9781422283080

The original 14 franchises in 1920 swelled to 22 in 1926. The stock mar- ket crash of 1929 and the Great De- pression both took a toll, as many teams ran out of money and/or fans. By 1932, the NFL was down to eight teams. Two teams joined the following year, and the NFL split into Western and Eastern divisions. (Of course, back then “Western” was a bit of a reach. Chicago was the far- thest west NFL team until the Los Angeles Rams joined in 1951.) In the first official NFL Championship Game, the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants, 23–21, for the 1933 title. After World War II, the new All-Ameri- ca Football Conference (1946–49) began as a rival to the NFL. The AAFC expanded the sport’s reach to the West Coast with the Los Angeles Dons and San Francisco 49ers. In 1950, the AAFC and the NFL merged. Three teams from the AAFC—

Look Who’s Back In January 2016, Los An- geles again became an NFL city when owners voted to approve the St. Louis Rams’ move to Inglewood, an L.A. suburb. Pro football had left town in 1995—the Rams for St. Louis and the Raiders heading back to Oakland after 13 years in L.A. The Rams’ winning plan had to overcome a rival bid by the Raiders and the San Diego Chargers. They proposed sharing a new stadium in Carson, another L.A. suburb. The owners’ vote wasn’t a total loss for the Chargers. They were given the option of coming to L.A.; if they opted out, the Raiders could negotiate with the Rams.

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