Title,+Introduction,+Scope

__**Title**__

An Era Lost in Time: The Effects of World War II on Professional Football

__**Introduction**__

I found this to be a topic of interest because several Christmases ago, my uncle gave me a DVD all about the history of the Philadelphia Eagles. At one point, the video mentioned that during World War II so many professional football players were drafted or enlisted in the military that it was necessary for teams to merge with one another. The Eagles were one of those teams and merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers to form the "Steagles." Both head coaches and players clashed with one another and were forced to come together as enemies. From there, I learned that teams began to experience financial crises because the league was losing interest from fans who regularly poured in to stadiums to watch their favorite teams battle on Sundays. My goal is to gain a greater understanding of just how much of an impact World War II had on individual football teams and the league itself.

__**Scope**__

I hope to bring knowledge to the masses about an era of sports clouded by a bigger story going on overseas. Even though professional football was still in what one could call its "developmental stages," the game was still far enough along to garner the attention of fans every weekend. With morale so low back in the States, citizens and soldiers looked to sports as a form of cheap entertainment to raise their spirits. But as I have mentioned in the past, there is very little information about professional football during this era. Therefore, by looking at the history behind several teams that merged during this time, I hope to gather a better understanding of how it was possible for the NFL to stay afloat in a time of widespread hardship.