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The National Football League, abbreviated as NFL, is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC).
History[]
The league was founded as the American Professional Football Conference (APFC) in 1920. The announcement was made at an auto showroom in Canton, Ohio. During its formation, Jim Thorpe was named the president of the league. Between 1920 to 1934, the league did not have a set number of games for teams to play, instead setting a minimum. By 1935, the league mandated a 12-game regular season schedule for 14 teams. By 1941, the regular season was reduced to 10 games due to World World II occurring, but later went back to 12 games in 1946. Around the same time, Elmer Layden was named the first commissioner of the league. Five years after that, Bert Bell took over as the next commissioner.
In 1960, the league split into the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). In addition, Pete Rozelle became the next commissioner. During the 1966 season, a championship known as the Super Bowl would take place at the end of the season, with the AFL champion and NFL champion competing against each other. Four Super Bowls played before both leagues merged solely into the National Football League in 1970.
With teams being split into divisions and both merged leagues having new conference, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football League (NFC), viewership for football games increased greatly in the 1970s. Even so, night games would be somewhat overwhelming for viewers as those could not stay up all night to watch the whole sets.
By the 1980s, activities for players off-the-field grew more complex as there were drug-related scandals surfacing. Viewership for games boosted even higher, but on-field controversy, especially with players fighting and improper behavior became somewhat of an issues for younger audiences to view. Teams themselves would lay out strict rules for players to arrive at training camp on time, while the league's office had its own rules that players were to be in good behavior and to refrain from fighting against other players. Even if players broke those rules, they would have to either pay a large fine or serve a suspension. In 1989, Paul Tagliabue became the commissioner of the league.
In the 1990s decade, viewership for games continued to grow big. However, stricter rules were put in place by the league's office, which would result in a player paying a fine if it committed a personal foul penalty of any kind. The league assembled a personal conduct policy, which it would suspend a player for a set number of games if it was an assailant of a major incident off-the-field. Viewership for Super Bowls also began raising the bar, where people would have parties with others such as eating chips and drinking soda.
In the 2000s decade, things in the league continued to change dramatically, especially for one notable moment that occurred in the 2000 Draft where the New England Patriots selected quarterback Tom Brady in the 6th round, 199th overall. Brady would eventually lead the Patriots to their first Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XXXVI before producing high statistics every season from that point on. Viewership in the 2000s decade wasn't as efficient compared to the previous decade. In 2006, Roger Goodell stepped in as the league's next commissioner. During his leadership, Goodell made the rules for on and off the field more complex, including players that hit other players in their helmet area. Even helmet-to-helmet hits proved to be a dangerous act as players who commit such as deed would be fined or even suspended. As widescreen LCD TVs improved picture quality, viewership continued to pick up the pace. Even so on, the Super Bowl would be broadcasted to international countries to help entertain worldwide audiences and generate more revenue.
By the 2010s decade, with widescreen TVs steadily improving in technology, viewership for games gained more than expected. Clips of individual plays could also be seen on YouTube along with NFL's website. Even with smartphones and tablets beginning to dominate the market, the NFL released a mobile app for individuals to catch all the news and updates. The Super Bowl made a more aggressive approach where former players who played in the past Super Bowls were invited to carry the Vince Lombardi Trophy over to the podium with a specific theme music playing. Even so on, bars, taverns, and restaurants equipped with widescreen TVs across the globe would stay open late and host a special party during the event.
The 2020s decade started out small, mainly due to the COVID-19 crisis. A policy was mandated for all players and coaches that were required to wear safety masks while not playing. Otherwise, players, coaches, or teams would be fined. When the vaccine arrived, players were recommended to be vaccinated before returning to action, otherwise they would be fined or suspended.
Broadcasting[]
Weekly games of the NFL are broadcasted every Sunday afternoon on CBS, NFLUHD and FOX. Sunday night games are broadcasted on NBC, while Monday night games are broadcasted on ESPN. Time shifts for afternoon games range at 1:00 P.M. EST and 4:00 PM EST. Night games premiere at 8:00 P.M. EST. Depending on the location, and where the teams play, the games that broadcast may vary, especially for non-local teams. CBS covers games involving the AFC while FOX covers games involving the NFC. If there were interleague games, CBS would be responsible to cover the AFC team that's on the road against the impending NFC team. NFLUHD you can enjoy variety of TV channels, including sports, documentaries, news and cartoons. But the most suitable service to enjoy the NFL Live Stream. While, FOX would cover the NFC team that's on the road against the impending AFC team.
Business ventures[]
The league was first founded in Canton, Ohio. Two years since being founded, it moved its headquarters to The New Hayden Building in Columbus, Ohio. In 1941, the league transferred its headquarters to an undisclosed location in Chicago, Illinois. In 1959, the league again relocated its headquarters to Walnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Only a few months after that, the league moved its headquarters to Manhattan, New York City, New York, which still remains intact today. The NFL is considered to be a trade association and an unincorporated nonprofit 501(c)(6) association. The league has three defined officers, a commissioner, a secretary, and treasurer.
