Introduction
So you
think you know everything about the NFL? Think again because there are some
crazy facts out there that will make you think again. This is not just a sport
but a collection of weird rules and strange incidents. That is not even
covering the personalities and stars.
From quirky rules to kind stars to funny accidents…the NFL is just full
of fun, hitherto hidden gems of information. There are one-legged kicks, generous
benefactors, sun rules, immigrant workers, cow snippets, long breaks, tax
loopholes, a G-Spot and huddles. Sit back and enjoy our countdown of the 15
Craziest facts about the NFL.
Slide 15: Edgar Allan Poe
and the “The Raven”
It is all
in a name. The Baltimore Ravens were named after none other than “The Raven”, a
historical poem by Edgar Allan Poe. In 1996 a poll was commissioned by the
Baltimore Sun to find a new name for the team. To the surprise of many “The
Ravens” came out tops. To be fair, the poet has close associations with
Baltimore having wrote his masterpiece whilst living there in 1830s.. It was to
be the “Baltimore Ravens” and that it what it remained. Things get even crazier
when you realize that the team mascots are called… (Wait for it) Edgar, Allan
and Pole.
Slide 14: Steve Smith and
the Homeless
The NFL
wide receiver Steve Smith is as kind as can be. He always leaves his cheats on
the field after every single game. Apparently Smith does this to raise
awareness about homeless people who do not have shoes. Many have noticed this
unique tribute including the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.
They honored Smith (together with Senator Patty Murray, Aleah Green and Sidley
Austin) at the 16th Annual McKinney-Vento Awards in Washington (DC) which were
held on the 30th of September 2014. Smith and his wife Angie
established the Steve Smith Family Foundation which helps to champion people
who have suffered domestic violence and social exclusion.
Slide 13: One Foot with a
Very Long Kick
Would you believe it? The longest field goal in NFL history was kicked
by a man who had no more than one foot. Who said missing appendages were a
barrier to sport? Tom Dempsey was the 22 year old striker with the New Orleans
Saints. His kick travelled all 63 yards way back in 1970 on the 8th
of November. That is now widely considered to be the greatest scoring feat in
the sport. The actual event was made all the more special because the much-fancied
Lions were beating the Saints 17-16 at the Tulane Stadium when Dempsey achieved
the impossible in the last two seconds of the game, winning the match with
it.
Slide 12: Match of the
Samoans
Talk about
doing the jobs that Americans will not do. Quite simply the Samoans dominate
NFL. The experts tell us that American men of Samoan ethnicity are 56 times
more likely to be NFL players when compared to other Americans. Is it in the
blood or is there something special in the water? American Samoa has been
dubbed the “Football Island” and with very good reason. It is by no means the
richest place on earth but they certainly do know how to grow them. With a
population of about 65,000 people; American Samoa has managed to produce no
fewer than 30 players in the NFL.
Slide 11: A Paying Guest
and Generous Dinner
Next time
you see Kurt Warner in a restaurant, try to sit close to him. Apparently the
former NFL quarterback anonymously pays the bill for the other table when he is
out dining with his family. It is not often that you see true family values and
certainly NFL is all the better for it. Warner, his wife Brenda and their seven
children are truly welcome guests when they dine out. He always quietly adds
the other table’s tab to his own, setting what must be the best example to his
children. Warner got the idea to commemorate his food-stumping days.
Slide 10: The Cows Have It
Do you know
how many cows it takes to meet the annual football leather requirement for the
NFL? All of 3000 cows. That is a lot of bovine activity going out there.
Crazier still…all the footballs are made in one factory which is tantalizingly
called “Ada”. It is true; there is such a place in Ohio. This is truly out of
an udder world. It all makes a mockery of “pigskins” since no pigs were harmed
in the process of making these NFL footballs. In the old days they actually
used anything they could get their hands on including a pig’s bladder.
Slide 9: An Elusive G-Spot
What is the
first thing you think about when you see the “G” on the Green Bay Packer’s
Helmet? If you said “Green Bay” then you are wrong. Tiki Barber once came up
with a wild urban legend that the “G” actually stood for “Greatness”. Nice try;
but we are not buying. That famous “G” did not come into force until the 5th
of August 1961 at the Old City Stadium. In fact that “G” is something of a
shape shifter. It started off as a football and has ended up looking like an
egg. To make matters worse Aaron Popkey in his capacity as spokesperson for the
Packers confirmed that it actually stood for “Green Bay”.
Slide 8: Short and Sweet
The fans
may be surprised to note that the NFL games were never meant to last long. In
fact they are only supposed to go for 11 minutes. That is a bit mean given the
ticket prices today? Amazingly 56% of the broadcaster’s time is spend on trivia
and going back on events that were screened long time ago. Then you have the
huge commercial breaks that take up 75 minutes. Finally the another 75 minutes
is helpfully spent on showing players doing mundane things like huddling,
walking around in between play and standing at the end of the scrimmage.
Slide 7: A Cheerless Game
The Super
Bowl XLV was the first game of its kind not to have any cheerleaders. To make matters worse it all happened at the
Cowboys Stadium…Sacre Bleu!!! The sexy ladies doing their thing were nowhere to
be seen. The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers made history as the
first teams to play in a cheerleader-less NFL game since Super Bowls II. Apparently
the usual suspects were on a hiatus and the fans had to do without. However not having cheerleaders is not alien
to NFL. Six franchises do not use cheerleaders including the New York Giants
Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears.
Slide 6: Death and Taxes
It is
totally unreal that the NFL is considered to be a not-for-profit organization.
Where does all the money go? Basically NFP status means NFL is not paying
anything to the IRS. Well that was then. In 2015 the NFL decided that it was
time to voluntarily give up its tax-exempt status. No wonder people worry about
being victimized by Big Sam. Some were clearly not convinced and said that the
move was nothing more than a PR stunt designed to raise positive stories about
the NFL. This is not the only perk for
the sport. It has an antitrust exemption which gives NFL billions in broadcast
bucks.
Slide 5: Building Regulations
It turns
out the NFL is quite picky when it comes to how their fields are made. The rule
is that they are supposed to be facing north or south or in the shade. The
reasoning behind this is: it helps prevent the sun from interfering with play.
There is method to the madness. Fans could be distracted by the sun and stop
paying attention to the players so it seems that in this case the NFL is
absolutely doing the right thing. The moral of the story: the sun is neither
good for your eyes nor beneficial to exciting NFL games. The workmen will sort
it out.
Slide 4: The Cheater that
Runs amongst Us
You may not
believe it but Darrell Green is one of the speediest runners in the entire
history of the NFL. Together with Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders; Green takes the
honors for the fastest 40 yard dash. The really crazy thing is that it is very
difficult to tell who is truly the fastest because there are many ways of
measuring and each method brings different results. Depending on the player
position the dash can be as short as 10 yards or as long as 50 yards. These
crazy NFL rules would never make it in the Olympics, or would they?
Slide 3: Bob the Scarce
We all know
Bob is a fairly common name, right? WRONG!!! The NFL is clearly not alone in
giving the Bob a wide berth. It is incredible to think that in six major US
sports, there is only one Bob. That is Bob Sanders of the NFL. That means that
the NHL, NBA, NCAAFB, MLB and NCAABB do not have a single Bob in their midst.
Maybe it is time to put out an advert looking for Bobs that are willing to play
glamorous sports and earn billions. Surely there will be takers in all fields.
For the moment Sanders can enjoy his uniqueness.
Slide 2: We are in It
Together
Now those
pesky Green Bay Packers make another appearance on the crazy NFL facts. This
franchise is a truly community project that is owned by the fans and is
considered to be a non-profit organization. Fancy having 112,000 fans making
decisions. Somehow they have made it work and the Packers remain one of the
most successful teams. In fact they are the only sporting team in this position
in the entire US sports fraternity. By 2014, the stockbrokers had increased to
360,584. Nobody is allowed to own more than 200,000 shares which is just about
4% of the total stock available in the franchise.
Slide 1: Sights and Sounds
The NFL
owes a lot to its deaf footballers. They helped it create the famous huddle
formation. A deaf footballer at the Gallaudet University invented the move way
back in 1894. Paul Hubbard was a Quarterback who soon realized that his sign
language communication to his teammates was being read by their opponents.
Therefore he decided to pull his teammates into a huddle so that he could
signal to them without being watched. Today the Quarterback in NFL will
typically use the move to assign the offense role to a given player. We can
thank those early deaf pioneers for yet another crazy NFL fact.
Conclusion
What would
the NFL be without all these crazy facts? Appearances can be deceiving. What
looks like an ordinary American sport definitely has the power to dazzle and
fascinate. There are so many characters who enrich the NFL. They make history
and break records all the time. The next
time you attend an NFL game; think back to these great facts and trivia. This
is a sport that is full of wonderful moments and countless surprises. A few
more crazy facts are coming your way soon.
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