"On any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team." — Bert Bell
Very few sayings are as firmly embedded in the American psyche as the aforementioned quote by Bert Bell. "On any given Sunday" are the four simple words that give hope to fans as their team stares down the barrel of defeat. Even Detroit Lions fans have managed to find solace in these words. Nevertheless, it would be fair to say that this inspirational adage would mean nothing if football wasn't such a powerful force in America today.
Throughout his life, Bell gave pretty much all of his time to the game that he loved. He began his career in football as the starting quarterback for the University of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, his time there was cut short as he was spent some time in France during the First World War. Upon his return home, he once again took up a post at the Quakers. This time however, he wouldn't be stepping onto the field as he served as the team's backfield coach.
Accompanied with three friends from college, Bell became a co-founder/co-owner of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1933. After eight years in this post, he moved on, selling his share in the Eagles. However, he still had a thirst to be involved the game. Therefore he became a co-owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and also coached the team for a few seemingly unsuccessful years in the 1940s.
In 1935, Bell is credited with creating one of the most important things to ever be introduced into sports, let alone football. In an attempt to make the entire league stronger, Bell decided to establish the NFL draft, something that remains to this day. Remarkably, not only does it remain, it is one of the main reasons for parity in the game.
In January 1946, Bell would bestowed with a great honor as he was selected to be the next NFL Commissioner. No sooner had he taken up the post, he was faced with a crisis. The 1946 NFL Championship Game between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants had become marred with controversy. A gambling scandal was rife in the league and the new commissioner simply had to act.
In a bold response to the gambling allegations, Bell managed to negotiate a U.S. law change. Bell introduced a law in nearly every state that made it a crime for an athlete not to report a bribe of any description.
Having already introduced the NFL draft, which helps to maintain an equal balance in the league, he also created the revenue-sharing system. Like many of Bell's creations, it remains near enough unchanged to this day. As a result, small-market teams are able to make larger profits, thus allowing them to be more competitive.
Clearly, fairness and equality was something that Bell strived for during his tenure at the NFL. Before he took charge of the league, the schedules that teams faced were extremely varied in terms of difficulty, with many better teams negotiating to play weaker teams in order to have a better chance of victory. Bell took time out of his own schedule every year to sit down at his dining table and draw up the entire schedule for the coming year.
By the start of the 1950s, he was faced with yet another challenge. This time, however, it would come in the form of a small box. After negotiating the merger between the NFL and All-American Football Conference (AAFC), football had grown substantially in popularity. Television was beginning to take its hold on the game and Bell became worried that with more games on the television, fans may stay at home to watch the game instead of attending the stadium.
In the face of this dilemma, a man never afraid to be unpopular or make tough decisions decided to enforce a blackout on all home games within 75 miles of the home team's stadium. Consequently, many fans of the team would have to purchase a ticket and watch the game live.
These are just some of the many great achievements of the NFL's second commissioner. However, many of you may be wondering why I have taken the time note down some of pivotal moments in Bell's life. Well, I feel as though he is a key figure in the history of football, with much of what he introduced still around today. Nevertheless, the reason why I went to all of this trouble is that 2009 is the 50th anniversary of his death.
On October 11th, 1959, Bell succumbed to a heart attack. Perhaps, it was rather fitting that he died attending an NFL game. It is definitely fitting that the game he was at was a contest between the two teams he held so close to his heart, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers. So, during this 50th anniversary year I believe that we should all spare a thought for one of the greatest men in the game's history. And who knows, maybe the Eagles and Steelers will make it the Super Bowl. If they do, then I am sure Bell will be scrambling to find a seat somewhere.
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