Football is a popular sport in the United States. It is a highly violent sport, which is defamiliarized and viewed in the popular culture as overly aggressive. The movie Concussion attempted to shed some light on this controversy. Will Smith played Dr. Bennet Omalu, a neuropathologist who discovered the condition known as CTE, which stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. The film reveals that despite the popularity of the game, its safety has been questioned.
Football is the world’s most popular ball game. With simple rules and equipment, it can be played virtually anywhere. It is governed by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). According to FIFA, there are over 250 million active players and 1.3 billion people worldwide who follow the sport. In fact, the quadrennial World Cup finals, held in Brazil, had a combined television audience of over 26 billion people, almost double that of the Summer Olympics.
The game is officiated by a referee, who has full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game and makes all final decisions. Two assistant referees assist the referee. Some high-level games feature a fourth official. World cup games feature a fifth official. A referee is responsible for deciding which games are fair and which are not. However, a referee can make the final decision for each team.