alternatehistory.com

With Super Bowl XLV only ten days away, I'd like to pose a hypothetical: what if the American Football League (AFL) hadn't come into being? In particular, if Lamar Hunt had been able to buy an existing NFL franchise or be awarded a new one in 1959, the AFL would probably not have come into existence.

One possibility: the NFL steadily grows while fending off potential rivals, eventually reaching the current 32-team size, but keeping Eastern and Western Conferences as the NBA and NHL currently have. In such a scenario, it is unlikely that a neutral site league championship (subsequently nicknamed the "Super Bowl") would have been come into being, and would likely not be the American institution it is today.

However, there could also be a counterfactual: As the NFL grows in the 1960's, Commissioner Pete Rozelle recognizes the potential for the league airing simultaneously on two networks on Sunday afternoons, and convinces the league owners to reorganize into "National" and "American" conferences, each with teams in New York, California, Texas and (eventually) Florida, with other major markets also divided up. This would allow for two large TV contracts with different networks. It would eventually increase the visibility of the league, and make greater the possibility of the championship becoming a national "event".

Any thoughts?
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