New NFL logo

[powersurge]

BINGO!

(on your last comment)

[KennyRock]

From the Football hall of fame: "The Chicago Bears are one of only two charter members of the National Football League still in existence." the other team being the Cardinals.

Despite that, I'd wager the theory that the 3 stars stand for the Cardinals, Bears and Packers is correct. After all, the Packers DID join the NFL at the same time, but aren't considered a charter member because they didn't field a team until the second year of the league.

I've seen that reported around, but am not sure that it's true. What's your source?

Well, it is just a wager, so no source really. I was just reading up on the history of the NFL, and the situation with the Packers was mentioned in the same sentence as the Bears and Cards - they signed onto the league in 1920, but unlike the other two did not field a team until 1921.

Only reason I think it's that and not something else is because of the AFC logo - the stars were taken from the AFL logo which, as it was stated in the thread already, had six stars also that stood(I think) for the six teams at the initial meeting when Hunt was starting the AFL. Of course, this is all a theory. I'm willing to believe the stars stood for nothing on the NFL logo, but for the AFC and NFC it's hard to believe... why 3 and 6? I'm fully aware that not everything in a logo has to mean something but wouldn't you make the amount of stars equal? How do you arrive at those numbers if there's absolutely nothing behind it? Just my thinking.

[rams80]

From the Football hall of fame: "The Chicago Bears are one of only two charter members of the National Football League still in existence." the other team being the Cardinals.

Despite that, I'd wager the theory that the 3 stars stand for the Cardinals, Bears and Packers is correct. After all, the Packers DID join the NFL at the same time, but aren't considered a charter member because they didn't field a team until the second year of the league.

I've seen that reported around, but am not sure that it's true. What's your source?

Well, it is just a wager, so no source really. I was just reading up on the history of the NFL, and the situation with the Packers was mentioned in the same sentence as the Bears and Cards - they signed onto the league in 1920, but unlike the other two did not field a team until 1921.

Only reason I think it's that and not something else is because of the AFC logo - the stars were taken from the AFL logo which, as it was stated in the thread already, had six stars also that stood(I think) for the six teams at the initial meeting when Hunt was starting the AFL. Of course, this is all a theory. I'm willing to believe the stars stood for nothing on the NFL logo, but for the AFC and NFC it's hard to believe... why 3 and 6? I'm fully aware that not everything in a logo has to mean something but wouldn't you make the amount of stars equal? How do you arrive at those numbers if there's absolutely nothing behind it? Just my thinking.

You arrive at those stars because it looks snappy and attractive. Not everything needs to have a meaning in the logo.

[KennyRock]

From the Football hall of fame: "The Chicago Bears are one of only two charter members of the National Football League still in existence." the other team being the Cardinals.

Despite that, I'd wager the theory that the 3 stars stand for the Cardinals, Bears and Packers is correct. After all, the Packers DID join the NFL at the same time, but aren't considered a charter member because they didn't field a team until the second year of the league.

I've seen that reported around, but am not sure that it's true. What's your source?

Well, it is just a wager, so no source really. I was just reading up on the history of the NFL, and the situation with the Packers was mentioned in the same sentence as the Bears and Cards - they signed onto the league in 1920, but unlike the other two did not field a team until 1921.

Only reason I think it's that and not something else is because of the AFC logo - the stars were taken from the AFL logo which, as it was stated in the thread already, had six stars also that stood(I think) for the six teams at the initial meeting when Hunt was starting the AFL. Of course, this is all a theory. I'm willing to believe the stars stood for nothing on the NFL logo, but for the AFC and NFC it's hard to believe... why 3 and 6? I'm fully aware that not everything in a logo has to mean something but wouldn't you make the amount of stars equal? How do you arrive at those numbers if there's absolutely nothing behind it? Just my thinking.

You arrive at those stars because it looks snappy and attractive. Not everything needs to have a meaning in the logo.

First, I know and agree, that's why I mentioned it.

But I'm not buying that logic in this case. Why 3 and 6? If what you said is correct, I wonder if different amounts of stars on either logo would have looked "snappier and more attractive". Maybe it looks right to us because we've seen them for so long, but when they were designed they had an "A" and an "N" and... what happened? None of us can ever know. We know the current elements for the AFC logo(the A and six stars) were taken from the AFL logo. So going back further, none of us can say why there six stars were in the AFL in the first place, but I maintain it was for the original six members at the initial meeting.

So when they made the NFC and AFC conference logos... even if you say they kept the six stars for the AFC because of the AFL, which makes perfect sense, what about the 3 on the NFC logo? Why give them that amount of stars? Just because they fit the best?

If each logo has been designed with random amounts of stars, say 4 for the NFC and 7 for the AFC, respectively, those logos would probably look "snappy and attractive" to us now also. What about back then? I just can't imagine that was the reasoning.

[Gothamite]

If they looked either snappy or attractive, I'd be tempted to agree with you.

[Joshawaggie]

Could it be the 3 stars on the NFC N stood for the Eastern, Central and Western Divisions, or perhaps they stand for nothing

This is what I always thought too.

[powersurge]

I guess what I like the most about the current conference logos is the fact that they are extremely simple and not overdone. For example, I've always thought that the AL and NL logos were way too complicated for what they stood for. I understand that technically they are leagues and not conferences, but when its all said and done they are pretty much the same as the AFC and NFC for this argument's sake.

[Gothamite]

I'm not sure I can agree with you - winning the AFC has never been a goal in and of itself.

[powersurge]

I'm not sure I can agree with you - winning the AFC has never been a goal in and of itself.

How so?

The ultimate goal in baseball is to win the World Series...in order to accomplish that, a team must first win their respective league title (AL or NL)

The ultimate goal in football is to win the Super Bowl...in order to accomplish that, a team must first win their respective conference title (AFC or NFC)

Its pretty much the same thing. It hasn't always been the same. I agree that in the past winning the 'pennant' carried a greater significance. As far as the modern era is concerned, winning the World Series is paramount to winning a pennant by a mile.

I think if you get rid of the names 'conference' and 'league', the grouping of teams from both sports are pretty similar. Thats all I was saying.

[Gothamite]

"Winning a pennant" has special resonance in baseball that no other sport shares. When was the last time there was a football movie about winning the conference? Especially in the modern era?

Right now it might not be the same thing, but baseball is all about history and legacy. I think the history matters.

[Gothamite]

From the Football hall of fame: "The Chicago Bears are one of only two charter members of the National Football League still in existence." the other team being the Cardinals.

Despite that, I'd wager the theory that the 3 stars stand for the Cardinals, Bears and Packers is correct. After all, the Packers DID join the NFL at the same time, but aren't considered a charter member because they didn't field a team until the second year of the league.

I've seen that reported around, but am not sure that it's true. What's your source?

Well, it is just a wager, so no source really. I was just reading up on the history of the NFL, and the situation with the Packers was mentioned in the same sentence as the Bears and Cards - they signed onto the league in 1920, but unlike the other two did not field a team until 1921.

I don't think that's the case at all. The Packers did field a team in 1920, just not in the same league. Went 9-1-1, in fact. They were tearing up their competition, desperate to play better teams. If they had signed on to the NFL in 1920, why wouldn't they play?

Let me do some digging - I should be able to confirm or deny easily enough.

[powersurge]

"Winning a pennant" has special resonance in baseball that no other sport shares. When was the last time there was a football movie about winning the conference? Especially in the modern era?

Right now it might not be the same thing, but baseball is all about history and legacy. I think the history matters.

I guess what I'm saying refers to the "right now".

As far as I'm concerned, winning the AL/NL pennant and AFC/NFC titles means the same thing: The winning teams have been given the opportunity to play for the World Championship of that Sport.

[raz]

From the Football hall of fame: "The Chicago Bears are one of only two charter members of the National Football League still in existence." the other team being the Cardinals.

Despite that, I'd wager the theory that the 3 stars stand for the Cardinals, Bears and Packers is correct. After all, the Packers DID join the NFL at the same time, but aren't considered a charter member because they didn't field a team until the second year of the league.

I've seen that reported around, but am not sure that it's true. What's your source?

Well, it is just a wager, so no source really. I was just reading up on the history of the NFL, and the situation with the Packers was mentioned in the same sentence as the Bears and Cards - they signed onto the league in 1920, but unlike the other two did not field a team until 1921.

Only reason I think it's that and not something else is because of the AFC logo - the stars were taken from the AFL logo which, as it was stated in the thread already, had six stars also that stood(I think) for the six teams at the initial meeting when Hunt was starting the AFL. Of course, this is all a theory. I'm willing to believe the stars stood for nothing on the NFL logo, but for the AFC and NFC it's hard to believe... why 3 and 6? I'm fully aware that not everything in a logo has to mean something but wouldn't you make the amount of stars equal? How do you arrive at those numbers if there's absolutely nothing behind it? Just my thinking.

You arrive at those stars because it looks snappy and attractive. Not everything needs to have a meaning in the logo.

First, I know and agree, that's why I mentioned it.

But I'm not buying that logic in this case. Why 3 and 6? If what you said is correct, I wonder if different amounts of stars on either logo would have looked "snappier and more attractive". Maybe it looks right to us because we've seen them for so long, but when they were designed they had an "A" and an "N" and... what happened? None of us can ever know. We know the current elements for the AFC logo(the A and six stars) were taken from the AFL logo. So going back further, none of us can say why there six stars were in the AFL in the first place, but I maintain it was for the original six members at the initial meeting.

So when they made the NFC and AFC conference logos... even if you say they kept the six stars for the AFC because of the AFL, which makes perfect sense, what about the 3 on the NFC logo? Why give them that amount of stars? Just because they fit the best?

If each logo has been designed with random amounts of stars, say 4 for the NFC and 7 for the AFC, respectively, those logos would probably look "snappy and attractive" to us now also. What about back then? I just can't imagine that was the reasoning.

To further muddy the waters, I recall a souvenir that I got at a Dallas Cowboys game in the early 1970s that had the blue NFC logo with the 3 white stars and the red AFC logo ... with THREE BLUE stars, in a semicircle above the A.

This, obviously, wasn't kept by the league, but maybe it lends creedence to the thought that 3 was for the number of divisions. It just worked better on the N than the A.

[Claystation360]

I still hold sure that the 3 stars in the NFC logo are for Chicago, Arizona , and Green Bay and Green Bay because they were around before the start of the league and the joined the APFA before it was reorganized into the NFL , and remember it was almost 50 years later when they split after the Merger who knows what they were really looking back to and as to why the came up to 3 stars for the NFC . The AFL's founding members were Dallas(Kansas City) Houston(Tennessee) Denver , Minneapolis (Minnesota) Los Angeles (San Diego) and New York City . Buffalo and Boston ( New England) where added later and Which of course the NFL trying to still break it up from the get go offered the Minneapolis Group a NFL Expansion Team to play in 1961 of course became the Vikings . and Oakland became the quick replacement .

So with no doubt the AFL logo's 6 stars stood for the charter members of it's league and I will say it's something the League decided to go with to represent the NFC after the merger .

[Mac the Knife]

Just spitballing here, but could at least three of the stars of the AFC logo have something to do with Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh 'crossing over' somehow?

[smith03]

I still hold sure that the 3 stars in the NFC logo are for Chicago, Arizona , and Green Bay and Green Bay because they were around before the start of the league and the joined the APFA before it was reorganized into the NFL , and remember it was almost 50 years later when they split after the Merger who knows what they were really looking back to and as to why the came up to 3 stars for the NFC . The AFL's founding members were Dallas(Kansas City) Houston(Tennessee) Denver , Minneapolis (Minnesota) Los Angeles (San Diego) and New York City . Buffalo and Boston ( New England) where added later and Which of course the NFL trying to still break it up from the get go offered the Minneapolis Group a NFL Expansion Team to play in 1961 of course became the Vikings . and Oakland became the quick replacement .

So with no doubt the AFL logo's 6 stars stood for the charter members of it's league and I will say it's something the League decided to go with to represent the NFC after the merger .

Althought it is possible the 6 stars would stand for the orginial six teams why not go with 8 for the teams that began the 1960 season as oposed to the 6 orginial teams especially when one of them left

Houston Dallas, LA, NY , Denver than Mpls but they left and then Buffalo and Boston, Oakland became the eight franchise in Jan 1960

[Gothamite]

Hurm. Good point.

6 stars just doesn't make any sense in that context.

[powersurge]

It would be kind of funny if the story behind the stars had something to do with the designer's daughters or kids or something.

Here we are hypothesizing about all sorts of reasons behind the number of the stars and it could all just be because the guy had 3 daughters, married a woman with 6 boys and he just wanted to immortalize the moment.

[mania]

I know he browses here, so I demand Paul Lukas launch an investigation to get to the bottom of the stars.

[Claystation360]

I'll cover this again.... Im sure that the 6 stars of the AFL logo stand for the orginal charter members that were at the first meeting because of how it was the meeting the defining the starting of the American Football League , As for the NFC logo I can only guess and connect the dots and see what somewhat matches . It could be like someone said a little up the 3 greedy bastards that jumped for the money and went to join the 10 AFL teams to make the AFC . But I would like to know for sure .