American Football is one of the most popular sports in the US and Canada with over 99 million viewers who witnessed the event in the year 2022. The TV viewership was around 17.1 million in the year 2021. Such is the popularity of the sport and the major league conducting the event is the National Football League (NFL).
The NFL season starts in the late summer, is played mostly in fall, and ends in the early winter. This is the most preferred season to play American football because of the favorable conditions for the players. It is very comfortable to play the game in this season and it avoids the heat of summer and the cold of winter.
Why is American Football Played in the Winter?
American football isn’t entirely played in the winter. It is mostly played in the fall and the season ends in early winter. This part of the year is preferred because the players can play the game comfortably despite the use of heavy equipment which traps the body heat.
In summer, the environment is hot as well as the equipment will trap the body heat. When too much heat is trapped, it becomes very difficult to play and players may get heat strokes. So, during fall and winter, the external environment is cool and the heat generated by the body is easily tolerated despite the thick padded equipment.
You may think that what is the need for such protective equipment. American football is one of the most dangerous sports with the most injuries. Around 222,086 injuries were recorded in the year 2021 and to avoid such mishaps, players are equipped with thick padding.
Thick padding is inevitable and it is not possible to play the game with such equipment in the summer heat. Therefore, the games are played in the fall and early winter.
The game is also not preferred to be played in full winter because of the following reasons:
- The Football pressure is reduced in the cold weather and this affects the distance covered by the ball when thrown or passed.
- Since the outside temperature is freezing, the hand grip of the players may reduce and this often gives a negative impact on the players.
- The chill air starts to irritate the lungs and players start to feel difficult to breathe properly.
- Players are also easily fatigued since the body will consume more energy to keep the body warm and the heavy gameplay makes it more difficult.
So, hardcore winter is not a great time to play the game and that is why the league games are conducted in the late summer, and fall, and end in the early winter.
What Football Tournaments are Played in Winter?
Winter in the US starts in the mid of December and ends in March. NFL season ends in early January which is the start of the winter. Then the NFL playoffs start in mid-January and end with the SuperBowl league at the start of February.
Therefore, in the winter season, you can find the popular NFL playoffs and the Superbowl championship games to be played in the US. Apart from these, there aren’t any football games played this season as we already mentioned that it will be difficult to play during this time of the year.
Since the NFL season leaves with the Playoffs champions, to decide the Superbowl champions, the game is held during the winter season.
Do People Like American Football Play in Winter?
People like to spectate American Football during winter. But playing the game during winter is a real challenge and players work very hard during that time of the year. That is why the NFL season gets completed in the early part of the winter.
It is usually very cold during the peak winter season and most people avoid coming out of their homes often. There can be snowfall too and this makes life difficult. So, during such times, the weather and climatic conditions are not favorable for playing any type of game.
Therefore, people don’t play the game much during the winter season although they like and enjoy it. They get a visual treat from the Superbowl championship game conducted by the NFL during the middle of the winter season. That is the last game played in the American football league for that year. The next season will begin in late summer.
Conclusion
American football is a highly entertaining game much appreciated in the US and Canada. The seasons during which the game is played are highly sophisticated for the players. They miss the scorching heat of the summer and they also avoid the cold of the winter. Only the playoffs and Superbowl can be witnessed during winter. This game popularly conducted by NFL has one of the largest spectators for a sports game.
