Before the Patriots dominated national television ratings, partnered with the most prolific advertising spender in the nation, or were named Forbes' third most valuable sports team on the planet, the most perpetually relevant franchise in New England was a joke. Or at least that's what the team's founder and original owner was, since Lowell native Billy Sullivan was included in the "Foolish Club."
It was a self-bestowed name, since that's how entrepreneurs referenced themselves in the era before it was mainstream to be a sports startup. But that's what the American Football League was: a startup. It challenged the traditional National Football League and won. Scanning the long list of past challengers to NFL supremacy, the AFL's success between 1960 and 1969 in forcing a merger with the older league is remarkable, as it was the only one to succeed.
And the "Boston" Patriots (who wouldn't become the "New England" Patriots until 1971) were founding members. Considering that the team is now valued at more than $3.2 billion, the original founding cost ($25,000 in 1959) obviously seems absurd. Of course at the time, it seemed a ludicrous amount of money to spend on a foolhardy project.
Yet the AFL was different.
In the 1960s, the AFL – and the Patriots – accomplished all of the tasks required of a bold startup.
Appealing to football fans in a distinctly modern manner, the league made numerous innovations which brought out a more exciting side of the game. While the old school NFL was determined by cold calculating run plays, the AFL averaged more passing than running (a measurement the NFL would not achieve until the 1980s). The league took chances on the field, enthralling fans with a new brand of the game.
Other innovations included putting names on jerseys, the two-point conversion and many other in-game updates, all aimed at improving the fan experience. In other words, the AFL accomplished all of the tasks required of a bold startup. It also emphasized inclusion of African-American players (something that the Washington Redskins in the NFL wouldn't accomplish for several more years and only because of a league order).
The AFL also innovated in its financial model. It harnessed the system of revenue sharing among gate and television money. It's a system that is the backbone of the modern NFL.
And of course, the reason for the AFL's success where others had failed was in its capacity to survive financially. In that regard, Sullivan was particularly indispensable. Helping to negotiate a five year, $30 million television contract with NBC, Sullivan ensured that the Patriots and the other AFL teams could not be ignored by the NFL establishment.
On the contrary, the AFL hunted the NFL, especially in its top draft picks. While Joe Namath was by far the most famous rookie who was poached by the AFL, he was certainly not the only one. And this method took its toll on the NFL. The bidding war that ensued over a period of years in the 1960s eventually forced NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle to the negotiating table.
The startup league of the AFL would eventually merge with the NFL, forming the "modern NFL" that fans recognize today. Yet the agreement was made several years before it would be implemented. In the meantime, the newly created Super Bowl (the AFL's final gift to football) would create the most intense annual sporting event in America.
And, ironically, Patriots fans can thank the Jets for helping to legitimize the merger and Super Bowl itself. After being methodically dismantled by the NFL in the first two Super Bowls (thanks to Vince Lombardi's Packers), the AFL Jets shocked the football world in Super Bowl III. Namath became a legend for his "guaranteed victory," while the challenging football league gained credibility.
In 1970, exactly a decade after it began, the AFL was officially absorbed into the NFL. The league divided into two "conferences" that are familiar in 2015. The NFC and AFC, with the winners of each meeting in the now-established Super Bowl.
Featured image via Thalan, CC By SA 3.0
