New York Yankees (NFL)

History

The New York Yankees NFL team was born from a fight over Red Grange’s contract. In the early 1920s, Grange was the Chicago Bears’ biggest star and a major reason the young NFL gained attention. His agent, C. C. “Cash and Carry” Pyle, claimed in 1926 that he, not Bears owner George Halas, controlled Grange’s contract. Pyle then demanded a huge salary and one-third ownership of the Bears for Grange.

Halas said no. Pyle took his case to the NFL’s winter meeting that year, showing the other owners he held Grange’s rights. He wanted his own NFL team, one that would play at Yankee Stadium in New York City. If the league refused, he threatened to create a rival league.

But there was no room for a new New York franchise. Tim Mara had exclusive NFL rights for the New York Giants. Mara had barely survived his first season. The Giants were ignored by fans and newspapers, and Mara was deep in debt.

That changed when Grange played an exhibition game against the Giants, drawing 73,000 people to the Polo Grounds. In a single afternoon, Mara became profitable, and New York sportswriters started taking pro football seriously. Now Pyle wanted to split Mara’s market. The other owners backed Mara, but they also didn’t want to lose Grange’s drawing power.

They knew how much money a game against Grange could bring, and they feared Pyle might actually start a new league. So the NFL proposed a compromise: Pyle could have a New York franchise, but it would be based in Brooklyn, part of New York City. By then, Pyle had already rented Yankee Stadium and planned to play there. He rejected the offer and followed through on his threat. With the New York Yankees as his flagship team, Pyle created a new league called the American Football League.