Love a narrative more nuanced than “the nfl, duh”:

In part that was down to bad luck. The Panic of 1893 brought an end to the Gilded Age and led to the Panic of 1896, the greatest economic crisis to hit the US before the Wall Street Crash in 1929. The textile mills of the north-east were particularly badly hit and that reduced funding for football, leading the American Cup to be suspended for six years from 1899. Tours by Corinthians and an amateur touring side from England known as the Pilgrims in 1906 reignited interest in football in the area and the Cup began again. The fascination with foreign touring sides would remain a feature.