Jim Thorpe, the First President of the Pro Football League

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In addition to playing professional football, Jim Thorpe won two gold medals in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He and pop led this small, tiny Carlyle Indian Industrial School to a national championship while he was playing there against all these big Ivy League powerhouses. The proto NFL formed in 1920 with 14 teams and about as much instant legitimacy as you could get from Jim Thorpe being the president of the league.

The NFL — it’s almost synonymous with America today. And its history is a fascinating lens to explore the nation’s development over the last 100 years, from WWII to TV and suburbs to the Internet and social media. What began as a quasi-illicit league in small midwestern towns is now the single largest media property in the world today by revenue. And whether you watch football or not, this is one incredible business story. Acquired is ready for some football — let’s kick this Season off right!

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