Website design By BotEap.comCertain activities define the character of a nation. Likewise, the National Football League (NFL) defines the American character probably more than anything else. Conceived as the American Professional Football Association in 1920, it soon adopted the name of the National Football League in 1922. Arguably the largest of all professional football leagues in the United States, the NFL is made up of 32 teams from numerous US regions and cities.

Website design By BotEap.comWith seeds in the college football genre, NFL football is a direct descendant of American rugby football. Rugby union, in turn, was imported to the United States from Canada in the last quarter of the 19th century. In its infancy, it became synonymous with college football when Montreal’s McGill University invited Harvard University to Quebec to play the Canadian version of rugby.

Website design By BotEap.comMeanwhile, professional football was gaining momentum despite the renowned elite college football games. This was mostly happening on the East Coast, while professional football took center stage in the Midwest. The American Professional Soccer Association was founded in Ohio with legendary athlete Jim Thorpe as its president. It started with eleven teams and it wasn’t strictly a league. The main objective was to end the robberies of players from other teams to win a soccer game.

Website design By BotEap.comWith the birth of the NFL, the rules became stricter and the laws began to apply. However, teams continued to arrive and depart at the same rate. It was in the 1970s and 1980s that NFL football finally secured its position in the heart and culture of America as the nation’s premier football event. The Super Bowl, a name given to the final game of an NFL series, became an unstated but accepted national holiday.

Website design By BotEap.comWhat sealed NFL football in the hearts of all Americans was the cult that it created. It wasn’t just the game that mattered; it was the whole event, the entertainment, the TV coverage and everything that added to the glamor of the football series. To add more polish, the NFL introduced preseason exhibition games. And to add a bit more spice to the game, the NFL opted to play them internationally. This came to be known as the American Bowls.

Website design By BotEap.comIn 1991, he formed the World League of American Football with development purposes in mind. This body, currently known as NFL Europe, has teams in Germany and the Netherlands. In 2003, the NFL League launched its own cable television channel, the NFL Network.