Professional Football's Increasing Popularity.

During the 1950s college football was surpassed in popularity by professional football. With the increased number of games on television and the growing efficiency of air transportation, regionalism became less of a factor in attracting fans. Pro teams could play throughout the country and fans could follow the fortunes of their favorite teams on television; like most pro sports, football promoted individual sports heroes. College athletes had a maximum of four years' exposure to a team's fans. Pro athletes could attract the fans' attention for their entire careers.

Symbolic Battles.

Colleges had always been able to maintain the interest of alumni, but they had to rely on other, largely symbolic attractions for other fans. Colleges often battled for prestige and superiority, based on team rivalries between states and regions, and among ethnic groups, religious and political...