American Football free essay sample

Basketball is a game played between two teams of five players in which points are scored by shooting a ball through a netted hoop fixed 10ft above each end of the court. Football is a form of team game played in North America with an oval ball used to throw or to run with on a field marked out as a gridiron. Basketball and football are two extremely popular sports but they are different in many was such as shape of the ball, playing surface, number of players, and style of play and length of game. The first differences between basketball and football is the shape of the ball and what each team playing surface is. Basketballs are round and made for dribbling. Footballs are oval shaped and made for throwing passes and running with the ball high and tight. Basketball can be played in a gym or an outside court during hot, warm and cold weather. We will write a custom essay sample on American Football or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Football is played in a field during warm, cold, hot, snow and even rainy weather. Although both basketball and football are played with leather or composite leather balls but the similarities end there when it comes to a football and a basketball. Basketballs are round and give a good bounce every time. Footballs have an oblong shape and take some weird bounces when they hit the ground. The footballs shape is intended to fly better in the air and be easier to catch. In addition, basketballs are larger and heavier than footballs. Even though Basketball courts are much shorter and narrower than football fields. The National Basketball Association noted that all basketball courts should measure 94 feet by 50 feet, which is quite small compared to football fields because they are 120 yards by 53. Indoor basketball courts usually are made of wood, while football fields use natural grass or a synthetic also Both basketball and football are considered team sports since there are several people playing at once. Basketball teams are allowed to play with five players on the court at one time, while football teams play with 11 at a time. Basketball teams usually have between 12 and 15 players on the roster, while football rosters can range from 50 in professional play to 75 in college games. Football and basketball have decidedly different styles of play based on the rules. Football is a contact sport, with tackles and physical hits and collisions on every play. Basketball is considered a non-contact sport a physical contact in basketball is a violation that would result in fouls. Basketball games are higher scoring than football even though basketball teams are awarded only 2 or 3 points for a made field goal and 1 point for a made free throw. Football grants 6 points for a touchdown, 3 points for a field goal and 2 points for a safety, but scoring is much less frequent than in basketball. Football games are played for much longer times than basketball games. Football games at the professional and college level have 60 minutes in a game, while high school football plays 48 minute games. Basketball plays 48 minute games at the pro level, 40 minute games in college and 32 minute games in high school. Both football and basketball games have several thing that will stop he game due to timeouts, fouls or penalties and halftime, which means both last much longer than the actual game time is self. That is probably the reason basketball and football are so popular all around the world because they are so different and people don’t want to see the same stuff going on between different sports. All in all, most sports, especially team sports like basketball and football, give players a chance to develop themselves physically. These differences in both sports is what makes them so popular to the world.

Ancient Maya Essay Essay Example

Ancient Maya Essay Essay Example Ancient Maya Essay Essay Ancient Maya Essay Essay Ancient Maya Essay Matthew Pitcher Mrs Meligrana Ancient Civilizations June 8th, 2011 Pitcher1 The Ancient Mayan civilization stands out from other ancient civilizations and is great because of its outstanding achievements and developments. The Mayans are still known to this day for their exceptional architecture, medical discoveries, astronomy, and military tactics which were very successful. In this essay I will explain what the Mayans have achieved to make themselves considered great, why they are great, and why they overcome many of the other ancient civilizations. Mayan astronomy has been considered one of the most complex of mankind. Of all the worlds ancient calendar systems, the Maya and other Mesoamerica systems are the most complex, and accurate. Calculations of the 260-day and the 365-day Maya cycles is almost exactly equal to the actual solar year in the tropics, with only a 19-minute margin of error, which is almost scary to see how precise they were. Mayan Astronomers used shadow casting devices, and observations to trace the movements of the sun. the stars and planets in order to observe, calculate and record this information in their chronicles, as they call it . From these observations, the Maya developed calendars to keep track of celestial movements and time. Something never seen before by any other civilization in history, truly amazing, and we still use the 365 day calendar today. Another reason why Maya is great is because of their form of numbers and arithmetic’s, the first civilization to constitute math and numbers in everyday life. Maya mathematics constituted the most sophisticated mathematical system ever developed in the Americas. Pitcher2 The Maya counting system required only three symbols: a dot representing a alue of one, a bar representing five, and a shell representing zero. These three symbols were used in many different combinations, to keep track of calendar events both past and future, and so that even uneducated people could understand when needed for trade and commerce. That the Maya understood the value of zero is remarkable most of the worlds civilizations had no concept of zero at that time. By far one of t he most fascinating achievements of the Mayans was there methods and development of their beautiful architectural buildings and designs. Whether their temples, complexes, buildings, homes, sidewalks or causeways (which were built by hand cut lime-stone), and the first civilization to construct sidewalks for pedestrians. A Maya city from the Classic Period usually consisted of a series of platforms topped by masonry structures, ranging from great temple-pyramids and palaces to individual house mounds. These structures were in turn arranged around open plazas or courtyards. Maya architecture is characterized by a sophisticated sense of decoration and art, expressed in beautiful carvings and wall paintings, unlike any others. Throughout the Mayans 2000 year history, their unique warfare tactics turned out to be very successful for their civilization. Unlike most other civilizations, instead of a head to head close range battle, the Mayans built an army of spearmen and arrow shooters to kill the enemy. Long range war tactic was there specialty and it worked. They killed their enemy before their enemy could reach them, using the land and surroundings they built trenches and barricades to Pitcher3 fool and surprise the enemy, along with bells and whistles to distract the enemy to let fellow soldiers know the enemy is on its way. Also, the Mayan armies did not use horses or chariots in battle much like the other militaries did. Unfortunately for their enemies, the Mayans were keen on taking prisoners†¦ for the express purpose of sacrificing them on a temple altar, in front of the entire tribe. The belief was that by eating the heart of an enemy warrior, you could gain a some of that warrior’s strength. Medicine to the Mayan people was very important, a balance between religion and science, much like we see today. They healed wounds with human hair, fixed fractures, and used casts. Very skilled dental surgeons using different materials to fill teeth when one suffered from a cavity or chipped tooth. Also used â€Å"Obsidian† blades to perform surgeries, Obsidian blades are still used today in many North American hospitals. They cut cleaner so wounds heal faster and with less scar tissue. Finally, the Mayans created the first artificial pain killer for humans. The advancement the Mayan civilization had the medical field before any other civilizations is remarkable and should be noticed. The Mayan civilization deserves the title as a great Civilization because of these outstanding achievements and special ways. Scientifically and mathematically they were genius. Their architecture exceeds the look of any other civilization, and their tactics for building a military and a city is overly impressive. I am not so sure modern day life would be the same without the greatness the ancient Mayan civilization. Webster, David . The Fall of the Ancient Maya, Thames Hudson Ltd, London, 2002 Ayache, Michelle, The Ancient Maya, digitalmeesh. com/maya/history. htm, 2005 Robert, J, Sharer, The Ancient Maya, Stanford University Press, 2006 Shirley, Jordon, The Mayan Civilization, 2001