Travis Vogan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038389
- eISBN:
- 9780252096273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038389.003.0002
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This chapter charts the National Football League's (NFL) meteoric rise, thanks to NFL Films' unwavering designation of pro football as a unique and unifying reflection of America. Fueled by a ...
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This chapter charts the National Football League's (NFL) meteoric rise, thanks to NFL Films' unwavering designation of pro football as a unique and unifying reflection of America. Fueled by a combination of sport and media's increasingly profitable symbiosis and Commissioner Pete Rozelle's image-consciousness, the NFL enhanced its marketing efforts during the 1960s and began to diversify aggressively, creating branded products that reached out to audiences beyond the white, middle-class men who composed its typical fan base. The Rozelle-era NFL solidified its prominence in American culture through its merger with the American Football League and subsequent development of the Super Bowl. This chapter examines how the NFL made connections to as many potential fans as possible by establishing national television exposure, branding various items, organizing athletic events for kids, donating to charitable causes, and creating a tourist attraction. It looks at one production that codified NFL Films' signature aesthetic practices, They Call It Pro Football, and how it situates professional football as “the sport of our time.”Less
This chapter charts the National Football League's (NFL) meteoric rise, thanks to NFL Films' unwavering designation of pro football as a unique and unifying reflection of America. Fueled by a combination of sport and media's increasingly profitable symbiosis and Commissioner Pete Rozelle's image-consciousness, the NFL enhanced its marketing efforts during the 1960s and began to diversify aggressively, creating branded products that reached out to audiences beyond the white, middle-class men who composed its typical fan base. The Rozelle-era NFL solidified its prominence in American culture through its merger with the American Football League and subsequent development of the Super Bowl. This chapter examines how the NFL made connections to as many potential fans as possible by establishing national television exposure, branding various items, organizing athletic events for kids, donating to charitable causes, and creating a tourist attraction. It looks at one production that codified NFL Films' signature aesthetic practices, They Call It Pro Football, and how it situates professional football as “the sport of our time.”
David George Surdam
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252039140
- eISBN:
- 9780252097126
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252039140.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
This chapter focuses on the Congressional hearings conducted in 1959 and 1960 to address the issue of expansion and prospective new leagues. All of the league constitutions contained clauses ...
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This chapter focuses on the Congressional hearings conducted in 1959 and 1960 to address the issue of expansion and prospective new leagues. All of the league constitutions contained clauses pertaining to relocating or selling existing franchises and creating new franchises. These clauses typically required a supermajority, in some cases unanimity, of owners to approve franchise relocation or sales and expansion. However, incumbent owners were lukewarm about franchise expansion and hostile towards new leagues. This chapter begins with a discussion of tactics employed by team owners to prevent the entry of a new league, including territorial rights. It then considers the demise of the Continental League due to a number of hurdles, such as getting television contracts, providing pension benefits equivalent to Major League Baseball's (MLB) scheme, and and getting stadiums. It also examines the expansion policies of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Football League (NFL), along with the legal wrangling between the NFL and the American Football League (AFL) over expansion.Less
This chapter focuses on the Congressional hearings conducted in 1959 and 1960 to address the issue of expansion and prospective new leagues. All of the league constitutions contained clauses pertaining to relocating or selling existing franchises and creating new franchises. These clauses typically required a supermajority, in some cases unanimity, of owners to approve franchise relocation or sales and expansion. However, incumbent owners were lukewarm about franchise expansion and hostile towards new leagues. This chapter begins with a discussion of tactics employed by team owners to prevent the entry of a new league, including territorial rights. It then considers the demise of the Continental League due to a number of hurdles, such as getting television contracts, providing pension benefits equivalent to Major League Baseball's (MLB) scheme, and and getting stadiums. It also examines the expansion policies of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Football League (NFL), along with the legal wrangling between the NFL and the American Football League (AFL) over expansion.
Travis Vogan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038389
- eISBN:
- 9780252096273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038389.003.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This book explores how NFL Films shaped the way Americans view football and paved the way for the emergence of cable television and Internet sports media. Baseball is traditionally recognized as ...
More
This book explores how NFL Films shaped the way Americans view football and paved the way for the emergence of cable television and Internet sports media. Baseball is traditionally recognized as America's favorite pastime, but the country's most popular and lucrative sports organization since the late 1960s has been the National Football League (NFL). NFL football's tremendous cultural and economic power is not simply a product of the games it provides for millions of live and mediated spectators, but also its cultural meanings. More than merely a game, the sport embodies and articulates characteristics, beliefs, attitudes, and values unique to American history, identity, and everyday life. This book examines the ways that NFL Films' productions changed how pro football, and sport in general, is represented and imagined while establishing a foundation from which the contemporary sports media landscape—an almost unavoidable facet of popular culture—developed. It discusses the institutional and cultural history of NFL Films as well as its circulating and archived productions, the discourses it generates, and the discourses surrounding the company.Less
This book explores how NFL Films shaped the way Americans view football and paved the way for the emergence of cable television and Internet sports media. Baseball is traditionally recognized as America's favorite pastime, but the country's most popular and lucrative sports organization since the late 1960s has been the National Football League (NFL). NFL football's tremendous cultural and economic power is not simply a product of the games it provides for millions of live and mediated spectators, but also its cultural meanings. More than merely a game, the sport embodies and articulates characteristics, beliefs, attitudes, and values unique to American history, identity, and everyday life. This book examines the ways that NFL Films' productions changed how pro football, and sport in general, is represented and imagined while establishing a foundation from which the contemporary sports media landscape—an almost unavoidable facet of popular culture—developed. It discusses the institutional and cultural history of NFL Films as well as its circulating and archived productions, the discourses it generates, and the discourses surrounding the company.
Michael Oriard
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- July 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807871560
- eISBN:
- 9781469604992
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807899656_oriard
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Professional football today is an $8 billion sports entertainment industry—and the most popular spectator sport in America, with designs on expansion across the globe. This field-level view of the ...
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Professional football today is an $8 billion sports entertainment industry—and the most popular spectator sport in America, with designs on expansion across the globe. This field-level view of the National Football League (NFL) since 1960 looks closely at the development of the sport and at the image of the NFL and its unique place in American life. New to this edition is an analysis of the offseason labor negotiations and their potential effects on the future of the sport, and an account of how the NFL is dealing with the latest research on concussions and head injuries.Less
Professional football today is an $8 billion sports entertainment industry—and the most popular spectator sport in America, with designs on expansion across the globe. This field-level view of the National Football League (NFL) since 1960 looks closely at the development of the sport and at the image of the NFL and its unique place in American life. New to this edition is an analysis of the offseason labor negotiations and their potential effects on the future of the sport, and an account of how the NFL is dealing with the latest research on concussions and head injuries.
Michael Oriard
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- July 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807871560
- eISBN:
- 9781469604992
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807899656_oriard.4
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
The chapter looks at the emergence of the modern National Football League (NFL) in the 1960s. It explores the growing popularity of the players and discusses how football became the nation's favorite ...
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The chapter looks at the emergence of the modern National Football League (NFL) in the 1960s. It explores the growing popularity of the players and discusses how football became the nation's favorite spectator sport. It looks into the achievements and stardom of Jim Brown. The chapter provides a detailed examination of the role of Pete Rozelle in the emergence of the image of the modern NFL. He is termed as the master architect of the modern NFL. The chapter also provides an overview of the promotional role of NFL films and the Super Bowl.Less
The chapter looks at the emergence of the modern National Football League (NFL) in the 1960s. It explores the growing popularity of the players and discusses how football became the nation's favorite spectator sport. It looks into the achievements and stardom of Jim Brown. The chapter provides a detailed examination of the role of Pete Rozelle in the emergence of the image of the modern NFL. He is termed as the master architect of the modern NFL. The chapter also provides an overview of the promotional role of NFL films and the Super Bowl.
Travis Vogan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038389
- eISBN:
- 9780252096273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038389.003.0003
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This chapter examines the productions of NFL Films that not only document but also exalt the National Football League (NFL). NFL Films productions document and provide historical records of NFL ...
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This chapter examines the productions of NFL Films that not only document but also exalt the National Football League (NFL). NFL Films productions document and provide historical records of NFL games. It creates the league's history by arranging exceptional moments into celebratory narratives, such as Greatest Moments in Dallas Cowboys History (1992), Era of Excellence: The 1980s,(1989), and the syndicated television program NFL Game of the Week. NFL Films' documentaries suggest the NFL's past is constituted by extraordinary moments—diving touchdown catches, punishing blocks, and graceful runs—that evidence the league's unique excitement and epic importance. This chapter discusses NFL Films' production practices that aim to glorify pro football and how its material is influenced by the media outlets for which the company produces content. It shows that NFL Films' highlights offer a model through which to explain the emergence of the contemporary sports highlight—perhaps the most powerful and prevalent genre in sports media.Less
This chapter examines the productions of NFL Films that not only document but also exalt the National Football League (NFL). NFL Films productions document and provide historical records of NFL games. It creates the league's history by arranging exceptional moments into celebratory narratives, such as Greatest Moments in Dallas Cowboys History (1992), Era of Excellence: The 1980s,(1989), and the syndicated television program NFL Game of the Week. NFL Films' documentaries suggest the NFL's past is constituted by extraordinary moments—diving touchdown catches, punishing blocks, and graceful runs—that evidence the league's unique excitement and epic importance. This chapter discusses NFL Films' production practices that aim to glorify pro football and how its material is influenced by the media outlets for which the company produces content. It shows that NFL Films' highlights offer a model through which to explain the emergence of the contemporary sports highlight—perhaps the most powerful and prevalent genre in sports media.
Travis Vogan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038389
- eISBN:
- 9780252096273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038389.003.0007
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This chapter examines how the development of cable television and NFL Media enhanced the production and circulation of NFL Films content. As NFL Films' programming set the stage for the development ...
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This chapter examines how the development of cable television and NFL Media enhanced the production and circulation of NFL Films content. As NFL Films' programming set the stage for the development of twenty-four-hour sports channels like ESPN, it established a starting point from which the National Football League (NFL) formed its own network, the NFL Network. In 2004 NFL Films was designated part of NFL Media, a multiplatform subsidiary run by former ESPN president Steve Bornstein that now includes the NFL Network, NFL.com, and offshoots like the RedZone specialty seasonal cable channel and the NFL Mobile smartphone application. This chapter explores how NFL Films, which established a foundation for the development of cable sports television and the transformation of the NFL into a multiplatform media institution, has been constrained to adjust its practices to maintain a place within the contemporary sports media landscape and league it helped create. It also considers how the Internet created new opportunities for the NFL to build and circulate its image.Less
This chapter examines how the development of cable television and NFL Media enhanced the production and circulation of NFL Films content. As NFL Films' programming set the stage for the development of twenty-four-hour sports channels like ESPN, it established a starting point from which the National Football League (NFL) formed its own network, the NFL Network. In 2004 NFL Films was designated part of NFL Media, a multiplatform subsidiary run by former ESPN president Steve Bornstein that now includes the NFL Network, NFL.com, and offshoots like the RedZone specialty seasonal cable channel and the NFL Mobile smartphone application. This chapter explores how NFL Films, which established a foundation for the development of cable sports television and the transformation of the NFL into a multiplatform media institution, has been constrained to adjust its practices to maintain a place within the contemporary sports media landscape and league it helped create. It also considers how the Internet created new opportunities for the NFL to build and circulate its image.
Travis Vogan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038389
- eISBN:
- 9780252096273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038389.003.0006
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This chapter examines how broadcast television helped NFL Films transform pro football from a sport that appeared primarily on Sunday telecasts and evening news recaps into a spectacle that could be ...
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This chapter examines how broadcast television helped NFL Films transform pro football from a sport that appeared primarily on Sunday telecasts and evening news recaps into a spectacle that could be consumed throughout the entire week and year. It discusses NFL Films productions designed to augment and publicize exceptional National Football League (NFL) broadcast events, specifically the annual Super Bowl and ABC's Monday Night Football. It shows how NFL Films strengthened the NFL's relationship to television to attract television viewers (and sell advertising time) around the clock. The company's productions demonstrated that nonlive sports television programming could have appeal throughout the week and throughout the year. Furthermore, NFL Films anticipated and precipitated the continuous sports television that developed along with cable television.Less
This chapter examines how broadcast television helped NFL Films transform pro football from a sport that appeared primarily on Sunday telecasts and evening news recaps into a spectacle that could be consumed throughout the entire week and year. It discusses NFL Films productions designed to augment and publicize exceptional National Football League (NFL) broadcast events, specifically the annual Super Bowl and ABC's Monday Night Football. It shows how NFL Films strengthened the NFL's relationship to television to attract television viewers (and sell advertising time) around the clock. The company's productions demonstrated that nonlive sports television programming could have appeal throughout the week and throughout the year. Furthermore, NFL Films anticipated and precipitated the continuous sports television that developed along with cable television.
Travis Vogan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038389
- eISBN:
- 9780252096273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038389.003.0004
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This chapter focuses on the NFL Films archive, the largest sports film archive in the world. Building from the authenticity and emotional power the company assigns to film, president Steve Sabol ...
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This chapter focuses on the NFL Films archive, the largest sports film archive in the world. Building from the authenticity and emotional power the company assigns to film, president Steve Sabol calls the NFL Films archive “the soul of the NFL,” “the NFL's Smithsonian,” and “football's wine cellar.” NFL Films' archive consists of two main parts that serve overlapping functions: a fire-proof, temperature-controlled, limited-access vault that houses and safeguards nearly all the film the company has created and purchased since Blair Motion Pictures' beginning; a film library that organizes copies of footage for inclusion in the company's productions and for sale to clients. This chapter examines the NFL Films archive's role in the company's efforts to create, circulate, and control the National Football League's image.Less
This chapter focuses on the NFL Films archive, the largest sports film archive in the world. Building from the authenticity and emotional power the company assigns to film, president Steve Sabol calls the NFL Films archive “the soul of the NFL,” “the NFL's Smithsonian,” and “football's wine cellar.” NFL Films' archive consists of two main parts that serve overlapping functions: a fire-proof, temperature-controlled, limited-access vault that houses and safeguards nearly all the film the company has created and purchased since Blair Motion Pictures' beginning; a film library that organizes copies of footage for inclusion in the company's productions and for sale to clients. This chapter examines the NFL Films archive's role in the company's efforts to create, circulate, and control the National Football League's image.
Travis Vogan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038389
- eISBN:
- 9780252096273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038389.003.0005
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This chapter examines how NFL Films' engagements with aesthetic traditions, the discourses surrounding the company, and its selective incorporation of positive critical reception into its publicity ...
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This chapter examines how NFL Films' engagements with aesthetic traditions, the discourses surrounding the company, and its selective incorporation of positive critical reception into its publicity materials separate the organization from other sports media outlets and, by extension, distinguish the National Football League (NFL) from competing sports organizations. Throughout its history, NFL Films has taken great pains to emphasize its distinction within sports media and in the broader contexts of art and media culture. The company places its productions in dialogue with established aesthetic traditions, reinforces its producers' status as legitimate artists, advertises the various accolades it has received, and distances itself from NFL's commercial motives. This chapter explains NFL Films' use of aesthetic traditions and discourses to craft its image and position the company as part of an artworld—a status that is remarkably rare in sports television and in sports media more generally. It also considers how NFL Films situates Ed and Steve Sabol as artistic visionaries who play central roles in reinforcing its efforts to claim status as a site that produces art.Less
This chapter examines how NFL Films' engagements with aesthetic traditions, the discourses surrounding the company, and its selective incorporation of positive critical reception into its publicity materials separate the organization from other sports media outlets and, by extension, distinguish the National Football League (NFL) from competing sports organizations. Throughout its history, NFL Films has taken great pains to emphasize its distinction within sports media and in the broader contexts of art and media culture. The company places its productions in dialogue with established aesthetic traditions, reinforces its producers' status as legitimate artists, advertises the various accolades it has received, and distances itself from NFL's commercial motives. This chapter explains NFL Films' use of aesthetic traditions and discourses to craft its image and position the company as part of an artworld—a status that is remarkably rare in sports television and in sports media more generally. It also considers how NFL Films situates Ed and Steve Sabol as artistic visionaries who play central roles in reinforcing its efforts to claim status as a site that produces art.
David George Surdam
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252039140
- eISBN:
- 9780252097126
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252039140.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
This chapter traces the history of professional team sports in order to place the issues covered in the Congressional hearings in the proper context. It first considers the rise of baseball as ...
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This chapter traces the history of professional team sports in order to place the issues covered in the Congressional hearings in the proper context. It first considers the rise of baseball as America's national pastime and Major League Baseball (MLB)'s decision to maintain two separate leagues, the American League and the National League. It then discusses the dispute between MLB and the rival Federal League, along with the emergence of other sports that achieved Big League status, namely, football and basketball. It also examines the prosperity of the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) as well as the appearance of new challengers to their dominance after World War II. Finally, it looks at the Flood v. Kuhn, a Supreme Court case that challenged baseball's reserve clause, along with the rise of free agency.Less
This chapter traces the history of professional team sports in order to place the issues covered in the Congressional hearings in the proper context. It first considers the rise of baseball as America's national pastime and Major League Baseball (MLB)'s decision to maintain two separate leagues, the American League and the National League. It then discusses the dispute between MLB and the rival Federal League, along with the emergence of other sports that achieved Big League status, namely, football and basketball. It also examines the prosperity of the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) as well as the appearance of new challengers to their dominance after World War II. Finally, it looks at the Flood v. Kuhn, a Supreme Court case that challenged baseball's reserve clause, along with the rise of free agency.
Travis Vogan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038389
- eISBN:
- 9780252096273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038389.003.0008
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This concluding chapter examines the continued presence of NFL Films' traditional practices—and the values they deliver—at a time when the National Football League (NFL) evidences less support for ...
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This concluding chapter examines the continued presence of NFL Films' traditional practices—and the values they deliver—at a time when the National Football League (NFL) evidences less support for programming that displays these conventions. Despite its decreased importance to the contemporary league, the cultural and aesthetic significance of NFL Films productions exceeds the realm of pro football and even sports media. Despite their increased scarcity on venues like ESPN and NFL Network, NFL Films' traditional aesthetic practices and the values they convey circulate independently of the company's depictions of pro football. It is now virtually impossible to watch TV for very long during the football season without witnessing at least one commercial that evokes NFL Films' conventions. This chapter discusses the legacy of NFL Films, including the establishment of a league-owned media infrastructure upon which the NFL continues to expand and that all other major sports organizations have since emulated, along with the creation of a framework from which contemporary sports television developed its formal practices and enhanced its presence on the medium.Less
This concluding chapter examines the continued presence of NFL Films' traditional practices—and the values they deliver—at a time when the National Football League (NFL) evidences less support for programming that displays these conventions. Despite its decreased importance to the contemporary league, the cultural and aesthetic significance of NFL Films productions exceeds the realm of pro football and even sports media. Despite their increased scarcity on venues like ESPN and NFL Network, NFL Films' traditional aesthetic practices and the values they convey circulate independently of the company's depictions of pro football. It is now virtually impossible to watch TV for very long during the football season without witnessing at least one commercial that evokes NFL Films' conventions. This chapter discusses the legacy of NFL Films, including the establishment of a league-owned media infrastructure upon which the NFL continues to expand and that all other major sports organizations have since emulated, along with the creation of a framework from which contemporary sports television developed its formal practices and enhanced its presence on the medium.
Stuart Banner
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- March 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199930296
- eISBN:
- 9780190254575
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199930296.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This chapter focuses on baseball's so-called “antitrust exemption” that makes it unique among all sports in America, including football, hockey, boxing, and basketball. It first examines the Supreme ...
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This chapter focuses on baseball's so-called “antitrust exemption” that makes it unique among all sports in America, including football, hockey, boxing, and basketball. It first examines the Supreme Court's decision in the 1953 case Toolson v. New York Yankees and its implications for team sports as well as the Department of Justice. It then turns to the antitrust suit filed by the government in 1952 against the International Boxing Club and its owners, James D. Norris and Arthur Wirtz, for alleged violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. It also considers the case filed by Bill Radovich, a lineman for the Detroit Lions who was blacklisted by the National Football League (NFL) for jumping to the All America Football Conference, against the NFL.Less
This chapter focuses on baseball's so-called “antitrust exemption” that makes it unique among all sports in America, including football, hockey, boxing, and basketball. It first examines the Supreme Court's decision in the 1953 case Toolson v. New York Yankees and its implications for team sports as well as the Department of Justice. It then turns to the antitrust suit filed by the government in 1952 against the International Boxing Club and its owners, James D. Norris and Arthur Wirtz, for alleged violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. It also considers the case filed by Bill Radovich, a lineman for the Detroit Lions who was blacklisted by the National Football League (NFL) for jumping to the All America Football Conference, against the NFL.
David George Surdam
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252039140
- eISBN:
- 9780252097126
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252039140.003.0006
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
This chapter focuses on the Congressional hearings conducted in 1957 and 1958 to address whether basketball, football, and hockey should be given a broad antitrust exemption similar to that of ...
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This chapter focuses on the Congressional hearings conducted in 1957 and 1958 to address whether basketball, football, and hockey should be given a broad antitrust exemption similar to that of baseball. It first considers the introduction of different bills pertaining to professional sports and antitrust following the Supreme Court's ruling in Radovich v. NFL, with particular emphasis on antitrust legislation focusing on the National Football League (NFL), before discussing the farm systems in baseball and hockey pioneered by Branch Rickey of the St. Louis Cardinals. It also looks at the issue of the reserve clause and its effect upon competitive balance and concludes with an assessment of Congress's decision not to grant even partial antitrust exemptions for the reserve clause, draft, territorial rights, and commissioner powers in the NFL, National Basketball Association (NBA), and National Hockey League (NHL).Less
This chapter focuses on the Congressional hearings conducted in 1957 and 1958 to address whether basketball, football, and hockey should be given a broad antitrust exemption similar to that of baseball. It first considers the introduction of different bills pertaining to professional sports and antitrust following the Supreme Court's ruling in Radovich v. NFL, with particular emphasis on antitrust legislation focusing on the National Football League (NFL), before discussing the farm systems in baseball and hockey pioneered by Branch Rickey of the St. Louis Cardinals. It also looks at the issue of the reserve clause and its effect upon competitive balance and concludes with an assessment of Congress's decision not to grant even partial antitrust exemptions for the reserve clause, draft, territorial rights, and commissioner powers in the NFL, National Basketball Association (NBA), and National Hockey League (NHL).
Travis Vogan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038389
- eISBN:
- 9780252096273
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038389.001.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
NFL Films changed the way Americans view football. This book traces the subsidiary's development from a small independent film production company to the marketing machine that Sports Illustrated ...
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NFL Films changed the way Americans view football. This book traces the subsidiary's development from a small independent film production company to the marketing machine that Sports Illustrated named “perhaps the most effective propaganda organ in the history of corporate America.” Drawing on research at the NFL Films Archive and the Pro Football Hall of Fame and interviews with media pioneer Steve Sabol and others, the book shows how NFL Films has constructed a consistent, romanticized, and remarkably visible mythology for the National Football League. The company packages football as a visceral and dramatic sequence of violent, beautiful, graceful, and heroic gridiron battles. Historically proven formulas for presentation are still used today. From the Vincent Price-narrated Strange but True Football Stories to the currently running series Hard Knocks, NFL Films distinguishes the NFL from other sports organizations and from other media and entertainment. The book tells the larger story of the company's relationship with and vast influence on our culture's representations of sport, the expansion of sports television beyond live game broadcasts, and the emergence of cable television and Internet sports media. This book presents sports media as an integral facet of American popular culture and NFL Films as key to the transformation of pro football into the national obsession commonly known as America's Game.Less
NFL Films changed the way Americans view football. This book traces the subsidiary's development from a small independent film production company to the marketing machine that Sports Illustrated named “perhaps the most effective propaganda organ in the history of corporate America.” Drawing on research at the NFL Films Archive and the Pro Football Hall of Fame and interviews with media pioneer Steve Sabol and others, the book shows how NFL Films has constructed a consistent, romanticized, and remarkably visible mythology for the National Football League. The company packages football as a visceral and dramatic sequence of violent, beautiful, graceful, and heroic gridiron battles. Historically proven formulas for presentation are still used today. From the Vincent Price-narrated Strange but True Football Stories to the currently running series Hard Knocks, NFL Films distinguishes the NFL from other sports organizations and from other media and entertainment. The book tells the larger story of the company's relationship with and vast influence on our culture's representations of sport, the expansion of sports television beyond live game broadcasts, and the emergence of cable television and Internet sports media. This book presents sports media as an integral facet of American popular culture and NFL Films as key to the transformation of pro football into the national obsession commonly known as America's Game.
David George Surdam
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252039140
- eISBN:
- 9780252097126
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252039140.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
This chapter examines the issue of franchise relocation. Legislators had two main concerns throughout the series of hearings: to procure teams for their constituents while avoiding losing teams via ...
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This chapter examines the issue of franchise relocation. Legislators had two main concerns throughout the series of hearings: to procure teams for their constituents while avoiding losing teams via relocation. The legislators' concerns were imbued with an element of reality, at least. Cities with multiple Major League Baseball (MLB) teams usually had one team that was struggling, and legislators held a different attitude to such teams relocating than they would with regard to later relocations of prosperous teams. This chapter first considers three options for acquiring a big-league team: purchase an existing team, hope for an expansion team in an established league, or enter a team into a new league. It then discusses the economics of franchise relocations, along with the early histories of franchise turnovers in professional sports leagues, including the National Football League (NFL) and its predecessor, the American Professional Football Association. It also looks at Columbia Broadcasting System's (CBS) purchase of the New York Yankees during the 1964 season that sparked fears of an unfair alliance.Less
This chapter examines the issue of franchise relocation. Legislators had two main concerns throughout the series of hearings: to procure teams for their constituents while avoiding losing teams via relocation. The legislators' concerns were imbued with an element of reality, at least. Cities with multiple Major League Baseball (MLB) teams usually had one team that was struggling, and legislators held a different attitude to such teams relocating than they would with regard to later relocations of prosperous teams. This chapter first considers three options for acquiring a big-league team: purchase an existing team, hope for an expansion team in an established league, or enter a team into a new league. It then discusses the economics of franchise relocations, along with the early histories of franchise turnovers in professional sports leagues, including the National Football League (NFL) and its predecessor, the American Professional Football Association. It also looks at Columbia Broadcasting System's (CBS) purchase of the New York Yankees during the 1964 season that sparked fears of an unfair alliance.
Daniel A. Nathan
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252037610
- eISBN:
- 9780252094859
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252037610.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
This chapter examines how Baltimore's professional football team, the Colts, exemplified the city's values and sense of self, while John Unitas, one of the team's key players, personified the ...
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This chapter examines how Baltimore's professional football team, the Colts, exemplified the city's values and sense of self, while John Unitas, one of the team's key players, personified the community's idealized civic identity and spirit. From the late 1950s until 1984, the Colts, purchased by Robert Irsay in 1972, were a source of pride for many Baltimoreans. The Baltimore Colts won four National Football League (NFL) championships, the most memorable of which came on December 28, 1958, at the expense of the New York Giants. This chapter first recounts the 1958 championship game between the Colts and the Giants and highlights the role played by Unitas in his team's win. It then describes changes in the city and the Colts during the 1960s and 1970s, along with the team's relocation to Indianapolis in 1984 that left some people in anguish. It suggests that the Baltimore Colt blues will eventually fade away and along with them will go one facet of the city's former identity.Less
This chapter examines how Baltimore's professional football team, the Colts, exemplified the city's values and sense of self, while John Unitas, one of the team's key players, personified the community's idealized civic identity and spirit. From the late 1950s until 1984, the Colts, purchased by Robert Irsay in 1972, were a source of pride for many Baltimoreans. The Baltimore Colts won four National Football League (NFL) championships, the most memorable of which came on December 28, 1958, at the expense of the New York Giants. This chapter first recounts the 1958 championship game between the Colts and the Giants and highlights the role played by Unitas in his team's win. It then describes changes in the city and the Colts during the 1960s and 1970s, along with the team's relocation to Indianapolis in 1984 that left some people in anguish. It suggests that the Baltimore Colt blues will eventually fade away and along with them will go one facet of the city's former identity.
David George Surdam
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252039140
- eISBN:
- 9780252097126
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252039140.003.0010
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
This chapter examines professional team sports' history with radio and television. Congress played an active role in the marriage of sports and television by passing legislation concerning national ...
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This chapter examines professional team sports' history with radio and television. Congress played an active role in the marriage of sports and television by passing legislation concerning national television contracts and television blackout rules. Legislators denounced Major League Baseball (MLB) for broadcasting and telecasting their games into minor league territory as well as National Football League (NFL) owners for their blackouts of telecasts of home games. Legislators also worried about the effects of NFL telecasts on college and high school football games, although little evidence was presented regarding these effects. This chapter first considers the early history of television in sports before discussing the effects of televising home games upon attendance and gate receipts, the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust suit against the NFL regarding its policy of blocking telecasts of home games, and the controversy surrounding the NFL's blackout policy. It also explores the issue of national television contracts and television revenue sharing.Less
This chapter examines professional team sports' history with radio and television. Congress played an active role in the marriage of sports and television by passing legislation concerning national television contracts and television blackout rules. Legislators denounced Major League Baseball (MLB) for broadcasting and telecasting their games into minor league territory as well as National Football League (NFL) owners for their blackouts of telecasts of home games. Legislators also worried about the effects of NFL telecasts on college and high school football games, although little evidence was presented regarding these effects. This chapter first considers the early history of television in sports before discussing the effects of televising home games upon attendance and gate receipts, the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust suit against the NFL regarding its policy of blocking telecasts of home games, and the controversy surrounding the NFL's blackout policy. It also explores the issue of national television contracts and television revenue sharing.
Michael Oriard
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- July 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807871560
- eISBN:
- 9781469604992
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807899656_oriard.3
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
The Introduction provides an overview on changes in the image of professional football over the years. It provides a detailed discussion on the origin of the National Football League (NFL). It ...
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The Introduction provides an overview on changes in the image of professional football over the years. It provides a detailed discussion on the origin of the National Football League (NFL). It presents struggles with the development and progress of the organization. It looks into the successes and failures of the NFL. Pro football has previuosly lacked pageantry and spectacle. It discusses various factors which aided the growth and popularity of the NFL including the role of national media and magazines. It examines the shift in the image of pro football to how it is seen today. It provides an insight into the crucial role played by Bert Bell and Pete Rozelle in the early development of the NFL.Less
The Introduction provides an overview on changes in the image of professional football over the years. It provides a detailed discussion on the origin of the National Football League (NFL). It presents struggles with the development and progress of the organization. It looks into the successes and failures of the NFL. Pro football has previuosly lacked pageantry and spectacle. It discusses various factors which aided the growth and popularity of the NFL including the role of national media and magazines. It examines the shift in the image of pro football to how it is seen today. It provides an insight into the crucial role played by Bert Bell and Pete Rozelle in the early development of the NFL.
David George Surdam
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252039140
- eISBN:
- 9780252097126
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252039140.003.0012
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
This chapter focuses on the National Football League's (NFL) bid for an antitrust exemption regarding its national television contract. The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American ...
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This chapter focuses on the National Football League's (NFL) bid for an antitrust exemption regarding its national television contract. The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Football League (AFL) already had national television contracts in place before the NFL negotiated its contract with Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). However, the NFL was the only league called before a congressional subcommittee on antitrust to defend its national television contract. Although the Congressional hearings of 1961 pertaining to “Telecasting of Professional Sports Contests” occurred at the behest of the NFL, the bills, H.R. 8757 and S. 2427, covered the four major professional team sports. This chapter first considers NFL teams' television revenues prior to 1961 before discussing NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle's negotiations with CBS over a new television contract and the hearings on the issue of antitrust exemptions that led to the passage of H.R. 8757, signed by President John F. Kennedy on October 10, 1961.Less
This chapter focuses on the National Football League's (NFL) bid for an antitrust exemption regarding its national television contract. The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Football League (AFL) already had national television contracts in place before the NFL negotiated its contract with Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). However, the NFL was the only league called before a congressional subcommittee on antitrust to defend its national television contract. Although the Congressional hearings of 1961 pertaining to “Telecasting of Professional Sports Contests” occurred at the behest of the NFL, the bills, H.R. 8757 and S. 2427, covered the four major professional team sports. This chapter first considers NFL teams' television revenues prior to 1961 before discussing NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle's negotiations with CBS over a new television contract and the hearings on the issue of antitrust exemptions that led to the passage of H.R. 8757, signed by President John F. Kennedy on October 10, 1961.
