The National Football League (NFL) has grown dramatically since its founding in 1920, evolving from a small regional league into a national sports powerhouse. This is one of the many exciting disciplines available for online betting at the 1xBet platform.
A major driver of that growth has been the introduction of expansion teams. Those have been new franchises created with 3 goals in mind:
- bring professional football to new cities;
- increase revenue;
- and reflect the league’s rising popularity.
Each wave of expansion has reshaped the NFL’s geography and competitive balance. And this competitiveness is something that makes the NFL so entertaining for betting online with 1xBet.
The first true expansion era began in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the NFL responded to competition from the rival American Football League (AFL). Teams like the Dallas Cowboys (1960) and Minnesota Vikings (1961) were added to solidify the NFL’s national footprint. When the AFL and NFL merged in 1970, AFL teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets were fully integrated. This effectively expanded the league’s talent pool and fan base overnight.
Adding even more squads from all over the country to the competition
The 1970s saw continued growth, with franchises like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks joining in 1976. If you follow those teams, you can get the free 1xBet download iOS to bet on them on the go.
These teams initially struggled, as expansion rules often left them with weaker rosters, but they eventually found success. The Seahawks, for example, became a consistent playoff contender and later won Super Bowl XLVIII, proving that expansion teams could evolve into elite franchises. The iOS app from 1xBet is available to download for absolutely free, and you can certainly use it to bet on the Super Bowl too.
Another notable expansion wave came in the 1990s, as the NFL capitalized on booming television revenue and rising national interest. The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars joined in 1995 and achieved surprisingly quick success. The 2 of them reached conference championship games within their first few seasons. The Cleveland Browns’ relocation to Baltimore in 1996 led to a unique situation: Cleveland was awarded a new expansion team in 1999, retaining the Browns’ name and history, while the Baltimore Ravens were treated as a new franchise.
The most recent expansion occurred in 2002 with the Houston Texans, who restored the NFL to Houston after the Oilers’ departure. Like many expansion teams, the Texans struggled early but gradually built competitive rosters and became regular playoff participants in the 2010s.
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