This episode elucidates the intriguing historical narrative surrounding the British influence on American football, particularly focusing on the period when British enthusiasts sought to persuade Americans to abandon their modified version of the sport in favor of traditional rugby. We engage in a comprehensive discussion with Timothy Brown of footballarchaeology.com, who provides invaluable insights into the evolution of football from its early rugby roots to the distinctly American game we recognize today. We delve into the pivotal changes initiated in the 1880s, which not only transformed the gameplay but also solidified a uniquely American identity in football. The conversation also highlights the cultural ramifications of these historical developments, particularly how American football has evolved and gained prominence, even in the very regions that once attempted to dismiss it. As we navigate this rich tapestry of football history, we invite our listeners to reflect on the enduring legacy of the sport and its global reach today.

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A profound exploration of the historical evolution of American football is presented, delving into the formative years that shaped the sport we recognize today. The discussion centers on the seminal contributions of Walter Camp, whose 1891 publication elucidates the early adaptations of rugby into American football. This narrative is enriched by an examination of the pivotal transition that occurred in the late 19th century, particularly the introduction of the system of downs in 1882, which fundamentally altered gameplay dynamics. The hosts, Darren Hayes and Timothy Brown, engage in a critical analysis of the resistance faced by American players from their British counterparts, who sought to preserve the integrity of rugby rules. The episode encapsulates the fascinating interplay between cultural identity and athletic evolution, revealing how American football diverged from its roots to forge a distinct path that resonates with millions today. Furthermore, the conversation draws parallels to the modern-day proliferation of football across the globe, highlighting the NFL's strategic outreach efforts to cultivate a broader audience beyond American borders. This episode serves not only as a historical account but also as a reflection on the enduring legacy of football and its capacity to adapt and thrive in diverse contexts.

Hello, my football friends.

This is Darren Hayes of pigskindispatch.com.

Welcome once again to the Pig Pen, your portal to positive football history.

And as we try to do each week, we bring in a specialist, an archaeologist that's dusting off the sands of time and finding some treasures of football.

And his name is Timothy Brown of footballarchaeology.com Tim.

Welcome back to the Pig Pen, Darren.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And since we're talking about the Brits, I, I wish I would have thought about this before I published the tidbit, but the, the, the title should have been Keep Calm and Carry On.

Keep Calm and Carry On.

That is a very famous logo that from, from history.

Talk about, you know, kind of carry, you know, carry the ball.

Yeah, yeah.

Very, very good.

Very clever, Very clever.

Little late.

Little late.

That's all right, though.

But you did have a title to this.

What inspired this conversation we're having today on a tidbit that you titled that Time the Brits Wanted Us to Give Up Football.

So.

Boy, those, those dirty Brits.

Why would they want us to give up football, Tim?

Those sons of the guns.

You can download it for free out there on the.

Our wonderful interwebs.

They just does a real nice job of kind of telling you kind of the story and how it evolved in the early years.

So, you know, I mean, I've told the story a bunch of times, but, you know, so pre.

Early rugby was a vastly different game than today.

It was mostly, you know, they had 15 guys on the field and it was almost solely a kicking game.

You know, carrying the ball was allowed, but you pretty much the whole game was like a big scrum where they were trying to kick it forward through the other team.

And so the odd thing was that you.

Is kind of if you could kick it through the other team's front line, then one of their backs could pick it up.

And toss it to somebody else and run with it.

And so what?

And during that whole thing, the Americans basically decided they liked the game better.

The more you could carry the ball, the better.

Right.

So they started doing things like kind of letting the ball get kicked through their side so that one of their backs could pick it up and run with it.

But even then, that was still a little bit too chancy for them.

So then they started when they went to the system of downs in.

Then they had the snapback and.

That's when they started snapping back with the foot, you know, what you see in rugby now.

But that, you know, kind of, I think, developed in American football more than in rugby.

So Princeton just basically played.

They stalled the whole time.

You know, like for a whole half, they just stalled.

And, you know, once they got the ball and, you know, they didn't, they never gave up the ball to the other side.

That's what they called the block game.

Correct?

The block.

Exactly.

And so it was boring as snot.

And they changed the rule in 82 to require, you know, so that's when the system of diamonds came in.

You only had.

You had three downs to make five yards or to lose 10, I think it was at the time.

Now the Americans did, too, which is why they put it in, you know, the.

The rule, like, you know, the rule of downs.

And so these.

These Brits are looking at Americans bastardizing their, you know, wonderful game of rugby.

And.

And so they form a team in early in January of 82 in New York City, and they start practicing among themselves and playing scrimmage games, and they're trying to find people to play.

And one of the things that they did, their initial plans were like, we're going to be playing Yale and Harvard and blah, blah, blah.

And so they end up inviting representatives from Yale, Harvard and Princeton to a lunch or dinner in, like, April of 82.

And they basically, you know, gave Them a proposal to get rid of all these American changes to the game and have them just play rugby union rules.

And the Americans were like, no, we're not going to do that.

You know, we like our.

The way.

We like the way we've modified the game more than what you guys.

The way you guys play.

And as it turns out, you know, rugby did in fact evolve more along the lines of how the Americans were playing in the 80s and maybe even into the 90s, you know, I mean, because picking up and carrying the ball and snapping back with foot, you know, became, you know, the nature of the game.

So it's just kind of funny that these guys, they continued practicing and they were trying to play games and then they couldn't find any.

The American college teams were like, we're not playing you guys, you know.

And so they were able to arrange a game with the Britannias, a rugby team from up in Montreal.

And they came down and played two games in New York City in like November of 82.

And then, I mean, best as I can tell that the, you know, this, the British Football Club, which is what they were called, just dissolved after that.

So they didn't last long.

But they, you know, they made an attempt to, you know, get the Americans to do things the right way and play rugby.

New rules.

And maybe you can take that stuff and put it where the British Empire sun does not shine.

It's.

It's really amazing how you go fast forward, you know, 140 some years and now, you know, the NFL is one of the biggest sporting events when they have games over in, in Great Britain and other places throughout Europe.

So it's a. I guess it must have evolved.

All right, maybe these guys will look different now.

You know, it's an interesting thing though.

Like I, and I'm.

I'm blanking on his, his name right now and his site.

But there's a guy that I, that I follow.

He's a. I believe he's in Germany, maybe he's in Netherlands.

But anyways, he had a really interesting article a while back that he is basically arguing that while there's this sense that football is really popular in Europe and some other places, it's still pretty much a niche thing.

You know, I mean, I compare it.

I mean, rugby is much more popular in North America, especially Canada.

But you know, rugby's.

I should say hockey is, you know, like people in Wyoming don't care about hockey.

Right.

But you know, if you're in some of the northern cities and now, you know, Southern Cities, you know, it's a bigger deal.

But, you know, I mean, I didn't grow up watching hockey.

You know, it just, even though I grew up in Wisconsin, just wasn't a big deal back then.

So anyways, so his, his, his argument is it gets, you know, they get good crowds and everything, but these are people who follow football already.

And so I actually think that part of the, part of the strategy for, you know, the NFL promoting touch football is to get more people into football generally.

Not, not, not necessarily tackle.

You know, it's a.

Because you don't need a bunch of equipment to play touch football.

You know, you don't need anywhere near the coaching and the, you know, I mean, sure, at the high levels, probably you do, but, but, you know, it's just, I mean, how many times did you go out, you know, at the park or somebody's backyard and play touch football or tackle football?

Just, but you know, kids out there playing.

Yeah, we were, we were stupid enough to play on frozen streets here in Erie during the wintertime.

Yeah, I was, I'd look at them like, why did I do that?

That's crazy.

Football in a, in a foot or two of snow is better than any kind of football there is.

Well, you play on the plowed streets where there's like an inch thick, 2 inches thick of ice.

You know, that's just dumb.

Yeah.

You get home eating, get felt all over your, your body.

Yeah.

So anyways, the, you know, I just, I think that the whole touch football thing will help football to become more, you know, a little bit more mainstream elsewhere in the world.

And it removes a lot of the size issues that, you know, you know, it's more like seven on seven.

Right.

I mean, so you don't need a bunch of big, bulky linemen, you know,.

You'd be amazed, though.

I, I just had a podcast interview just a few months ago with a gentleman from Estonia, and they have semi professional teams in Estonia that are playing semi professional teams from Russia, which was, I guess nearby the, the border.

If they're have semi professional, these guys are making some money.

Somebody's paying some money to see these, these folks play.

It's amazing how it's like grassroots effort is popping up sort of, you know, 120 years behind where we are.

And again, I mean, I don't, you know, I mean, I, I, I, I get that.

And, and like, you know, I, I've watched in the past year, I've been, I've watched the championship game and in Japan, in England, and I think I watched one for Finland recently.

You know, India has a big league.

Oh, really?

Yeah, they have a professional football league in India.

So, I mean, so anyways, yeah, I mean, I, I get it, but it's still not.

I, you know, I just don't.

I don't think it's quite the same thing as in terms of just the depth of the depth of interest that you have here and, and in Canada.

But, you know, I mean, like the NFL draft, you know, they had all these people from Mexico and from all over the world, you know, announcing the picks and, you know, doing all that.

I think it's great.

You know, I'm perfectly happy that they're doing it, but I just think that's.

I think I view touch as a tactic to help spread the word.

Yeah.

To help the NFL make more money.

Of course it is.

That's.

Yeah, they're quite the marketing machine and, you know, you're quite the marketing machine yourself of, you know, bringing up some of these topics of American football history that, you know, we, we, most of us have never heard of before.

Most of us never really even thought about before.

But you're bringing them to light again and, you know, resuscitating them to, to our consciousness, and we appreciate that.

In your tidbits, maybe you could tell folks where they can find more your work.

Sure, just go to footballarchaeology.com it's a substack site.

You can subscribe, follow, or just bookmark.

You know, I've also got a bunch of books that I sell on, on Amazon, but, you know, you can also get them directly through me if, you know, for people who prefer not to use that route.

So, yeah, that's kind of the.

Any of those, or any.

And all of those are ways to get some football archaeology background.

Tim, we sure appreciate the work that you do and coming on here and sharing it with us each week, and we'd love to talk to you again seven days from now.

It's a pleasure every time.

So we'll see you then.

That's all the football history we have today, folks.

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