The National Football League (NFL) is not acknowledging one of the most important parts of its history in its historic 100th season. it’s time for the league to pay homage to the American Football League (AFL) that merged into the NFL in 1970.
Without the AFL, the NFL wouldn’t be the sensation the league is today. The AFL was focused on the passing game while the NFL was still focused on the running game. The biggest and most marketable stars are Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and many more quarterbacks. Arguably the first real football superstar was “Broadway” Joe Namath, as the New York Jets quarterback became a mainstream sensation.
In terms of iconic franchises, the Dallas Cowboys are near or at the top of the list. This was a team that was just thrown into Dallas in 1960 to combat the AFL’s Dallas Texans. The faces of today’s NFL are the New England Patriots. This dynasty is one that is hard to deny but it wasn’t always that way. In the beginning, the Patriots only represented Boston as they jumped from Nickerson Field, Fenway Park and Alumni Stadium (all of which fans can go visit as they are still all active and hosting sporting events). The AFL also would bring one the most iconic looks and toughest demeanors in sports history with the Oakland Raiders.
Even non-football fans still know that Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest game of the year. Without the AFL, this game would have never happened. By 1967 the two leagues decided to plan a merger down the line and used the AFL-NFL World Championship Game to finally crown a true champion of football. Yes, the NFL had their own championship game from 1933 to 1969 (with the most notable games being the 1958 NFL Championship Game and the “Ice Bowl” in 1967), but none truly had the spectacle of the Super Bowl.
The NFL knows how to honor the AFL. In the 2009 season, the league had throwback uniforms at the ready for AFL-styled games with retro uniforms for the players and referees. Since it’s the NFL’s 100th anniversary, I don’t expect a lot of celebrating the AFL, but they should throw the league a bone. Despite the AFL being defunct for a long time, it still has a lot of fans and it would be nice to see some AFL love.
