Championship Race
Following the 1932 season, the NFL would be split into two divisions (and later two conferences), the champions of whom would meet in a championship game. In 1932, there was a tie in the standings at the end of regularly scheduled play. Tie games did not count at all, so the Spartans' (6–1–4) and the Bears' (6–1–6) records both qualified as 6 wins, 1 loss, for a .857 percentage. Under the half-win, half-loss treatment used later for ties, Portsmouth would have finished at .727 and Chicago at .692, respectively, while Green Bay's 10–3–1 would have won the championship at .750.
The Green Bay Packers were unbeaten (8–0–1) after nine games, and after the Thanksgiving weekend, their 10–1–1 record was still well ahead of Portsmouth (5–1–4) and Chicago (4–1–6). In Week Twelve (December 4), the Spartans handed the Packers a 19–0 defeat, while the Bears beat the Giants 6–0. Portsmouth, at 6–1–4 (.857) took the lead, while the Packers (10–2–1) and the Bears (5–1–6) were tied for second (.833). In Week Thirteen, the Bears hosted the Packers. Had Green Bay won, an 11–2–1 finish would still have kept it at second (.846), but the Bears handed the Packers a 9–0 loss, giving them a 6–1–6 finish and a tie in the standings with Portsmouth. Though described as a "playoff", the Bears 9–0 win over Portsmouth on December 18 counted in the regular season standings, with the Bears (7–1–6 and .875) ahead of the Packers (10–3–1 and .769) and the Spartans (6–2–4 and .750).
Read more about this topic: 1932 NFL Season
Famous quotes containing the word race:
“...wasting the energies of the race by neglecting to develop the intelligence of the members to whom its most precious resources must be entrusted, already seems a childish absurdity.”
—Anna Eugenia Morgan (1845–1909)