Football and soccer

With this season's football reaching its climax (the pros in playoffs and only three college bowls remaining), I cannot help being reminded of my very first football game in the United States. It was September 1949, shortly after enrolling at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School as a graduate student. The tuition for the entire academic year was $500 (a large sum at that time, particularly for one coming from abroad); in return for my $10 activity fee, I received a season pass, good for all Penn's home games. A few days later, there was the season's first home football game. I played "football" as a youngster in China, so, with the Franklin Field within walking distance, I decided to see how "fooball" fared in the USA. The big field and big crowd impressed me, but I was surprised at the strange ground markings and the lack of goalposts. When players came out of the tunnel (I was sitting next to one), I was astonished by their size [later on, I was advised that their shoulders were heavily padded]. When play began, I quickly came to the realization that this is a different brand of football -- the "football" I knew was/is known as soccer in USA. During the game, I did not know what "First and ten" meant, nor why the crowd encouraged contact with "Hit him harder" -- the "football" I knew treats unneeded contact as violations. Apparently a Penn player scored, because the crowd roared, but how he did it escaped me. And, why six points? Why the frequent interruptions ("huddles")? All in all, I thought it was a boring game. After enduring it, with a busy academic schedule ahead of me, I spent other Saturday afternoons at the library; I graduated with an MBA a year later, left Philadelphia without ever walking to the Franklin Field to attend another football game.
Posted 10:10 am, Monday, January 2, 2006