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The NFL: 16 ways the game has changed in the Super Bowl era

Forty-seven years after the first Super Bowl was played in Los Angeles before a less-than-capacity crowd, let’s look back at some of the ways the NFL has changed.

4. Monday Night Football

  • By Ross Atkin Staff writer

For many years the NFL’s mantra was “on any given Sunday …” anything could happen (meaning upsets). Pro football remains primarily a Sunday attraction, but the advent of ABC’s “Monday Night Football” telecasts in 1970 has served to alter the broadcast landscape and enhance viewer enjoyment in various ways. The players welcomed this addition, since it provided a prime-time showcase each week for two teams whose players knew a nationwide audience and the entire league was watching.

“MNF” has been one of the longest prime-time commercial network television series ever and pushed the envelope of entertainment value and viewer engagement. The concept of three men in the booth was introduced, initially with Keith Jackson, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell. The broadcasts offered more camera angles than traditional Sunday afternoon telecasts, and features such as enhanced slow-motion replay and computerized graphics were rolled out. Sideline cameras, too, encouraged players to ham it up and say “Hi, Mom.”

The upshot has been more night games, including on Sunday and Thursday nights, and increased efforts to hook viewers.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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