Unsung Heroes on the NFL Field

At the top, you've got the head coach. They're the front man for the team: the one who faces the media, leads team talks and is ultimately responsible for calling the shots of the day. They also build the framework for assistant coaches, who are in charge of various different elements of a game.

To become a head coach usually takes around 20 seasons on the sidelines, but the salary is worth the wait. New England Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick, earns up to $12.5 million per year.

Every team has a large number of assistant coaches, who are scattered across the sidelines or up in the stands. Each has their own responsibility. You've got the offensive, defensive, position and special teams coaches split into sub-roles. They cover each offensive position, each defensive position, and there's also an assistant to the special teams' coach.

You may have seen footage of coaches analyzing the game from high up in the media room. It's their job to pick out areas of the game that need improvement, and then pass that information down to the coaching crew on the sidelines.

The chain gang, or chain crew, are one of the most important groups of people on the sidelines. Some of the most critical plays of this billion-dollar league rely on both the chain gang – generally made up of fans of the home team, who get less than $100 a game – and a seriously outdated measuring system. They've been counting chain links to measure yardage for more than 100 years – and it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon.

The chain gang doesn’t make any of the decisions (that's up to the officials) but they're heavily relied upon by players to check what down it is and how many yards are required. They also advise officials in instances involving penalties or an incomplete pass, where the outcome is dependent on the original placement of the ball.

Three members of the chain gang – the rear rod man, the box man and the forward rod man – hold the poles on the sidelines upright. They have to move quickly to accurately align the chains after a first down. It's not the most technically accurate and there's a lot of discrepancies, but they sure add a ton of drama and excitement to the NFL.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding cheerleaders recently, with many teams having gone so far as to disbanded their cheerleading squads altogether.

Cheerleaders have long been criticized for being misogynistic, and the #MeToo movement has shone a light on the issue again, with many arguing that cheerleading objectifies women and sexualizes the game. Cheerleaders generally earn about $150 per game.

NFL fans seem divided on their role, with some contending they play an important part in creating a vibrant and exciting gameday atmosphere.

Each team in an NFL game can have up to 30 medical professionals at a game, with at least 10 on the sidelines at all times during play. Why so many?

Four athletic trainers are needed to assess and treat player injuries in cooperation with the team doctors. Two orthopedists are there to for any bones or joint-related injuries.

One chiropractor is also needed. In the NFL, many players suffer back and spinal injuries during games due to the high-octane level of collisions that occur, and even the less severe can require realignment during the game. Even with all that protective equipment players can still take severe knocks and damage to their bodies during play.

Two primary care physicians evaluate players with general medical issues and for problems such as concussion. This can help to determine how nasty an injury is and whether or not a player can return to the field of play or needs to leave the game to receive further treatment.

Two independent certified athletic trainers act as eyes in the sky to pick out any potential injury concerns that might have been missed by the healthcare staff and match officials on the ground.

A neurotrauma consultant is also allocated to each team during a game. Head injuries have become a massive talking point over the years and an independent consultant helps to ensure that all necessary precautions are taken when assessing head-related injuries.

This doesn’t include airway management physician, dentist, ophthalmologist, radiology technician, visiting team medical liaison, and EMTs who are all present away from the sidelines.

In NFL games, the role of ball boy/girl is slightly more important than in other sports as they need to be able to throw a ball with proper form and accuracy. If a throw back into play is yards off then it could waste valuable seconds of game time.

Ball boys and girls are employed by the home team. They can expect to receive about $50 per game max. They're usually either relatives or friends of team staff members, and often will do the job for nothing more than the opportunity to be on the sidelines and enjoy some free food after the game.

Despite not being the most prestigious role on the sideline, ball boys and girls can be easily identified on the sidelines by their uniquely colored bibs. Every once in a while, one will make the NFL highlights for a flash of skill, such as when a Minnesota Vikings ball boy made a one-handed catch during their game with the New York Giants in 2016.

You'll find two types of photographers in the NFL: those who work for the league directly and media freelancers. With football being such a high-paced and intense sport, it's not a job without danger.

NFL photographers are expected to capture the action in the game as it happens. This means they need to be close to players on the field without interfering with the play itself. You’ll often see photographers scattered sporadically around the sidelines, running around to try and get the money shots.

As contractors, NFL photogs earn typically about $21,000 for the season. They will often be told where to be positioned in order to get the shots that the league desires. Freelance photographers tend to get paid a fee per usable shot. This means that they need that stunning image of a game-defining moment that they can sell to a publisher for the best price. As such, their positioning can seem more chaotic at the game than with photographers hired directly by the NFL.

In football, there's a team of seven referees on the field in any given game. The officials are responsible for enforcing the rules throughout. You've got the referee (the “ref”), umpires, head linesman, line judge, side judge, back judge and field judge.

The referee can expect to earn around $200,000 a year but it takes at least 10 years of experience to get to the top level.

The umpire stands behind the defensive line, where he has one of the busiest roles. It’s his job to make sure all players are dressed in proper gear at all times, and that the offense has the right number of players on the field, in a legal formation. The umpire also determines when it's time to change the ball

The line judges are on the sidelines to monitor the line of scrimmage and are most responsible for calling penalties prior to the snap – such as false starts, encroachment, and delays of game. Each team has two line judges, one of whom is considered the head linesman, who usually stands opposite the press box and next to the chain gang.

The side judge stands on or near the sideline opposite the press box and behind the defensive secondary, on the same side as the head linesman. Their job is to monitor players from both teams on their side of the field – such as defensive backs, running backs and receivers – and usually are the ones making initial determinations about whether or not a pass was complete or if there was interference on the play.

The back judge calls out any infractions and determines whether field goals are successful. The field judge, 25 yards deep in the defensive backfield, has to watch the clock and keep an eye out for any foul play near their side of the field.

With such a fast-paced sport you need such a large on-field officiating crew to cover the game closely from all areas of the field.