Were it not for war, the NFL might not even exist. College and professional players brought the game with them when they went off to both World Wars, where they played a crucial role in the development and popularization of American football.
The “Great Sedition Trial” uncovered shocking connections at the time with the German reich that we were fighting, and challenged the idea that the nation was of a single mind during the war. It also challenged exactly how far the national commitment to freedom of speech and opinion reached, especially in extraordinary times.