It's not even up for debate: The NFL is the biggest sporting franchise on the face of the earth, it's a powerhouse, a money making machine, but it would be nothing without the hard work of it's talented athletes, managers and coaches.
The reason that football is so exciting isn't the back room deals, the relocations or the mountains of advertising - it's the plays that clinch a game in the dying seconds, it's the interception that catapults a team into the playoffs, or the Running Back smashing his way through a defensive line in the face of all odds. Football is an all or nothing sport and that's why once you start following it, you physically can't stop.
Anyone who follows the sport knows a fact or two, like how the first ever overseas game was held in Tokyo, between the Chargers and the Cardinals in 1976, or how the only teams to have never even played in a Super Bowl are The Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars - And while these are cool facts, with the title of 'biggest sporting franchise on the planet', a yearly turnover that would make Donald Trump blush and a colourful 95 year history, we figured there would be a lot of crazy records and wonderful stories to tell, so we've gone back through the history books and had a root around to bring you 10 of the most insane NFL facts that completely defy logic.
10. The Cost Of Clarity
When you watch football on TV, you've probably noticed the superimposed yellow line that marks the distance to the next set of downs. The line looks simple enough and as though it's something standard that probably doesn't cost much, but in reality, it costs between $25k and $30k per game.
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In a nutshell, the whole thing requires 3D scanning of stadiums, analysis of camera angles and position, and it's own dedicated team to manage, which, over the course of a season, amounts to nearly $5.2m.
That's 3x the salary of an average kicker. For a yellow line.