Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Earl Maves is a former player in the National Football League. He was a member of the Detroit Lions during the 1948 NFL season. American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by running with it or throwing it to a teammate.