David Rosenthal

in the pentathlon and the decathlon.

He had never competed in the decathlon before.

Oh, my God.

The first time that he competed in the decathlon was in the 1912 Summer Olympics, and he won the gold medal.

Wild.

Wasn't he also an outfielder with the New York Giants?

Yeah, and basketball.

And won gold medals.

Wild.

So this new league, proto-NFL, formed in 1920 with 14 teams and about as much instant legitimacy as you could get from Jim Thorpe.

They pretty quickly become the biggest professional football league in America.

There's not a lot of stiff competition.

Yes.

But...

That said, the 20s and really the 30s too, it's an uphill battle, shall we say.

So it was an uphill battle for a couple of reasons.

One, even despite all their efforts, the stigma of professional football really does not wear off, especially in the 20s.

So after the NFL is formed and starts getting publicity in 1922, then Michigan... Sorry, Ben, Michigan.

Then...

Michigan head football coach Fielding Yost gives a very widely reported speech in New York City where he's talking about the new league.