On September 17, 1920, men gathered in Canton, Ohio, at Ralph Hay's Hupmobile showroom ("NFL Founded" 1). Following this meeting between these men, the American Professional Football Association was created but would later become the National Football League. This is the story of how the National Football League transformed itself into the league it is today (1). First known as the American Professional Football Association or APFA, then named the National Football League in 1922, the league's first official president was Jim Thorpe. (“NFL founded” 1). Arguably the most famous athlete of his time, Thorpe helped improve the reliability of the sport. Although it didn't make the news in 1920, the league's creation was the start of a journey that made the NFL this country's favorite sport (1). Professional football began in 1892 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after former Yale star William "Pudge". Heffelfinger was paid a notable $500 to play in a single game for the Allegheny Athletic Association on November 12 ("NFL Founded"). Over the next 30 years, professional football had its ups and downs. while the game was played primarily in small towns in western Pennsylvania and the American Midwest (1). Numerous complications overwhelmed professional football with increasing regularity ("NFL History by Decade"1). a sense of order in the rules and regulations led these men, including George Halas, to meet in Canton to create the first professional football league(1) “Eleven franchises were represented at the meeting: Akron. Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Decatur Staleys, Chicago Cardinals, Cleveland Indians Dayton Triangles, Hammond Pros, Massillon Tigers, Muncie Flyers, Rock Island Independents, and...... middle of paper ..... with this rule, a. rule was established that whenever play was stopped outside the hash marks, the ball would be placed on the closing hash mark (46). The ball has also been modified to be easier to carry and pass (46th). The hash rule made it less dangerous to go outside and spread out the defense. Another significant change made in 1933 was the creation of the East and West divisions and the establishment of a championship match pitting the winners of each division in a championship match showing who was the better team. The NFL has become the game it is today. While I haven't covered much of the other years, I have covered the early years that got this series off the ground. Most of the things I talked about in this article are still used today, which means it transformed the game into what it is today..