The History of the NFL's Rules and Regulations
The National Football League (NFL) is more than a product of athleticism and strategy it's a complicated system of changing rules and regulations. From its founding in 1920 until today, the NFL has seen a great many rule changes aimed at making the game safer for its players, fairer for its participants, updated for new technology, and more entertaining for fans. All these reflect an ongoing balancing act between maintaining the integrity of the game and adjusting the game to the modern age. In this article, we explore how the NFL rules and regulations evolved through the years and impacted the style of play in the game today. The Early Days: Creation of Rules (1920s–1940s) When the NFL initially came into being as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) in 1920, it borrowed a lot of its rules from college football. The game was crude, hard-hitting, and unsophisticated. The players had minimal padding, helmets were not required, and passing w...