I hope nobody gets mad for me posting this...

[Beansballcardblog]

It's not card related. However, I JUST saw a commercial for an upcoming documentary called "Before the League" and I truly thought that members here might be interested.

Click here to a link about it from cleveland.com.

It appears that it will only be availble to Time Warner Cable subscribers, but I figure it will make it's way to YouTube.

The commercial mentioned Thorpe and in the link it mentions Pudge Heffelfinger. I figured it was right down the alley of those in the community here.

If admins, want to delete, I completely understand. I thought it might justify posting and begging for forgiveness later, if need be.

Have a great Saturday, everyone!

-Kin

[TanksAndSpartans]

Awesome! Thanks Kin. Reading this quote got me excited: "The series explains how Green Bay followed Portsmouth's example of selling shares to fans to fund the team, but Green Bay survived the Great Depression while Portsmouth did not." I think most people think the Packers did the public ownership thing first. I even read once where someone said the Spartans should have done what GB did. They did - it just isn't well known.

Spartans, Jim Thorpe, Fritz Pollard, Ironton Tanks, Knute Rockne since he played for Massillon, wow... Also noticed Chris Willis who has written several books on this topic is quoted in the clip and the article, but it isn't clear who produced this - I'm actually guessing NFL films wasn't involved. I'd be interested to know who was. This reminded me I caught the tail end of a piece about Jim Thorpe on NPR a few months ago - now I'm thinking it may not be a coincidence with this documentary coming out. It looks great.

I don't have Time Warner though - please keep us updated if there is any other way to watch this.

[revmoran]

Thanks for the link - I'm hoping there is a way to see the whole piece, looks very interesting (even if they didn't mention the Frankford Yellow Jackets in the trailer)

[jefferyepayne]

Sweet! Thanks for posting this. I always hold my breath when these types of things are done that they don't screw it up! Looking forward to seeing this.

Where is Ken Burns when we need him? Maybe Ken will do a series on the history of pro football for the 100 year anniversary of the NFL.

jeff

[Beansballcardblog]

Reading through threads, I know just how much more knowledgeable y'all are that I am. I'm definitely interested to read any feedback on accuracy from people...if you're interested to post it.

[revmoran]

I have to admit I'm a little confused by the trailer since the title is "Before the League" but most of the trailer is about the first 15 years of the league.

[jefferyepayne]

Looks like four of the six episodes are about pro football before the NFL. The last two look like they are about the early NFL years.

Episodes:

Origins: Football pioneers such as Walter Camp, Charles Follis and Williams "Pudge" Heffelfinger were instrumental in creating a new sport that included Ivy League teams, Ohio and Pennsylvania athletic clubs and the Shelby (Ohio) Blues.

Ringers: Early football was a "wild west" of players eager to make their mark and fortune, including Case Western Reserve's George "Peggy" Parratt, who played under an assumed name to maintain his college eligibility. Episode includes stories about the Columbus Panhandles, Acme Packers of Green Bay, Akron industrial teams and the Ironton Tanks.

Scandals: Cheating scandals between teams such as the Massillon Tigers and Canton Bulldogs were common, so was brutality on the field that led to the intervention of President Roosevelt.

Legends: Jim Thorpe and Knute Rockne brought money and attention to the game. Rule changes such as the forward pass helped strike a balance between offense and defense. The Ohio League's success sets the stage for expansion of the sport.

Formation: Ohio is pivotal in guiding the future of football with the first owners meeting in Canton to form what would become the NFL. The first NFL game is played in Dayton, Akron wins the first league title, and Columbus becomes the league's headquarters. Star running back Fritz Pollard makes history as the first African-American coach in Akron.

Business: The arrival of Red Grange and other college stars ends the sandlot era. Teams in Portsmouth, Ironton and Dayton can't compete with the success of the Green Bay Packers, which would become the only small-market team to survive.

jeff

[Beansballcardblog]

I found this 4+ minute trailer/preview and thought I'd share.

"Before the League" Debuts Nov. 17 & 18 on TWC SportsChannel

[1952boyntoncollector]

I am extremely mad you posted this. Now I see why you were worried people would be mad

[TanksAndSpartans]

That was awesome - I need to move to a yellow state! Looked like some of the footage shown was re-enactments, but that's not a big deal - I think they were using that for transitions between segments. Looking forward to this even if I can't see it right away.