<s>
Football	O
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
Atari	B-Application
Football	I-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
1978	O
American	B-Application
football	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
and	O
released	O
by	O
Atari	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
for	O
arcades	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
predated	O
by	O
Sega	O
's	O
World	O
Cup	O
,	O
Football	O
is	O
credited	O
with	O
popularizing	O
the	O
trackball	B-Device
controller	O
and	O
is	O
also	O
the	O
first	O
non-racing	O
vertically	O
scrolling	O
video	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Football	O
was	O
the	O
second	O
highest-earning	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
of	O
1979	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
year	O
Atari	O
released	O
a	O
more	O
challenging	O
four-player	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
programmed	O
by	O
Dave	O
Theurer	O
,	O
who	O
later	O
created	O
Missile	B-Application
Command	I-Application
and	O
Tempest	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
VCS	I-General_Concept
home	O
version	O
of	O
Football	O
was	O
published	O
in	O
1978	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1982	O
,	O
Atari	O
replaced	O
it	O
with	O
RealSports	B-Application
Football	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
trackball	B-Device
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
an	O
earlier	O
Japanese	O
association	O
football	O
(	O
soccer	O
)	O
game	O
that	O
had	O
used	O
trackball	B-Device
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
team	O
saw	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
they	O
brought	O
a	O
cabinet	O
to	O
their	O
lab	O
and	O
imitated	O
the	O
trackball	B-Device
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
earlier	O
association	O
football	O
game	O
that	O
used	O
trackball	B-Device
controls	O
was	O
Sega	O
's	O
World	O
Cup	O
,	O
released	O
seven	O
months	O
earlier	O
in	O
March	O
1978	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Steven	O
L	O
.	O
Kent	O
reported	O
in	O
2001	O
that	O
Stubben	O
attributed	O
the	O
earlier	O
trackball	B-Device
soccer	O
game	O
to	O
Taito	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
VCS	I-General_Concept
,	O
two	O
teams	O
of	O
green	O
and	O
white	O
players	O
,	O
each	O
of	O
four	O
men	O
,	O
playing	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Football	O
was	O
the	O
second	O
highest-earning	O
1979	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
below	O
only	O
Space	B-Application
Invaders	I-Application
(	O
1978	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
October	O
1979	O
review	O
of	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
VCS	I-General_Concept
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
Creative	O
Computing	O
,	O
David	O
H	O
.	O
Ahl	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
positive	O
review	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
not	O
the	O
first	O
trackball	B-Device
game	O
,	O
predated	O
by	O
Sega	O
's	O
World	O
Cup	O
in	O
March	O
1978	O
,	O
Atari	B-Application
Football	I-Application
is	O
credited	O
with	O
popularizing	O
the	O
trackball	B-Device
.	O
</s>
