Groups within the subculture
High school football is broken up into two or three groups depending on the school: varsity, junior varsity (JV) and C team. These different groups are created for different levels of skills. Varsity consists of the strongest, biggest, most experienced players that work well with each other and have strong talent. These are the boys that usually work the hardest at practice, go to camps during the summer and put in the extra hours working out or staying after practice. The JV is created to get boys ready for the varsity level. The boys that are put on junior varsity aren’t usually as big, don’t have as much skill and passion for football, and usually have a harder time with the plays. C team is for the boys that don’t get placed JV or varsity or are just learning the game.
Unspoken laws of the subculture
Football has many rules (laws) that the players and coaches are required to follow if they want to play competitively. These rules are clear and known to all football players, and most spectators. For example in high school, the football players must maintain grade eligibility as stipulated by Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). Then there are unspoken laws that are not commonly known . Every football player has a number on their jersey quarterbacks gernerally have lower numbers while linemen and wide receivers have higher numbers.
Another unspoken law, that is getting a lot of publicity lately, is that football players focus on the game instead of the injury. Physically sick or injured, a football player can be influenced or feel pressure to continue playing instead of taking time off to recuperate or heal.
This issue is addressed in a pod cast by National Public Radio entitled NFL Players Hide, Fear Concussions:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120546839
Football lingo
Blitz: a defensive strategy in which a linebacker or a defensive back vacates his normal responsibilities in order to pressure the quarterback. The object of the blitz is to tackle the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage or force the quarterback to hurry his pass
Defensive end: a defensive paler who lines up at the end of the defensive line
End zone: a ten yard section stretching the width of the field at both ends of the playing field
NFL: National Football League
PAT: point after touchdown
Quarterback: the offensive player who receives the ball from the center at the start of each play before either handing it to the running back, throwing it to the receiver, or running with it himself.
Touchdown: a scoring play in which any part of the ball, while legally in the possession of a player who is in bounds, crosses the plane of the opponents goal line
Note: There are thousands of football terms. The above includes just a few.
