<p>Changing the Rules</p>
<p>The game of football has a basic rule system set up by the founders of the game as every sport does. You have the ability to run or throw the ball on a single play from the line of scrimmage, you are allowed to play 11 men every down, and finally you must stay within the boundary lines of the field of play. However along with these most basic set of rules another was implanted in the founding fathers of football: discrimination. Beginning with the introduction of football to America in the mid-nineteenth century it was a Caucasian exclusive sport. This went along side with the psyche of America during the Civil War period of the Caucasian male superior to all other races and genders. However in 1920 the National Football League was invented in Canton, Ohio and thus along with it the true competitive feel of the game of football was born. Soon after that African Americans, known for athleticism and strength, started getting recruited to play football. It was then that the barrier of discrimination began to fall in society and sports. It was then the rules of the game were changed forever.
Soon after the introduction of the National Football League coaches began looking for strategic ways to win games. The first ingenious invention of the modern era of football was the forward pass. Tired of the mundane run offense that could easily be stopped by a sound defense or the low scoring games that always occurred </p>
<p>in football contests in college games, often resulting in tie games between heated rivals in the Ivy Leagues, Coach Eddie Cochems called a forward pass play in a scoreless game. The forward pass did not only change the way in which the game could be approached, but also changed the violent nature of the sport. Football had been getting a bad reputation for numerous deaths occurring during professional and college games. Another invention of this modern era football game was the use of African American players on the college and professional level. Although African Americans were still heavily discriminated against despite the acting equal rights tired head football coaches were willing to risk the integrity of their program to integrate players not yet accepted by the society of their time. Why these few coaches chose to sacrifice their appearance in the media, relationships, up bringing is for the simple fact that they needed, wanted, had to win. Along with the difficult task of changing an eras perception over an entire race of people by playing a game the coaches received massive victories that made their counterparts forget about the race of the players on their home team, at least while they were on the field. African American players brought a speed to the game that opened the door for new schemes to become created as well as different types of offensive and defensive positions.</p>