---
title: Atari Football
tags:
- american football
- sport
years:
- '1978'
params:
  image: /media/museum/software/arcade_atari-football_s0.png
  specs:
  - label: year of release
    value: '1978'
  - label: companies
    value: Atari
  - label: type
    value: game
  - label: media
    value: arcade cabinet
  - label: systems
    value: Arcade
  - label: number of players
    value: 2 players (versus)
  - label: staff
    value: Mike Albaugh, Steve Bristow, Ed Logg, Lyle Rains, Dave Stubbens
  screenshots:
  - title: with overlays showing the different tactics available
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/arcade_atari-football_s0.png
  - title: ''
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/arcade_atari-football_s1.png
  - title: ''
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/arcade_atari-football_s2.png
  - title: ''
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/arcade_atari-football_s3.png
  - title: ''
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/arcade_atari-football_s4.png
  - title: Maintenance manual
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/arcade_atari-football_maintenance-manual.jpg
  - title: ''
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/arcade_atari-football_cab_1.jpg
  machines:
  - /museum/misc-arcade-video-games
  company: /companies/misc
  oc_id: 335
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230127045632/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/software_detail.asp?id=335
    date: '2023-01-27'
---

Atari football is considered the first real sport simulation video game, with its 7 seven players on each team, detailed playfield graphics, 4 offensive tactics and 4 defensive tactics.

Before that, sports games meant pong-type video games such as tennis, hockey or football. But let's face it, there were mainly pong spin-offs, not real efforts to simulate sport rules.

Of course there was also **Football** for the [Magnavox Odyssey](/museum/magnavox-odyssey/), released in 1972; but if the effort was laudable, the system technical limitations prevented the game from being a real simulation.

Apart from that, Atari Football is also the first video game to use a trackball as the controller. A 4 players version was even released in 1979, with 4 trackballs!