{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"057: The Pro Football Life of Upton Bell","description":"Upton Bell grew up at the knee of the National Football League\u2019s second-ever commissioner \u2013 his father, the legendary Bert Bell \u2013 who not only saved professional football from financial ruin in the aftermath of World War II, but also became one of its greatest innovators. &amp;nbsp;Originator of the iconic phrase \u201con any given Sunday,\u201d the senior Bell created lasting contributions to the NFL, such as the first pro football draft, scheduling parity, television revenue-sharing, and sudden-death overtime. For the junior Upton, it was a priceless childhood amidst pro football\u2019s formative years \u2013 begun while watching his father draw up the league schedule each year using dominoes at the kitchen table \u2013 steeped in the personalities, lore, and economic pragmatism of a game that would ultimately dominate the American professional sports landscape like no other. In a seemingly preordained career, Upton Bell (Present at the Creation: My Life in the NFL and the Rise of America\u2019s Game) has been an owner (the wacky World Football League\u2019s Charlotte Hornets), a general manager (the NFL\u2019s New England [n\u00e9e AFL Boston] Patriots), a player personnel director (the 1960s NFL-dominant Baltimore Colts), and long-time sports commentator\/talk radio host \u2013 remaining a true and insightful \u201cfootball guy\u201d throughout. In this very revealing conversation, Bell joins Tim Hanlon to discuss his personal and professional journey through the sport he loves; the lessons learned and insights gleaned from his unique purview into the pro game\u2019s coming-of-age era; the current state of the NFL and where it might be headed; and heretofore untold stories about the stranger-than-fiction WFL. This week\u2019s episode is brought to you by SportsHistoryCollectibles.com, Audible (where you can listen to the audiobook version of Present at the Creation!) and Podfly. ","author_name":"Good Seats Still Available","author_url":"https:\/\/goodseatsstillavailable.com","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/6480771\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/aa0926\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/20393758"}