Football is territorial.
Get a first down for achieving 10 yards.
Get 3 points for kicking the ball through 2 uprights.
Get 2 points for tackling the other team in their own end zone.
Get 6 points for getting to the opponents end zone.
Ok, that brings up the end zone. It is a territory, either to defeat or to defend. In defending it, you try to keep your opponent from entering that territory. In pursuing it, you want to enter that territory and win it. Both sides want to have that territory for themselves.
Part of the defense of that territory includes trying to make the other side lose control of that ball. In the "neutral" territory of the field of play, teams keep control of the ball if it goes OOB. End zones are different. When the ball goes OOB in the end zone, that's the defending team's "territory"; that's their "realm" so to speak. They stopped the offensive team from entering that territory, it's their territory, so they get the ball. While placing it at the 20 may not seem right, the point was made that a punt in the end zone has the same result--the idea that the offensive team lost control of the ball with either a punt, fumble, interception, or missed FG,then the defending team now goes on offense at the 20. After a missed FG, rules are slightly adjusted, of course.
I "hate" the rule, too. But it does actually make sense when end zones are looked at as the defenses territory and any loss of the ball there is "owned" by the defending team.
NewMexicoRam
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/2023 04:56AM by NewMexicoRam.
