This piece in the New York Times is fascinating on several levels. As one source notes, it points out that there was indeed an NFL before the dawn of the Super Bowl. The steps pro sports had to take to stay in business during the height of World War II is a little-known part of the home front. This is news, of course, since teams taking part in the playoffs this season were so thin on their rosters back then that the league combined them for a couple of seasons. The Steeler-Eagles combination is kind of cool if only for the nickname -- The Steagles.
But what got my attention was the covers of the game programs that accompanied the article. I love this era of graphic arts in the United States. These examples are very much like the college programs of the same era. A publishing company out there produces calendars featuring similar game-day program covers as the monhly art. They produce them for most major schools. I always look at them, but never want to pony up the $20. Apparently, the same style was used in the pros, as these examples seem to show.
My favorite is the 1943 program that ties throwing a grenade with the same ease as tossing a football. World War II, now that was a popular war!
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