in america for the pros there are 32 teams with 53 players per team not including practice squads the you have new leagues like the XFL and the AAF the college and also other countries play the sport plus players get released and aren't picked up by other teams while still being eligible to play there are also the players from the preseason that were cut from the 99 man roster because they weren't what the team wanted on the 53 man that were never picked up and then you have high school and pop-Warner and county teams but in the NFL on all the starting game rosters combined there are 1696 players with that said its almost impossible to tell hom many people actually play football