This is an essay on notability. It contains the advice and/or opinions of one or more WikiProjects on how notability may be interpreted within their area of interest.
The existence of professional American football leagues does not negate the notability of college football;
Notability of college football players can equal that of professionals in American football and other sports;
College football is extremely popular in the United States, and approaches or exceeds the popularity, revenue generation, and recognition of most professional sports.
Believe it or not, this argument is made from time to time. An editor will claim that because the National Football League (NFL) exists, the first point in WP:ATHLETE then negates the second point in the same section, that "(c)ompetitors who have competed at the highest level in amateur sports" would also be notable.
However, a cursory review will reveal that the section does not have a disclaimer of any kind. Also, even the most brief review of the guideline would reveal the "disqualification" argument to be flawed and not in line with the text of the rest of the guideline.
The existence of the NFL does not negate the notability of college football.
College football significantly predates professional football and was the driving force in the evolution—and growth in popularity—of the sport. The first college football game took place on November 6, 1869 between Rutgers and Princeton. The first "professional athlete" on record was 23 years later, when William "Pudge" Heffelfinger was paid $500 by the Allegheny Athletic Association for one game in 1892.[1]
The world saw 51 years of active college football play before the American Professional Football Association (the first successful professional league) would be formed with the first fully professional game played October 3, 1920. Two years, later, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League (NFL).
In its first several decades, the NFL was not financially stable. Between 1920 and 1945, 53 teams had gone defunct.[2]
Even as professional football began to grow into its own, the significance of the sport remained relatively low. One observer put it this way: "Back then (1958), pro football was not to be confused with a real job"[3] It was not until at least the 1960s that professional football began to be seen as a viable career path in and of itself. Therefore, in the sport's first century of existence, most of football's best players never pursued professional playing careers.
As of the 2008 season, college football has been around for 139 years while the NFL has existed a mere 88 years. It was not until the modern era in the 1970s and 1980s that solidified professional football as America's top spectator sport.