The National Football League was founded in 1920. But football wasn’t always the most popular sport in the United States. For years, the sport couldn’t even draw a crowd, much less turn a profit. In 1926, twenty-two teams were competing. By 1931, the NFL consisted of just 10 active teams.
Our latest Instaread tells the amazing true story of how American pro football won over the world. In the early days, people felt like it lacked quality, class, and tradition—all the things that made college ball so popular. People paid attention in Chicago and New York City, where most of the teams were based. Almost everywhere else, however, the NFL was considered irrelevant.
But there were believers. The first five owners of NFL teams thought that the crowds would eventually come, and history has proved them right. Today, the NFL is a major source of entertainment, especially in the United States. Read about how the NFL rose to the top in our Instaread on The League.
