Today, the NFL is the largest and most popular professional football league in the U.S. It has millions of fans and brings in billions of dollars. However, it wasn’t always the grand league that we know today. Take a step back in time with this brief history of the National Football League.

The Beginning

Back in 1920, American athletes came together and formed the American Professional Football Association (APFA). Americans claimed that Jim Thorpe, the president of the new league, was the greatest American athlete of the time, and he was especially talented at football. In fact, he even participated and played in the league for the Canton Bulldogs!

The APFA changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) in 1922, just two years after its founding. Originally, there were 10 teams that joined the league back in 1920. Four more teams joined the NFL that year, creating the 14 Original NFL Towns.

Competing Leagues

After the NFL was formed, many organizations attempted to create rival leagues to surpass it. Most of these leagues failed miserably, but one posed a serious threat to the NFL. The upcoming league, known as the American Football League (AFL), became a serious competitor around the 1960s. Instead of competing with each other, the NFL and AFL decided to merge in 1970. This organization kept the name NFL and became the well-known professional football league we know today.

The NFL Today

Although this brief history of the National Football League is interesting, it does not define the league of today. Throughout the years, the NFL has continued to go through changes to make the games safer, more competitive, and more intriguing for viewers and its 32 teams. Sometimes, keeping up with all these changes is difficult, which is why we offer our NFL betting tips at Pregame. With information from professional sports handicappers, you’ll be able to navigate any changes that the leagues throw at you this season.