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There's no question that football has transplanted baseball as America's number one pastime. It seems that fans just can't get enough their favorite sport, both at the college and professional levels. That might be because football seasons are so short compared to other sports. For example, a professional baseball team plays 162 games in a season. Basketball teams play 82. But professional football teams play just 16 games during the regular season. College teams play only 11 or 12, depending on the team's scheduling obligations and whether or not they qualify for a bowl game. That clearly leaves fans wanting more.

So it shouldn't really come as a surprise that an alternative would crop up to give fans something to look forward to during the professional football offseason. I'm talking about the National Indoor Football League.

The National Indoor Football League seems to be equivalent to minor league baseball. There are 28 teams in the league, and they serve cities in smaller markets such as Rapid City (South Dakota), Hammond (Louisiana), and Big Sky (Montana). The regular season runs for 17 weeks beginning in early March and continuing through early July. If you're keeping track, you'll see that this schedule perfectly complements the NFL schedule and gives fans something to do before professional football teams begin their training camps. The NIFL also has a playoff system and a championship game (called the Indoor Bowl).

There are significant differences in the rules of the indoor football league as compared to professional football. One of the most obvious differences is the size of the playing field. Since NIFL games take place in smaller cities, they usually have smaller venues to work with, mostly indoor hockey rinks that have been temporarily converted in order to host the game. As a result, the playing field is only 50 yards long and 28 yards wide. In addition, the end zones are only 8 yards deep. It is also interesting to note that not all fields need to conform precisely to these measurements. The official NIFL rulebook states that exceptions can be made if the venue is simply too small to accommodate a regulation-size field.

Because of the smaller field, teams are only allowed to have 8 players on offense and eight on defense during game play. This is in contrast to the 11 players allowed on each side in the NFL.

Another important difference in the rules is that teams are not allowed to punt in the National Indoor Football League. They still have four downs in which to try to move the ball 10 yards to get a fresh set of downs or score a touchdown or a field goal, but even if it's 4th and long, the team has to attempt a play. This makes sense because of the shorter field, and also serves to keep the game moving along at a fast and exciting pace.

There are many more instances of rule variations. A couple other ones worth noting include the fact that the goal posts are only 9 feet apart, which makes kicking field goals in the National Indoor Football League very difficult. This encourages teams to go for touchdowns more often, once again helping to create more exciting action during the games. Finally, three players on offense are allowed to go in motion before the ball is snapped. This tends to cause more confusion for opposing defenses and makes it more difficult to guard against the upcoming play.

I think this league sounds like a great idea. It not only gives the fans something to look forward to during the offseason, but it also gives players a chance to live out their dreams. I scanned the rosters of some of the teams, expecting to find a lot of recognizable names from guys who didn't quite make it in the NFL. To be perfectly honest, there weren't any names that jumped out at me. The only one I knew right away was Bam Morris, who used to be a fullback in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, and a couple of other teams.

The lack of former NFL players in the indoor football league might be due to the fact that the salaries are so low. I read a newspaper article that says most players make about $300 per game, which certainly won't go a long way towards paying the bills. As a result, almost all of them have regular jobs that they still go to during the week. I think this is actually a great situation for fans. There obviously won't be any huge contract disputes or Terrell Owens-like disputes over money during the season. Instead, fans will know that the players are out there giving it their all because they love the game. They're not after glory, fame, or fortune. In a time when a majority of professional athletes seem to make things all about money, the National Indoor Football League will most likely be viewed by fans as a breath of fresh air.

I have not had a chance to see an NIFL game in person because there aren't any teams in my area. But I've read a lot of positive things about the league, and will definitely try to take in a game whenever the opportunity arises. The league has been moderately successful so far, and is continuing to grow in popularity as more and more fans discover the action. The very first NIFL game was played in 2001, and since that time, the league has added new teams each year. It seems that people really appreciate the idea of being able to take in a semi-professional football game with their families for a fraction of the price that a similar outing for an NFL game would cost.

If you're interested in attending a National Indoor Football League game or even seeing one on TV via a local broadcasting affiliate, then browse through the following list and see if there's a team in a city near you.

Atlantic Conference

North Division: River City Rage (St. Charles, MO), Tennessee River Sharks (East Ridge, TN), Dayton Bulldogs (Dayton, OH), and Cincinnati Marshals (OH).

East Division: Montgomery Maulers (AL), Greensboro Revolution (North Carolina), Fayetteville Guard (North Carolina), and Charleston Sandsharks (South Carolina).

South Division: Osceola Football (FL), Lakeland Thunderbolts (FL), Florida Frenzy (FL), and Palm Beach Phantoms (FL).

Pacific Conference

North Division: Tri-Cities Fever (Pasco, WA), Big Sky Thunder (Bozeman, MT), and Billings Outlaws (MT).

West Division: Wyoming Cavalry (Casper, WY), Rapid City Flying Aces (South Dakota), and Lincoln Capitols (NE).

South Division: Katy Copperheads (TX), Beaumont Drillers (Alexandria, LA), Twin City Gators (Monroe, LA), and Arkansas Stars (Fayetteville, AK).