athletically-minded [[Chainmail Bikini|Chainmail Bikinis]] with padding and helmets, with games carried in edited form on [[MTV|MTV2]]. Some of the female players are just glad to play at all (using the example of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League seen in ''[[A League of Their Own]]'') and try to ignore that the league basically exists as [[Fetish Fuel]] for guys too cheap to even get [[Cinemax]]. Uses a 7-on-7 indoor format with no punts and field goals. Started to exploit the publicity that came with the Lingerie Bowl, a pay-per-view event that counterprograms the Super Bowl yearly.
* Though the NFL no longer has a developmental league (similar to reserve or practice squads in other sports), NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has shown interest in establishing such a league. As it currently stands, [[Collegiate American Football|college football programs]] provide most new NFL prospects, with owners and coaches also keeping an eye out for standout players in the Arena League, UFL, and Canadian Football League (more on them later).
 
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== Anime and Manga ==
* [[Eyeshield 21]], with some backing from the NFL.
* Oddly, the dubbing for ''[[Project a KoA-ko]]'' has B-Ko declaring the upcoming mecha-versus-superhuman battle will be their own Super Bowl ... while the sight-gag is of her changing into a ''baseball'' uniform, and taking a batting stance.
* [[Puyo Puyo|Behold,]] the most [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAvzpajWkWI craziest football game with the most craziest touchdown ever.] <ref> That was Mini Zombie, and he got a touchdown even through he got tackled.</ref>
 
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* ''Coach'', a sitcom starring Craig T. Nelson as a coach of a fictional college (later NFL) football team.
* The 1971 made for television movie ''Brian's Song'' is the source of many [[Manly Tears]].
* Al Bundy from [[Married... Withwith Children]] has several plotlines through the course of the series where he relives what he considers the only happy time of his life as a star wide receiver on his high school football team before reality and adulthood set in.
 
 
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== Video Games ==
* [[Madden NFL (Video Game)|Madden NFL]] is one of the most successful video game franchises in history.
* ''NCAA Football'' is close behind.
* ''Tecmo Bowl'' was the first truly successful football video game. Because of a licensing snafu, it featured real players on [[Brand X]] teams. Tecmo Bo Jackson is considered the greatest athlete in video game history. Tecmo later obtained an NFL license and created the also successful Tecmo Super Bowl, which still retains a cult following for its easy and fun (if somewhat unrealistic) gameplay.
* ''NFL Blitz'': a series of ultraviolent football games by Midway that cycle in and out of favor. Since Madden now holds exclusive rights to the NFL and NFL Players' Association, Blitz must now use fake teams and players in their game; however, this lets them get away with content that would be slanderous if used with real athletes, such as giving players the option of feeding their team illegal drugs or sending prostitutes to the other team's hotel.
* Roy Bromwell of the ''[[Rival Schools (Video Game)|Rival Schools]]'' games, being one of the token [[Eagle Land|Americans]] in the series, is noted in his bio as the star quarterback of Pacific High's football team. In-game, however, this is an [[Informed Ability]]; the only evidence of his football background is one of special moves being named Touchdown Wave.
** Johnny Maximum, from the ''[[World Heroes (Video Game)|World Heroes]]'' franchise, had more of a football theming; he was dressed in full football gear, and initially had football-shaped projectiles that were either passed or kicked to enemies.
* For some reason, a generic enemy in [[Super Mario World (Videovideo Gamegame)|Super Mario World]] wears football padding--Chargin' Chuck. Naturally, if he's in a mood he'll [[Gretzky Has the Ball|throw baseballs at you]].
* ''[[Backyard Sports|Backyard Football]]''
* ''Mutant League Football''
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