By the end of the 1950s, the National Football League had just 12 teams, with all but two found within touching distance of the Atlantic Ocean.
There was no glitz, no glamour and barely any TV presence outside of a game or two - often on delay - here or there.
Baseball, with all of its mythological, historical and jingoistic ties, was still king.
Enter new commissioner, Pete Rozelle.
Aged 33 in 1960, the noted negotiator steered the league from insignificance to put it on the road to juggernaut status, with the NFL becoming the No.1 sport in the United States after merging with the AFL, ushering in the Super Bowl era, as well as signing merchanding, licensing and paving the streets with gold through a 4.65 million TV deal with CBS.
The key to the deal? The revenue from television broadcasts was shared evenly between all franchises, irrespective of viewership, thus creating a league with an evening financial strength.
By the end of Rozelle's reign, the NFL had merged into its current form - give or take a few city switches - the 28-team, cross-continent behemoth it is today.