Hooked on Books discussion

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work! ~ A Year-Long Reading Challenge
Individual Challenge
January 1st - December 31st, 2025


Let's read books and complete tasks related to team and partner sports that are played and enjoyed around the world!


On the 1st and 15th of each month I will post a new team sport in the Playing Field Thread. You will have four tasks to choose from for each sport. You only need to complete one. Participate in as many or as few sports as you would like.


You will make your Completion Posts here IN YOUR OWN THREAD. Please use this format. {You are welcome to copy and paste the game tasks into your own thread if you would like.}


Completion Post
Team Sport:
Book:
Author:
Date Read:
Task:
How it Fits:


If you have any questions, please post them in the Referee's Table Q & A Thread.


Challenge Rules:
📘 Standard Rules Apply
📘I will create an individual thread for you prior to the start date.
📘Your first team sport will be posted on January 1, 2025.
📘Books must be completed after the team sport has been posted.

Saving

🤽🏻‍♀️⛹🏽🤾🏼‍♀️ 1: January 1, 2025 ~ American Football 🤾🏼‍♀️⛹🏽🤽🏻‍♀️





American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with possession of the oval-shaped football, attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or throwing it, while the defense, the team without possession of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs or plays; if they fail, they turn over the football to the defense, but if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs to continue the drive. Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of soccer and rugby. The first American football game was played on November 6, 1869, between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton, using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp, the "Father of American Football," established the snap, the line of scrimmage, eleven-player teams, and the concept of downs. Later rule changes legalized the forward pass, created the neutral zone, and specified the size and shape of the football. The sport is closely related to Canadian football, which evolved in parallel with and at the same time as the American game, although its rules were developed independently from those of Camp. Most of the features that distinguish American football from rugby and soccer are also present in Canadian football. The two sports are considered the primary variants of gridiron football.

American football is the most popular sport in the United States in terms of broadcast viewership audience. The most popular forms of the game are professional and college football, with the other major levels being high-school and youth football. As of 2022, nearly 1.04 million high-school athletes play the sport in the U.S., with another 81,000 college athletes in the NCAA and the NAIA. The National Football League (NFL) has the highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world. Its championship game, the Super Bowl, ranks among the most-watched club sporting events globally. In 2022, the league had an annual revenue of around $18.6 billion, making it the most valuable sports league in the world. Other professional and amateur leagues exist worldwide, but the sport does not have the international popularity of other American sports like baseball or basketball; the sport maintains a growing following in the rest of North America, Europe, Brazil, and Japan.


Complete ONE of the following:

🏈 Read a book set in America.
🏈 Read a book from a series with at least 7 primary works.
🏈 Read a book with an 11 intact in the page count or publication date.
🏈 Read a book where the author or MC is named Tony, for my favorite football player of all time, Tony Gonzalez. {Spelling variations accepted.}

Completion Post
Team Sport: American Football
Book: Big Bossy Trouble
Author: Lilian Monroe
Date Read: 1-12-25
Task: Read a book set in America.
How it Fits: Set in NY, USA