13. The NFL
When the first NFL games aired on CBS in 1964, one needed a good TV set and some clearance between their rooftop antenna and the broadcast towers. That little football was tough to spot amidst the “broadcast noise” on a crummy setup. Still, television changed the sport like it changed the presidency. No longer was the referee’s first judgment the final word. The introduction of instant replay turned pro football into a popular televised sport. It was a money-maker, though. CBS paid $28-million for the exclusive rights to air that first season. With inflation, that would be over $2-billion in modern money, making ESPN’s billion-dollar-a-year deal sound like a good deal. By 1967, the first Super Bowl played at the Los Angeles Coliseum aired live to the nation.