American Football League - Fictional History

New York owner Peter Stuyvesant brought a small group of reporters outside the Hotel Statler in New York City to announce the intentions of the New York Dutch Lions football team. In what was a surprise to pretty much everyone, he stated that the team will be going as the New York Lions going forth. His reasoning was to differentiate themselves from the Dutch Lions baseball team also based in Manhattan, and to “carve out a new identity for a truly New York team”. This change was understandable to some and baffling to the rest, as the Dutch Lions baseball team (nicknamed the “Dutchies” within the city) were significantly more successful than their football counterparts, appearing in 7 World Series within the past 10 years and winning 4 of them. “We want to represent New York as the king of sports, a city heralded with champions,” Stuyvesant told reporters. “We are more than just a team of Manhattan, we are a team for the city of New York.” It was clear that Stuyvesant wanted to distance...

The long-awaited announcement of the Boston AFL identity would come when owner Robert McNamara invited nearly every major newspaper across the Northeast to a press conference at the Parker House hotel to reveal the new team. McNamara and the Boston Globe had already put out a “name the team contest” to determine potential names for the team. McNamara was open to pretty much any suggestion, though he asked those sending in that they try to stray away from nicknames relating to the American Revolution, as the other football team in town (Boston Rebels) was already using a similar theme. Names ranged anywhere from the Wolfhounds, Bishops, Dragons and Gaels, to the Golden Griffons, Unicorns, and Red Devils. The finalists would come down to the Dragons, Gaels, and Wolfhounds after consideration from both the mail-in votes and those around McNamara. The Gaels were thrown out almost immediately after due to an Irish-themed name already existing in the AFL in Pittsburgh, and realized that nic...