Up until somewhere around the post-WW2 years, college football and basketball were actually more popular than the pro leagues. There was never a network of small professional leagues for these sports because a normal “career” for these athletes involved a college scholarship, a couple of years in collegiate sports, and then moving on to something else for a career.
What happened post-WW2? Television.
22 posted on 12/13/2020 7:27:34 AM PST by PapaBear3625
("Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." -- Voltaire)