Why Are the Rules For American and Canadian Football So Different and How Did They Originate?

In 1874, Montreal’s McGill University was invited to play football against Harvard.

Harvard was used to playing with a round soccer ball, with different rules than the Canadians, who played rugby using an oblong ball.

The game ended in a tie, but the Americans were so impressed with the Canadian game that they adopted the rules.

Football as we know it evolved differently on both sides of the border from that game, which ended in a tie.