The early days of the National Football League and a coal miner who helped the NFL topple college football only to have his small-town team’s championship forfeited.

HBO's Inside the NFL - the 1925 Pottsville Maroons

SYNOPSIS:

This narrative follows the early days of the National Football League (NFL) as they struggle for recognition over the more popular version of the sport, college football. Because college football has been around longer, they have dominion over the sport and are considered the better players. The NFL and their president JOE CARR, 64, wants to change that. His plan is to tap into other markets with more of a population for revenue, states like New York and Pennsylvania the Atlantic seaboard. The sport may have originated in the Midwest, but it doesn't mean it needs to stay there. The only problem is these states are smaller markets still and having too many teams could divide audience bases, especially when they are more interested in the Anthracite League and college rather than the new National football league. Carr's plan is to invite these Anthracite league teams to the NFL eventually consuming and disbanding teams once they fizzle out and lose their audience, because Carr believes these teams’ suck. The owner DOC STRIEGEL, 67, and coach DICK “Birdy” RAUCH, 33, of one of the Anthracite league teams, The Pottsville Maroons, have other plans.

After struggling to put together a well-organized team and losing their first game of the season Rauch decides he needs more pro players, only to find out the best player he needs works the coal mines. TONY LATONE, lives with his mother and helps take care of his 5 sisters in a shack making 16 dollars a week to help support his big family. While that doesn't seem like a lot, it's the only living he knows. Rauch meets with Tony and does his best to convince him to practice with the team, offering him 200 dollars a week to quit his job right now. Tony reluctantly agrees and joins the football team. Luckily for Rauch Tony is a monster on the field trucking over everyone, even his own teammates that stand in his way. Rauch also manages to recruit former college players who now play in the major league. Within one week of a disappointing loss, Rauch has a team that's a force not to be reckoned with.

The Pottsville Maroons go on a winning streak, only letting up 6 points total from 5 different NFL teams. The maroons are proving Carr wrong. While all luck must come to an end, the Maroons start to play sloppy leading to their star player, Tony getting hurt. This forces the team to lose a few games, but because of their large winning streak, this team is still in the hunt for the championship. While the team continues to win, the Owner, Doc, struggles to pay his players, having to sell most of his assets to keep players under contract.

After some time, Tony's injuries get t0o serious, and Rauch is forced to have Tony sit on the bench, it looks like Tony's playing days are over. Surprisingly even with their star player on the bench the team manages to win the championship through their effort and teamwork. At the end of the season, it was always planned for the best NFL team to face off against the best College team and what was considered the best football team ever. Though initially unprepared, the Maroons manage to defeat the Notre Dame all-star thanks to Tony returning to play, and even a surprise appearance of Coach Rauch slapping a helmet on and playing.

After the dust settles, The Maroons are world champions again, they can go back home with their heads held high knowing that this small coal mining town has the best football team in the world. Except Carr isn't happy about this, he wanted the Maroons to fall apart so he takes the team, Carr reveals that their college game and championship won't count because Carr didn't approve the game. Carr was in surgery for appendicitis while the game commenced, and he rejected the end result. But this doesn't stop the pride of Pottsville, they know that no matter what Carr says they are champions, and no one can take that from them. Tony ends up getting a three-contract extension with the Maroons and thanks to a few bad bets against them Doc got his money back. And no one can take what they did away from them.