The sport of American football began as a stand-in for war – a place where young men at elite colleges could prove their mettle fighting on the gridiron. But as blue-collar factory workers and immigrants appropriated the new sport for themselves, a passion was ignited for the gladiatorial game. Nowhere was this more true than in the bitter rivalry between two neighboring Ohio towns, Canton and Massillon, which gave birth to professional football…and nearly killed it.

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