Abstract:
A football board game has a first game board with a football field depicted thereon and a second game board having indicator and scoring devices thereon. An offensive play option board has a plurality of offensive football play options imprinted on one surface representing actions to be used by an offensive team to advance the football and the yardage gained thereby and a selection device for selecting an offensive play option. A defensive play option board having a plurality of defensive football play options imprinted on one surface representing actions to be used by a defensive team to stop the offensive play options, to cause a loss in yardage, to change possession of the football, and to cause a turnover which allows the defensive team to score a touchdown, and selection devices for selecting a plurality of the defensive play options. In one embodiment, the game apparatus includes a binder member having ring fasteners and a pair of hinged cover panels with the game boards and play option boards releasably fastened within the binder. The game boards and play option boards may be formed of magnetically attractive material and the playing token and selection members formed of magnetic material, or the game boards and play option boards may be slotted and the playing token and selection member slidably engaged in the slots. The apparatus may also include a chance device and a storage pouch releasably fastened within the binder.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to board games, and more particularly to a football board game apparatus carried in a looseleaf binder and method of play. 
     2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
     Tyco Toys, Inc. of Mount Laurel, N.J. produces a line of sports games called &#34;notebook games&#34; including football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and bowling, which are designed to fit in a conventional three-ring looseleaf binder. Each game includes a rigid plastic gameboard, one or more pennies, and a launcher or &#34;shooter&#34; for propelling the penny to a target. In the football game, a penny represents the football. A spring loaded penny launcher is slidably mounted in a slot at one end of the gameboard and is moved manually from side-to-side by the offensive player. A &#34;blocking&#34; device having a slot capable of receiving the penny is slidably mounted at the opposite end of the gamboard and is moved manually from side-to side by the defensive player. The game played by the offensive player attempting to &#34;shoot&#34; the penny into a scoring area while the defensive player attempts to &#34;block&#34; or &#34;catch&#34; the penny. The offensive player has four attempts to gain 80 yards and score seven points for a touchdown, or a touchdown can be scored by shooting the penny into the end zone. Thus, the play action is more like a target game rather than realistic football strategy. 
     There are several patents on board games based on football, most of which utilize a conventional hinged game board with a playing field depicted thereon, sets of cards, dice and/or spinners. Some of these football games are overly complex and have complicated charts to provide a more realistic result to the various possible plays, and also take a great deal of time to play. 
     Heidbrink, U.S. Pat. No. 1,838,398 discloses a football game apparatus comprising a game board having a football field represented thereon, a plurality of spinners each having a surrounding circular series of concentric segments for giving the results of various plays, and a chart adjacent the spinners for identifying any particular one of the series of segments according to the play which is called for. 
     Sadler et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,039 discloses a football game apparatus comprising a game board having a football field represented thereon and a playing piece movable therealong, an offensive play board having player selected columns representing offensive plays and chance selected rows intersecting with the columns to define offensive blocks, each containing yardage values, and a defensive play board having player selected columns representing defensive plays and chance selected rows intersecting with the columns to define defensive blocks, each containing yardage values. The values obtained in the selected offensive and defensive blocks are compared to determine the net yardage of each play and corresponding movement of the playing piece. 
     Cummins, U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,863 discloses a football game and teaching aid apparatus comprising a game board having a football field, score markers, down and quarter markers, ball position markers, and a reversible, invertible, slide indicator cooperating with the field representation which represents play moving from each end of the field and serves as a strategy selector for both offense and defense. Also included is an array of probability (chance) dial selectors to permit in-depth representation and operation of all the features and facets of football plays. 
     Godwin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,346 discloses a football game wherein a player is given the choice of running a play, a passing play, or a trick play, by selecting either to draw from a deck of cards or to roll a pair of dice. The wording on the cards and the use of the dice being statistically weighted to simulate the results of a conventional football game. The manner and use of the dices changes with changes in the condition of the game, and two decks of cards provide for two different conditions of the game. 
     Haffey, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,580 discloses a football game apparatus comprising a game board having a football field represented thereon and a space at each end for run and pass options to be indicated thereupon, a ball position marker, a first down indicator, and individual down indicator, and two designation play markers. Two decks of cards provide a plurality of play situations for an offensive and defensive player. A multiplicity of down cards are controlled by the player starting on the offense while a multiplicity of kick cards are controlled by the defensive player. The offensive player chooses either a run or a pass and places a play designation marker on the board. The defensive player then attempts to anticipate the offensive play. The outcome is determined by comparing the offensive call with the defensive guess. Correct defensive guesses are statistically more favorable for the defensive player while incorrect defensive guesses favor the offensive player. 
     Hynson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,529 discloses a football game apparatus comprising a game board having a football field represented thereon, a plurality of defense instruction cards and offense instruction cards, a play result tabulation table inscribed on the game board for cooperating with a plurality of offense style cards and defense style cards. At the outset, the player determines a particular offense style to be used throughout the game. The offensive player may select a play of his own or use plays on the instruction cards. The offensive and defensive style cards corresponding to the play are each placed on the tabulation table and a direct reading corresponding to the two plays is taken from the table to determine the result of the play. 
     Rohme, U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,836 discloses a football game wherein the offense team chooses a play card and the defense team attempts to guess which play the offense. The degree of success in the attempt to guess is assessed. The degree of success together with a random number obtained by a selector are both used to locate the play result from a various probability result charts. The results are based on real events analogous to the degree of success the defense has in guessing what the offense will do. 
     Price, U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,959 discloses a football game apparatus comprising a game board having a football field represented thereon, a playing piece movable therealong representing the position of the player, a plurality of decks of cards each related to a specific type of play and the result of a selected play. The game board is also provided with indicia representing betting areas including means for indicating different possible outcomes of a play or series of plays. 
     The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by football board game which has a first game board with a football field depicted thereon and a second game board having indicator and scoring devices thereon. An offensive play option board has a plurality of offensive football play options imprinted on one surface representing actions to be used by an offensive team to advance the football and the yardage gained thereby and a selection device for selecting an offensive play option. A defensive play option board having a plurality of defensive football play options imprinted on one surface representing actions to be used by a defensive team to stop the offensive play options, to cause a loss in yardage, to change possession of the football, and to cause a turnover which allows the defensive team to score a touchdown, and selection devices for selecting a plurality of the defensive play options. In one embodiment, the game apparatus includes a binder member having ring fasteners and a pair of hinged cover panels with the game boards and play option boards releasably fastened within the binder. The game boards and play option boards may be formed of magnetically attractive material and the playing token and selection members formed of magnetic material, or the game boards and play option boards may be slotted and the playing token and selection member slidably engaged in the slots. The apparatus may also include a chance device and a storage pouch releasably fastened within the binder. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a football board game which does not require a large game board, dice, cards, or charts. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide a football board game which eliminates cumbersome steps in the play action and allows a game to be played quickly. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a football board game wherein the outcome of a play is based on the selection of offensive and defensive tactics by both teams. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a football board game which does not require experience nor a knowledge of complicated plays for the enjoyment of the game. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a football board game wherein the possibility of a succesful field goal attempt gradually increases relative to the closeness to the goal and does not require additional charts or data sheets. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a football board game wherein all the players on each team can participate in the selection of offensive and defensive plays. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for playing a board game wherein all the components may be stored in a looseleaf binder without interferring with the other functions of the binder. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for playing a board game which is compact, easily transported, and can be stored in a small space on a shelf in the manner of a looseleaf binder. 
     A further object of this invention is to provide apparatus for playing board games wherein several game boards and various game pieces may be carried in a single binder for playing a variety of selected board games. 
     A still further object of this invention is to provide game board apparatus and a board game which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and attractive in appearance. 
     Other objects of the invention will become apparent from time to time throughout the specification and claims as hereinafter related. 
     The above noted objects and other objects of the invention are accomplished by a football board game which has a first game board with a football field depicted thereon and a second game board having indicator and scoring devices thereon. An offensive play option board has a plurality of offensive football play options imprinted on one surface representing actions to be used by an offensive team to advance the football and the yardage gained thereby and a selection device for selecting an offensive play option. A defensive play option board having a plurality of defensive football play options imprinted on one surface representing actions to be used by a defensive team to stop the offensive play options, to cause a loss in yardage, to change possession of the football, and to cause a turnover which allows the defensive team to score a touchdown, and selection devices for selecting a plurality of the defensive play options. In one embodiment, the game apparatus includes a binder member having ring fasteners and a pair of hinged cover panels with the game boards and play option boards releasably fastened within the binder. The game boards and play option boards may be formed of magnetically attractive material and the playing token and selection members formed of magnetic material, or the game boards and play option boards may be slotted and the playing token and selection member slidably engaged in the slots. The apparatus may also include a chance device and a storage pouch releasably fastened within the binder. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the components of a preferred board game apparatus in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view the board game apparatus showing the binder in the open position with a game board based on a football theme fastened therein and opened for play of the game. 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view the board game apparatus showing the binder in the open position with a typical game board having a path fastened therein and opened for play of the game. 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a spinner member of the board game apparatus. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross section through a magnetic game board member of board game apparatus. 
     FIG. 6 is a cross section through a slotted game board member of board game apparatus. 
     FIG. 7 is a portion of a game board having a peripheral raised border. 
     FIGS. 8 through 12 are plan views of showing various selected plays using offensive and defensive play option boards of the game board apparatus. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a preferred board game system of apparatus 10 in accordance with the present invention. The board game apparatus 10 includes an outer cover or binder 11 which has two rectangular cover panels 12 and 13 hingedly secured to a rectangular back panel or spine 14. In the illustrated example, the binder 11 has a binder post assembly 15 including a plurality of binder rings 16 and a snap-action locking mechanism 17 for opening and closing the binder rings mounted on the backside of the spine 14. The binder 11 may be constructed of stiff reinforcing material, such as cardboard, sandwiched between vinyl sheets. 
     A thin, flat, rigid or semi-rigid game board member 18 having a plurality of apertures or holes 19 near one side edge corresponding to the spacing of the rings 16 of the binder 11 is received on the rings and releasably secured in the binder when the rings are closed. The game board 18 has a playing surface 20 imprinted on the outer surface for playing a game, for example, a football field. A thin, flat, rigid or semi-rigid complementary game board 21 having a plurality of apertures or holes 22 near one side edge is received on the rings 16 of the binder 11 in opposed relation to the game board 11. Thus, the game boards 18 and 21 are disposed face to face when the binder 11 is closed and when opened, the game boards 18 and 21 are opened to lie flat on each side of the rings 16 adjacent one another for carrying out the play of the game (FIG. 2). 
     The complementary game board 21 may be imprinted with various indicia or artwork to complement the game board 18. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the complementary game board 21 is imprinted with indicia and indicators 23, 24, and 25 each having a rotatably mounted pointer 26 to indicate the &#34;DOWN&#34; 23, the number of yards &#34;TO GO&#34; 24, the &#34;QUARTER&#34; of play 25, score boxes for &#34;HOME&#34; 27 and &#34;VISITORS&#34; 28 representing each team, and instructions 29 for carrying out the play of the game, such as rules concerning &#34;KICK-OFF RETURN&#34;, &#34;PUNT&#34;, and &#34;FIELD GOAL&#34;. Depending upon the material used to construct the complementary game board 21 (described below), the players can mark the score on the surface of the game board 21 with erasable pens or markers. Paper pads may also be secured to the surface of the game board for keeping score. 
     As shown in FIG. 3, the complementary game board 21 may also be imprinted to form an extension or continuation of the playing surface on the adjacent game board 18 in various other types of games, such as those having a path or track T, etc., on which tokens are moved. 
     Additional thin, flat, rigid or semi-rigid game play boards 31 and 32 having indicia imprinted thereon and a plurality of apertures or holes 33 near one side edge corresponding to the spacing of the rings 16 of the binder 11 may be releasably received on the rings and removed for carrying out the play of the game. For example, in the illustrated football game embodiment, an &#34;OFFENSE&#34; huddle board 31 and a &#34;DEFENSE&#34; huddle board 32 are provided. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a spinner 34 may also be provided for play of the game wherein the spinner pointer 35 is rotatably mounted on a thin, flat, rigid or semi-rigid board 36 having indicia imprinted thereon and a plurality of apertures or holes 37 near one side edge corresponding to the spacing of the rings 16 of the binder 11 such that it is releasably received on the rings and removed for carrying out the play of the game. Other types of game playing equipment, such as an electronic random number generator, calculator, sound device, etc., may also be mounted on thin, flat, rigid or semi-rigid boards and removably installed on the rings 16 of the binder 11 and removed for carrying out the play of the game. 
     As seen in FIG. 5, in a preferred embodiment, the game board 18 is constructed of a sheet of magnetically attractive material 18A sealed between two sheets of vinyl material 18B and 18C, or between one ply of vinyl material and a sheet of cardboard, whereby a flat token 40, representing a football, formed of magnetic material may be movably attached to the outer surface and moved along the playing surface during play of the game. The complementary game board 21 and game play boards 31 and 32 may also be constructed of a sheet of magnetically attractive material sealed between two sheets of vinyl material, or between one ply of vinyl material and a sheet of cardboard, or if magnetic tokens are not used on the complementary game board or game play boards, they may be constructed of any suitable thin flat rigid or semi-rigid material, such as cardboard or plastic or cardboard covered with vinyl. In the preferred embodiment, holes are punched through the complementary game board 21 and spinners or pointers 26 are rotatably mounted therein. 
     A plurality of flat disc-shaped tokens 42 and 43 formed of magnetic material are used as selection indicators on the game play boards 31 and 32 and are placed on the surface of the boards during play of the game, as described hereinafter. 
     Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the game boards 18 and 21 and game play boards 31 and 32 may be provided with slots 18D wherein the token(s) 40, 42, 42 may be permanently slidably mounted in the slots. The game boards 18 and 21 and/or play boards 31 and 32 may also be provided with a peripheral raised border 44 of a height greater than the thickness of the tokens whereby tokens on the surface of the game boards will not slide off, as shown in FIG. 7. The peripheral borders of adjacent game boards will be juxtaposed when the boards are in the closed position to enclose the tokens and prevent them from becoming lost or damaged. 
     A storage pouch 45 (FIG. 1) having a sealable opening 46 near one side edge and a plurality of apertures or holes 47 near another side edge corresponding to the spacing of the rings 16 of the binder 11 may also be removable received on the rings for storing loose game components, such as dice, cards, tokens, etc. 
     It can be seen from the foregoing description that the binder game board provides a compact easily transportable game playing system. Each binder may contain a single game or a plurality of different games. 
     ANOTHER PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, a football game similar to the above described embodiment may be provided in a conventional game board construction. In other words, the outer cover or binder can be eliminated and the components packaged in a box having a lid. In this modification, the flat, rigid or semi-rigid game board member 18 would have a playing surface 20 imprinted on the outer surface for playing a football game and the previously described apertures or holes near one side edge would be eliminated. The thin, flat, rigid or semi-rigid complementary game board 21 would also be provided without the previously described apertures or holes near one side edge. 
     The complementary game board 21 would be imprinted with indicia and indicators 23, 24, and 25 each having a rotatably mounted pointer 26 to indicate the &#34;DOWN&#34; 23, the number of yards &#34;TO GO&#34; 24, the &#34;QUARTER&#34; of play 25, score boxes for &#34;HOME&#34; 27 and &#34;VISITORS&#34; 28 representing each team, and instructions 29 for carrying out the play of the game, such as rules concerning &#34;KICK-OFF RETURN&#34;, &#34;PUNT&#34;, and &#34;FIELD GOAL&#34;. Depending upon the material used to construct the complementary game board 21 (described below), the players can mark the score on the surface of the game board 21 with erasable pens or markers. Paper pads may also be secured to the surface of the game board for keeping score. 
     The thin, flat, rigid or semi-rigid &#34;OFFENSE&#34; huddle board 31 and &#34;DEFENSE&#34; huddle board 32 having indicia imprinted thereon for carrying out the play of the game would be provided without apertures or holes near one side edge. The optional spinner 34 as previously shown and described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4 would also be provided without apertures or holes 37 near one side edge. 
     The game board 18 and complementary game board 21 may be constructed of any suitable thin flat rigid or semi-rigid material, such as cardboard or plastic or cardboard covered with vinyl. Alternatively, the game board 18 may be constructed of a sheet of magnetically attractive material 18A sealed between two sheets of vinyl material 18B and 18C, or between one ply of vinyl material and a sheet of cardboard, whereby a flat token 40 representing a football formed of magnetic material may be movably attached to the outer surface and moved along the playing surface during play of the game. The game play boards 31 and 32 are preferrably constructed of a sheet of magnetically attractive material sealed between two sheets of vinyl material, or between one ply of vinyl material and a sheet of cardboard, so that a plurality of flat disc-shaped tokens 42 and 43 formed of magnetic material can be used as selection indicators on the game play boards 31 and 32 during play of the game, as described hereinafter. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the game board 18 and complementary game board 21 and game play boards 31 and 32 may be provided with slots 18D wherein the token(s) 40, 42, 42 may be permanently slidably mounted in the slots. 
     OPERATION 
     Having described the board game apparatus in a looseleaf binder binder form and conventional board game form, a method of playing a particular game utilizing the apparatus will be described with reference to the football game and binder game apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     In a stored condition, the game components including the game boards 18 and 21 are all contained within the binder 11. To play the game, the binder 11 is opened, the rings 16 are opened to remove the game play boards 31 and 32 and the rings are closed. The game boards 18 and 21 are flipped over to lie flat on each side of the rings 16 adjacent one another, as seen in FIG. 2. In this position, the game board 18 having the playing surface 20 (football field) is on one side of the rings 16 and the complementary game board 21 is on the other side of the rings. 
     The complementary game board 21 has three circles labeled &#34;DOWN&#34; 23, the number of yards &#34;TO GO&#34; 24, and the &#34;QUARTER&#34; of play 25 with a pointer 26 rotatably mounted in each circle. The &#34;DOWN&#34; and &#34;QUARTER&#34; circles 23 and 25 are divided into four units labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4, and the &#34;yards &#34;TO GO&#34; circle 24 is divided into four units labeled 5, 10, 15, and 20 (yards). The complementary game board 21 has score boxes for &#34;HOME&#34; 27 and &#34;VISITORS&#34; 28, representing each team. The players can mark the score on the surface of the game board 21 with erasable pens or markers, or paper pads may used for keeping score. The scoring of points is the same as in the professional game of football, i.e., 6 points for a touchdown, 3 points for a field goal, etc. The complementary game board 21 is also imprinted with instructions 29 beneath the headings; &#34;KICK-OFF RETURN&#34;, &#34;PUNT&#34;, and &#34;FIELD GOAL&#34; for carrying out the plays. 
     Game play begins with a toss of a coin to determine which team will kick-off and which team will receive. The receiving team places the token 40 representing the football on their 20 yard line on the playing field 20. The receiving team is now on offense and the indicator pointers 26 are set to &#34;1st down&#34; and &#34;10 yds to go&#34;. The offense team receives the &#34;OFFENSE&#34; huddle board 31 and one selection token 42. The opposing defense team receives the &#34;DEFENSE&#34; huddle board 32 and four selection tokens 43. 
     As seen in FIG. 8, the &#34;OFFENSE&#34; huddle board 31 has nine offensive play options: (1) &#34;Pass 50 Yds.&#34;, (2) &#34;Pass 35 Yds.&#34;, (2) &#34;Pass 25 Yds.&#34;, (3) &#34;Pass 20 Yds.&#34;, (4) &#34;Pass 15 Yds.&#34;, (6) &#34;Pass 10 Yds.&#34;, (7) &#34;Run Pitch Out 5 Yds.&#34;, (8) &#34;Run Draw Play 5 Yds.&#34;, and (9) &#34;Run Off Tackle 5 Yds.&#34;. 
     Also as seen in FIG. 8, the &#34;DEFENSE&#34; huddle board 32 has nine defensive stop play options: (1) &#34;Stop Pass 50 Yds.&#34;, (2) &#34;Stop Pass 35 Yds.&#34;, (2) &#34;Stop Pass 25 Yds.&#34;, (3) &#34;Stop Pass 20 Yds.&#34;, (4) &#34;Stop Pass 15 Yds.&#34;, (6) &#34;Stop Pass 10 Yds.&#34;, (7) &#34;Stop Run Pitch Out 5 Yds.&#34;, (8) &#34;Stop Run Draw Play 5 Yds.&#34;, and (9) &#34;Stop Run Off Tackle 5 Yds.&#34;. 
     The &#34;DEFENSE&#34; huddle board 32 also has three &#34;BLITZ&#34; and/or &#34;SACK&#34; defensive play options which are used in combination with the nine defensive stop plays listed above. In selecting these &#34;BLITZ&#34; and/or &#34;SACK&#34; defensive plays, the defensive player can: 
     (1) Place three tokens 43 on three of the nine defensive stop play options and one token 43A on the &#34;BLITZ&#34; and/or &#34;SACK&#34; space which would represent a &#34;10 Yd. Loss&#34; (FIG. 10) 
     (2) Place two tokens 43 on two of the nine defensive stop play options and two tokens 43A and 43B on the &#34;BLITZ&#34; and/or &#34;SACK&#34; space which would represent a &#34;Turnover&#34; (change of possession of the football) (FIG. 11). 
     (3) Place one token 43 on one of the nine defensive stop play options and three tokens 43A, 43B, 43C, on the &#34;BLITZ&#34; or &#34;SACK&#34; space which would represent a &#34;Turnover, and Return For T.D.&#34; (touchdown) (FIG. 12). 
     The team on offense selects one of the nine offensive plays by placing the selection token 42 on one of the nine plays on the &#34;OFFENSE&#34; huddle board 31, keeping the selection hidden from the opposing team. The team on defense selects four of the nine defensive stop plays by placing the selection tokens 43 on the corresponding ones of the nine plays (or in combination with the &#34;BLITZ&#34; an/or &#34;SACK&#34; options) on the &#34;DEFENSE&#34; huddle board 32, keeping the selection hidden from the opposing team. The goal of the defensive team is to anticipate the selection made by the offense and select the appropriate stop play(s). 
     After the selections have been made, both teams show their selections. If the offensive play selected was not included in the defensive stop play selections, the gain indicated on the &#34;OFFENSE&#34; huddle board 31 is given, and the token 40 representing the football is moved on the playing field accordingly. The &#34;DOWN&#34; and yards &#34;TO GO&#34; pointers are positioned accordingly. 
     FIG. 8 shows an example of a play wherein the team on offense attempted a 15 yard pass and the defense did not anticipate the play, which results in a 15 yard gain for the offense. FIG. 9 shows an example of a play wherein the offense attempted a draw play for 5 yard and the defense correctly anticipated the offensive play, which results in the play being stopped with no gain. FIG. 10 shows an example of a play wherein the offense attempted a 50 yard pass and the defense correctly anticipated the play and had one token 43A in the &#34;BLITZ&#34; and/or &#34;SACK&#34; space, which results in a 10 yard loss from the line of scrimmage for the offense. FIG. 11 shows an example of a play wherein the offense attempted a screen pass for 10 yards and the defense correctly anticipated the play and had two tokens 43A and 43B in the &#34;BLITZ&#34; and/or &#34;SACK&#34; space, which results in a turnover and change of possession. FIG. 12 shows an example of a play wherein the offense attempted a 50 yard pass and the defense correctly anticipated the play and had three tokens 43A, 43B, and 43C in the &#34;BLITZ&#34; and/or &#34;SACK&#34; space, which results in a turnover and a return for a touchdown by the defense. 
     When the team on offense must &#34;PUNT&#34;, the token 40 representing the football is placed 40 yards downfield from the line of scrimmage, with no return yardage, and play resumes with the opposing team in possession. 
     Once the team on offense has reached the 15 yard line of the opposing team, the offense may chose to kick a field goal in which case the field goal attempt is considered to be good and the offensive team is awarded 3 points. 
     Optionally, a spinner 34 as seen in FIG. 4 may be provided for &#34;FIELD GOAL&#34; attempts which has a spinner pointer 35 rotatably mounted on a thin, flat, rigid or semi-rigid board 36 having a plurality of apertures or holes 37 near one side edge corresponding to the spacing of the rings 16 of the binder 11 such that it is releasably received on the rings and removed for carrying out the play of the game. The optional &#34;FIELD GOAL&#34; spinner has a circle surrounding the spinner pointer 35 divided into 8 units Four of the units are labeled &#34;Good&#34;, one unit is labeled &#34;Good 30 Yds or Less&#34;, one unit is labeled &#34;Good 20 Yds or Less&#34;, one unit is labeled &#34;Good 10 Yds or Less&#34;, and the remaining unit is labeled &#34;Missed Field Goal&#34;. 
     With the &#34;FIELD GOAL&#34; spinner, the offensive team can attempt to kick a field goal once it has reached the 40 yard line of the opposing team by spinning the pointer. If the pointer lands on &#34;Good&#34;, the offense is awarded 3 points. If the pointer lands on any other label, the field goal is no good. If the attempt was made at 30 yards or less, and the pointer lands on &#34;Good&#34; or &#34;Good 30 yds or Less&#34;, the attempt is good, etc. The odds of a successful field goal attempt at 40 yards or less would be 4 out of 8 or 50%; for 30 yards or less, 5 out of 8 or 63%; for 20 yards or less, 6 out of 8 or 75%; for 10 yards or less, 7 out of 8 or 88%. 
     A quarter ends after two changes of possession have been made. Play continues until the end of the fourth quarter. After the game has been played, the rings of the binder are opened and the play boards and other game board components (spinner and storage pouch) are placed onto the binder and then secured by closing the rings. 
     Although a particular football board game has been described in detail, it should be understood that various other types of board games can be designed for use with the present board game apparatus. 
     While this invention has been described fully and completely with special emphasis upon a preferred embodiment, it should be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.