The Washington Redskins at one time claimed the entire South as its fan base as they were for a very long time the southernmost National Football League (NFL) club. The only other pro football team that had ever been placed in the South was in 1946 with the Miami Seahawks of the All-American Football Conference, an NFL rival league. But the Seahawks played only a single season, and for the remainder of the time the South was devoid of pro football.
Which was fine with most folks. Not until the mid-1970s did pro football equal Major League Baseball with fan support and then later surpass the “Nation’s Pastime.