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Watching football is a time honored tradition in America, and football season is just around the corner. But how do you get a new convert interested in the game? To someone who has never watched football before, the game often appears as nothing more than a bunch of guys running across a field attempting to tackle each other. While tackling is always a large part of football, a true fan understands that the game has subtleties and nuances that escape the oblivious beginner.
The only real way to help a football novice truly understand the game is to explain the rules to them as the plays happen. But trying to explain these nuances to someone during the middle of the game can cause a fan to miss big plays. So what is a true football junkie to do?
Start with the basics. A true football fan can explain the positions, important players and the system of downs without too much concentration. But what appears as obvious to those who have watched the game for years can be a bit bewildering to those who don’t even know the difference between a left tackle and a defensive end.
Helping someone understand penalties takes more time than game basics and positions. The instant replays can buy a fan a little more time to explain the penalty and how each specific penalty works. If a fan does not have to time to both understand a referee’s call and explain them in the space of a penalty time out, they can always use commercial breaks. Otherwise, admit that not everything can be explained, and the fan can leave the penalty calls as something for a new fan to understand in their own time.
It’s important not to completely overload new football fans. Too much information at once can be overwhelming, and may mistakenly make someone believe the game too complicated for them to understand. At the end of the day, the goal is to make help the new person enjoy the game as much as any long time fan.
