In the
United States and
Canada, the term
professional football includes the professional forms of
American and
Canadian gridiron football. In common usage, it refers to former and existing major football leagues in either country. Currently (2009), there are multiple professional football leagues in North America: the three best known are the
National Football League (NFL) and the
Arena Football League (AFL) in the U.S. and the
Canadian Football League (CFL) in Canada. The NFL has existed continuously since being so named in 1922.