INTRODUCTION THE BIG GAME he quarterback takes the snap and drops back to pass Flashes light up the I stands as the fans snap photos The sound of cheering is almost deafening The clock ticks down 5 4 3 Defenders crash through the line and converge on the quarterback He spins out of a tackle turns and heaves the ball toward the end zone More than 100 million people watch on TV as the ball sails through the air Everything rides on one play An entire National Football League NFL season comes down to this the Super Bowl It's the biggest game of the pro football season and arguably the biggest sporting event of the year Since its modest beginnings in the late 1960s the Super Bowl has become something larger than a championship game It has become a cultural institution an unofficial national holiday and a game that unites fans and nonfans alike And it all started with one simple question Which football team is the best in the world Facing page Jets fly over Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara California before the start of Super Bowl 50 on 2016 February 7
Pro football in the 1920s didn't look much like the GAME modern
1 FROM CHAOS TO CHAMPIONSHIPS THE MAKING OF THE BIG GAME Representatives of 11 pro football teams gathered at an automobile showroom on a hot humid day in 1920 It hardly seemed like the start of something big The loosely organized meeting in Canton Ohio didn’t even have enough chairs for all the people present Some had to sit on the showroom s cars Football as a professional sport was in its infancy College football was developing a loyal following but the pro game remained largely an afterthought with fans Teams were scattered throughout the nation mainly in the Midwest They had no central organization They didn’t even share a common set of official rules The part time players went to the highest bidder bouncing from team to team and even the teams with winning records including the Canton Bulldogs the reigning champions were losing money Pro football was on the brink of collapse If it was to survive something had to change And Ralph Hay the owner of the Bulldogs had a plan He had already
