August 6, 1956 – There used to be another major television network that had sports on TV. That was the American national broadcaster DuMont Television Network who after filing for bankruptcy in 1955, made its final broadcast, a boxing match from St. Nicholas Arena. Dumont was one of the first broadcasters to have live NFL games beamed to living rooms across the nation.
The relationship with the NFL spanned from 1951 through 1955, not exactly banner years for the NFL in terms of popularity. Had they been able to last a few more years as a network when the 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants was the first ever NFL playoff game to go into sudden-death overtime. The “Greatest Game” set Professional football and television on a launch to bigger and better things.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
The Digital Spectator: How Global Broadcast Technology Transformed Indigenous Sports into World-Class Commodities
The 1964 Tokyo Olympics changed Judo, but not because of medals. The Olympics were
Year of the Rocket: Toronto Argonaut History From 1991
It was 1991, and Raghib “Rocket” Ismail was about to be the #1 overall
Unraveling Legends: A Historical Review of the NFL’s Greatest Quarterbacks
The National Football League (NFL) has been a cornerstone of American sports culture since
Minnesota’s Most Winnable Super Bowl (IX)
Every pro football fan knows that the Minnesota Vikings went to four Super Bowls
Boxing Titles: Close But No Cigar
In this episode, I am going to be focusing on several boxers who had
Defying Destiny: The Most Miraculous League Title Wins in Soccer History
A domestic league championship is often called the truest test in soccer. Unlike the
Super Bowl XXII (Broncos vs. Redskins): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXII, which was held on January 31, 1988, between
1971 Dallas Cowboys: Their First Lombardi Victory
Year after year my brother and I waited for our favorite team, the Dallas