A History of the NFL
By Matthew Kendall
The National Football League and the teams that make it up
have become household names over the past 98 years. However,
like any large organization, it started off small and grew over time.
Over the years, the NFL has faced new teams, competing leagues,
and controversy over the sport itself.
When it was founded in 1920, the American Professional
Football Association consisted only of ten teams from four states.
The members were pre-existing teams in their areas. In 1922, the
APFA took on a different name: the National Football League.
Many in the past had attempted to create a nationwide
league for football, but none had succeeded. The NFL was the first to
complete this mission. Only two teams of the original four still remain,
but they have changed locations and their names. As the decades
passed, the NFL was able to stabilize membership and create a
more professional organization, and in 1933, the first championship
game was held.
After the Second World War, changes were made to the
NFL. They started signing black players again (they had stopped in
1927), and, the President of the league became the C