American sports changed significantly because of JFK’s pen.
As the 35th President of the United States was travelling in an open car motorcade in Dallas on November 22nd, 1963, just moments before he was assassinated, there was no way John F. Kennedy knew how much his signature on the Sports Broadcast Act of 1961 would change sports. Almost immediately, the National Football League sold its 14 franchises as one to CBS which meant the Green Bay Packers Board of Directors received the same TV revenue as the New York Giants ownership. In 1964, the American Football League got a big TV deal from NBC. AFL owners spent big money on players as did NFL owners and the leagues decided to merge and created the Super Bowl.
Because of the allure of American TV money, National Hockey League owners decided to double the size of the league from six to 12 franchises. In 1963, the New York Rangers ownership suggested the league add two United States west coast cities because there were rumors that the Western Hockey League was going to claim “major league” status. The WHL had two cities a TV network would want, Los Angeles and San Francisco and smaller markets Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The NHL added six franchises in 1966 with the hopes of getting an American TV deal and the WHL waived the flag and surrendered. The National Basketball Association started adding expansion teams in 1966 going from nine franchises to 22 by 1980. The American Basketball Association was established in 1967 with a hope that television revenues would enhance the league financially. The ABA even hired the director of CBS sports, Jack Dolph, as its second commissioner in 1969. His job was to get the ABA a national TV deal but that never happened. The ABA was gone by 1976. Kennedy’s signature changed sports.
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Guy Rodgers played for the 1996 Chicago Bulls expansion franchise.
