American football American football American football, referred to as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, which is the team controlling the oval-shaped football, attempts to advance down the field by running with or passing the ball, while the defense, which is the team without control of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and aims to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance at least ten yards in four
Too many men A related, but more serious, penalty of "illegal participation" occurs if the extra man or men enter the field during the play. Illegal participation is a 15-yard penalty in high school football. If the illegal participant prevents a score, it is an unfair act and the score is awarded. "Too many men on the ice" is a bench penalty in ice hockey called when a team has more than the legal number of players (six, including the goalie, if not already short handed) on the ice at one time. This term is normally used even in women's ice hockey, although