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Monday Night Football Television Genius At Its Best
Monday Night Football A Sports Phenomenon Which Restructured Televised Sports in America
Monday Night Football was the enterprising genius of Mr. Roone Arledge, and it was the trailblazer for all sporting televised endeavors to follow. Howard Cosell propelled the game to an event status, and Monday Night Football remained on the top of the television ratings heap for more than a decade.
The Championship Game of 1958 brought professional football into the living rooms of American families for the first time. The fact that it was one of the most scintillating games in the history of professional sports further catapulted professional football’s popularity. In 1966, the feuding NFL-AFL leagues effected a peace treaty, and one league was formed. In January of 1969, the NY Jets’ Joe Willie Namath made good on a promise; and the upstart AFL representatives, the Jets, defeated the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts. These three events sent the stage for one of the most daring risks in television history, the inaugural Monday Night Football game in September of 1970.
During this era, Monday was a slow television watching night and the ratings were up for grabs. ABC’s Sports Director, Roone Arledge, used his salesmanship to combine Frank Gifford (originally it was Keith Jackson), Don Meredith and the bombastic Howard Cosell to give the game a focus. Cleveland defeated the Jets on the Monday Night Football debut, but soon the game on the field was a distant second to the game in the booth. Howard was everywhere, on the “Odd Couple,” hosting his own variety show, on talk shows and late night entertainment shows on a regular basis. He put a face on Monday Night Football, and the phenomenon struck it rich in the ratings and at the bank. Monday Night Football was the trailblazer for the network coverage of professional football today, as games are played just about every day of the week. Monday Night Football was television genius at its best!
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