I’ve been trying to develop a scenario in which the NFL managed to salvage the Canton Bulldogs in addition to the Packers via fan ownership. OTL the Bulldogs were sold and moved to Cleveland, which wasn’t ready for a pro football team. The team folded, and so did their replacement in Canton due to the Depression.
While I doubt the NFL would have saved small-town teams willy-nilly like this, saving one team in Canton could have worked. Canton has four times the population of Green Bay, and it does feed off the Cleveland market (which might avert the Browns...or maybe the Rams as we know them, since the Rams started off in Cleveland. This means a much later toe-dipping in LA, and since the AAFC was the reason for the Browns and 49ers, OTL Rams owner Dan Reeves (who was eyeing LA anyway) instead buys the Brooklyn Tigers and moves them west.
The key difference here is that, when the Dallas Texans, the infamous 1952 disaster, go belly-up, this leaves the league at 12 teams instead of 11. So one of two scenarios happens - Baltimore doesn’t get replaced or the NFL expands early. It’s both more likely and more interesting if the NFL sits tight.
Why? Carroll Rosenbloom is sitting in Baltimore chomping at the bit. So when Lamar Hunt starts gathering owners for a new league, Rosenbloom is in. It also means the unprepared ownership in Oakland ends up on the outside looking in. This pushes the Oilers to the West, and when the Chargers lose the fight for LA, Al Davis buys the failing Titans and moves them to New Orleans to become the Saints.
The AFL also gets the Dolphins and Bengals while the NFL takes the Vikings, Cowboys, Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks. There’s also an unspoken rule in the NFL after the Chargers, Texans and Titans move - one city, one team. At the merge, the Steelers still agree to switch to the AFC, taking the Browns and Bulldogs with them (the Browns were too powerful in the AAFC to toss them aside.)
So alignment after the merge looks as follows:
AFC East
Baltimore Colts
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
AFC Central
Canton Bulldogs
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC West
Denver Broncos
Houston Oilers
Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego Chargers
NFC East
Atlanta Falcons
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
NFC Central
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC West
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Tigers
San Francisco 49ers
St. Louis Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks
In other news, Dan Reeves dies, and Robert Irsay buys the Tigers at an estate sale and immediately looks for a trading partner. Thanks to the Colts being an old AFL franchise, no deal is struck, and Irsay instead swaps with the Bidwill family in St. Louis.
With a team already in Seattle, next up is Phoenix and the Bart Starr group. So in addition to the Buccaneers, Phoenix gets the Firebirds, who go in the AFC West.
The 80s get a little chaotic - Al Davis agitates in New Orleans and becomes hated, but he doesn’t move. He talks about moving back to New York or into LA, but he can’t find a stadium he likes that he can use and it never happens. The biggest move is the Cardinals out of St. Louis and into Indianapolis while the Colts stay put with a new stadium, thanks to Rosenbloom’s patience.
Then in the 90s, things get a little insane. First up, welcome to the NFL Carolina and Jacksonville. Next up, the Browns (the LA Tigers stay put, being the only game in town.) Baltimore isn’t available but St. Louis is, so the St. Louis Stallions are born. Then with the Oilers heading off to Tennessee, the Browns and Texans join in, meaning someone has to jump to the NFC.
Enter Al Davis, who volunteers the Saints. (It could also be the Stallions, but it doesn’t matter in the end.)
Alignment circa 2002 or whenever the Texans become a thing:
AFC East
Baltimore Colts
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
AFC North
Canton Bulldogs
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
St. Louis Stallions
Tennessee Titans
AFC West
Arizona Firebirds
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego Chargers
NFC East
Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Tigers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
OTL Hurricane Katrina nearly ran off the Saints from New Orleans. Add in an even more cantankerous owner and it’s even more likely, especially one obsessed with shitty QBs. Given that most of the “good” American cities are off limits, Davis gets an idea - London.
The NFL won’t bite, so Davis recruits - Dean Spanos in San Diego, Shad Khan in Jacksonville and none other than new St. Louis Stallions owner Stan Kroenke. So by 2010, the AFC now has four teams in Europe, leading to more expansion in Europe - a full-fledged conference in Europe.
Then the X League applies for admission to the NFL, and the league is worldwide and made up of 64 teams in four conferences.
AFC East
Baltimore Colts
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
AFC North
Canton Bulldogs
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
Houston Texans
Memphis Showboats
Nashville Titans
San Antonio Roadrunners
AFC West
Arizona Firebirds
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Outlaws
NFC East
Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Tigers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
EFC East
Bern Knights
Prague Rebels
Vienna Raiders
Zurich Renegades
EFC North
Amsterdam Admirals
Berlin Thunder
Frankfurt Cosmos
Rhein Fire
EFC South
Barcelona Dragons
Madrid Royals
Milan Rhinos
Rome Gldiators
EFC West
Dublin Wolves
London Monarchs
Manchester Blue Devils
Scotland Claymores
XFC East
Sapporo Brewers
Sendai Wizards
Tokyo Hurricanes
Yokohama Bulls
XFC North
Busan Griffins
Daejeon Phoenix
Incheon Thunder
Seoul Warriors
XFC South
Fukuoka Dragons
Hiroshima Sharks
Nagoya Cyclones
Osaka Black Eagles
XFC West
Beijing Ironmen
Manila Rough Riders
Shanghai Nighthawks
Taipei Predators
All teams play an 18-game schedule (six division games, six conference games, six interconference games - AFC and NFC teams play four against their opposite, one game against an EFC team and one game against an XFC team. EFC and XFC teams play four games against their opposite, one game against an AFC team and one game against an NFC team.
Playoffs include all division winners and three wild cards in each conference. The AFC and NFC champions play in the Super Bowl; the EFC and XFC champions play in the World Bowl.
The Super Bowl and World Bowl champions play in the Grand Championship, alternating between conferences on a four-year rotation. The winning team received a jewel-encrusted crown for their trophy case.