Can you guess how many Rams are enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame?

NFL becomes America's favorite professional sport

The NFL learned how to saturate the viewer's thirst by scheduling Sunday football games in a staggered format to cover the entire day. When that proved to be successful, the league sought other time slots. The NFL slotted games on Thanksgiving Day as far back as 1934. As the sport grew in popularity, so did television interest.

The NFL played its very first nationally televised Monday Night Football game in 1970 on the new ABC Sports division. After that, the NFL introduced Thursday Night Football in 2006. It's been the nimbleness of the NFL to seize every opportunity to get their games on television and across different television networks that have truly catapulted the sport to the highest of heights.

Draft Day

With each new venue, the sport's popularity climbed, But it was not just games that enhanced its popularity. ESPN, or Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, first televised the 1980 NFL Draft. But it was Baltimore native Mel Kiper, who joined the team in 1984, that truly made the draft the compelling television event that we know to this day. Kiper's ability to fast talk his way about prospects, anticipate the best players available, and openly challenge teams live on-air who he felt made a mistake, that had everybody talking and everyone tuning in.

From that moment on, the NFL Draft became more than an event with smoke filled NFL executives in windowless rooms. The event was transformed into a three-day event, complete with a stage, attendance by fans, a carnival of NFL events, and even special performances by musicians throughout the three day extravaganza.