In this Book

summary

The National Football League has long reigned as America’s favorite professional sports league. In its early days, however, it was anything but a dominant sports industry, barely surviving World War II. Its rise began after the war, and the 1950s was a pivotal decade for the league. Run to Glory and Profits tells the economic story of how in one decade the NFL transformed from having a modest following in the Northeast to surpassing baseball as this country’s most popular sport.

To break from the margins of the sports landscape, pro football brought innovation, action, skill, and episodic suspense on “any given Sunday.” These factors in turn drove attendance and rising revenues. Team owners were quick to embrace television as a new medium to put the league in front of a national audience. Based on primary documents, David George Surdam provides an economic analysis in telling the business story behind the NFL’s rise to popularity. Did the league’s vaunted competitive balance in the decade result from its more generous revenue sharing and its reverse-order draft? How did the league combat rival leagues, such as the All-America Football Conference and the American Football League? Although strife between owners and players developed quickly, pro-football fans stayed loyal because the product itself remained so good.

Table of Contents

restricted access Download Full Book
  1. Cover
  2. pp. 1-3
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Title Page
  2. p. 4
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Copyright Page
  2. p. 5
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Contents
  2. pp. v-7
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. List of Tables
  2. pp. vii-viii
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. ix-13
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Introduction
  2. pp. 1-10
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 1. The Usurpers: The AAFC Challenge
  2. pp. 11-38
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 2. Prosperity and Its Drawbacks
  2. pp. 39-57
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 3. Measures of the NFL’s Popularity
  2. pp. 58-71
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 4. Profits and Losses
  2. pp. 72-100
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 5. The Perils and Triumphs of NFL Ownership
  2. pp. 101-119
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 6. Antitrust Adventures
  2. pp. 120-142
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 7. Competitive Balance and Its Sources
  2. pp. 143-168
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 8. The Player Draft
  2. pp. 169-188
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 9. Gate Sharing
  2. pp. 189-204
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 10. Gilded Peonage
  2. pp. 205-224
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 11. Television
  2. pp. 225-254
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 12. Innovation
  2. pp. 255-278
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 13. Integration
  2. pp. 279-294
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Conclusion: The NFL’s Rise to Prominence
  2. pp. 295-302
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Appendix of Tables
  2. pp. 303-342
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Notes
  2. pp. 343-402
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Bibliography
  2. pp. 403-408
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 409-433
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
Back To Top

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.