12th man (football) 12th man (football) The 12th man or 12th player is a term for fans of teams in eleven-a-side sports games, particularly association football (soccer) or American football. As most football leagues allow a maximum of eleven players per team on the playing field at a time, referring to a team's fans as the 12th man implies that they have a potentially helpful role in the game. Infrequently, the term has referred to individuals having a notable connection to their football team. In Canadian football, 12 players are usually on the field at one time and the term 13th man is
American football at the Summer Olympics "by default." As Francis Field was the main stadium for the 1904 Summer Olympics, only those games would have been considered a demonstrations for Olympic crowds. Only two games at Francis Field were played that did not involve Washington: a match between Purdue and Missouri, and the first match between two Indian school teams (Haskell and Carlisle) who were considered powerhouses in college football at the time. Though American football has not been played in the Olympics since then, various American football players have participated in the Olympics. In 2013, The International Olympic Committee gave provisional recognition to The International