It's an approximation. If you say 220 meters, you have no wiggle room. If you say two football field's length you get the idea and it leaves wiggle room. Met

It's an approximation. If you say 220 meters, you have no wiggle room. If you say two football field's length you get the idea and it leaves wiggle room. Meters are too precise in this case. If they had said furlong, that would be about right and gives enough coarseness to the measure to be effective. Unfortunately, with horseracing dying not many people are familiar with the measure any more.