First-year NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle convinced owners to move the league's headquarters from Philadelphia to New York City, and with Congressional passage of the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, received an antitrust exemption that allowed the league to negotiate a common broadcasting network representing all of its teams, helping cement football's ascendancy as a national sport.
Pete Rozelle, the first-year NFL Commissioner, persuaded owners to relocate the league's headquarters from Philadelphia to New York City. The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 granted the league antitrust exemption, enabling it to negotiate a unified broadcasting network representing all teams, which contributed to football's rise as a national sport.