How the Super Bowl Was Born: From Rival Leagues to a National Holiday
Feb 6, 2026
10:49
forum Ask episode
view_agenda Chapters
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
On this episode of Our American Stories, The Super Bowl wasn’t always America’s biggest event. Emmy Award–winning producer and author Dennis Deninger tells how a rejected expansion bid, the rise of the AFL, and secret merger talks led to the creation of a new championship game.
From its unsold seats and modest halftime shows to its transformation into a cultural and economic juggernaut, this is the story of how the Super Bowl grew from a league experiment into America’s secular holiday. Deninger is the author of The Football Game That Changed America.
Our American Stories