The NFL is the most popular sporting league in America. It is such a crucial part of our culture that it is hard to imagine life without it. But the NFL has only just turned 100 years old. Nowadays, online bookmakers make a huge turnover from NFL betting. Some of them also have sponsor deals with NFL like DraftKings, BetMGM, FOX Bet, (USA) Tha bet (Asia betting partner).
Let’s take a look at the history of the NFL and the men who founded it.
The Four Founders
The NFL began life as the APFA in 1920. The creation of the league was a huge effort that involved a large number of people and big investments. However, there are three men who are credited with being essential to the founding of the league.
Want to learn more about the three men who were instrumental in the founding of the NFL, continue reading:
Ralph Hay
Hay was the organizing force behind the founding of the NFL. The businessman from Ohio is credited with bringing all the founders of the league together. He is one of the reasons why all the original teams were from Ohio, his home state.
George Halas
Halas was the founder and owner of the Chicago Bears as well as being one of the founders of the NFL. Halas was both a successful player and coach. He was the first person to be inducted into the NFL hall of fame.
Before he moved into football, Halas was also a professional baseball player for the New York Yankees.
Carl Storck
Storck was a key founding member of the NFL. Storck served as the NFL’s secretary-treasurer from 1921 to 1939 and president from 1939 to 1941. He was also the founding owner of the Dayton Triangles.
History of the NFL
The NFL was founded, thanks to the help of the three gentlemen mentioned, above in 1920. At the time it was known as the APFA (American Professional Football Association). The first season peaked with 16 teams playing, but only 4 completed the season.
The league gained teams as quickly as it lost them throughout the 1920s but by the early 1930s, a regular roster had been established. The league held its first championship game in 1933.
Between the years of 1927 and 1946, the NFL was only open to white players.
In 1960, the APFL absorbed the AFL and became the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers and the Cleveland Browns are the only surviving teams from the list the joined under the AFL banner. By this time, the sport was becoming financially stable, with the last NFL team folding in 1952.
The NFL really took off after the 1958 championship game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants. This game is still known as ‘The Greatest Game Ever.’
The celebrate the merger of the two leagues, the NFL launched the Superbowl. Which has since become the most-watched sporting event of the year, with millions of viewers watching from around the world.
In the 1970s the NFL became the most popular sport to bet on in America. The NFL is still one of the most popular sporting leagues to bet on in America, if you are interested in betting on the 2021 season visit this site – https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nfl.
The Founding Teams
The American Professional Football Association (APFA) began with 10 teams, exclusively from Ohio. These teams were all originally playing in a smaller league in their local area. Within 2 months another six teams had been added to the roster. These teams came from all over the North East of America – including, New York, Chicago, Bullaflo, and Detroit.
Of the founding teams, who played in the 1920 season, only two teams still exist. The Decatur Staleys are now known as the Chicago Bears, and the Chicago Cardinals are now known as the Arizona Cardinals.
The Green Bay Packers are the oldest team in the league to have not changed location. They joined the league in 1921.
The Chicago Bears
The Bears have the most recorded wins in NFL history. They also hold the record for most retired jerseys and most players admitted to the NFL hall of fame.
The Bears have a longstanding rivalry with the Green Bay Packers that can be traced back to some of the earliest days of the NFL.
Interestingly, Chicago also has one of the oldest baseball teams in America. The Chicago Cubs can trace their team’s lineage back to the early 1880s.
The Arizona Cardinals
Throughout their history, the Cardinals have been based in Chicago, Missouri, and are now based in Arizona. They are one of the few teams to have moved twice.
They are the oldest continually running professional football team in the world. They were established as an amateur team in 1898 and went professional in 1920.
The Cardinals have played in 10 different home stadiums and have had 42 different throughout their 120+ years as a team.
