What is Defense (sports)?
[[File:Syl Apps vs five defenders.jpg|thumb|180px|{{Center|Five defenders from the [[Chicago Blackhawks]]}}]] In many [[team]] [[sport]]s, the '''defence''' or '''defense''' is the action of those players responsible for preventing the other team from [[score|scoring]]. The term may also refer to the [[tactic]]s involved in defense. It can also be a specialty team whose primary responsibility is defense. Similarly, a '''defense player''' or '''defender''' is a player who is tasked with stopping the other team from scoring.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/thesaurus-category/american/players-and-positions-in-various-sports |title=Players and positions in various sports |publisher=Macmillan Publishers Limited |access-date=24 October 2015}}</ref> The defender also protects their own team's [[goalkeeper]] or [[goaltender]]. This is in [[association football]], [[ice hockey]], [[water polo]] and many other sports. In [[American football]] the defense is the part of the team that is tasked with preventing the other team's ball carrier from scoring.<ref name=Long26>Howie Long; John Czarnecki, ''Football For Dummies'' (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2013), p. 26</ref> The defense consists of 11 players.<ref name=Long26/> == References == {{reflist}} <br> {{sport-stub}} [[Category:Sports]]