Claim: O. J. Simpson played a sport.

The National Football League -LRB- NFL -RRB- is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams , divided equally between the National Football Conference -LRB- NFC -RRB- and the American Football Conference -LRB- AFC -RRB- . The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America , and the highest professional level of American football in the world . The NFL 's 17-week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas , with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week . Following the conclusion of the regular season , six teams from each conference -LRB- four division winners and two wild card teams -RRB- advance to the playoffs , a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl , which is usually held in the first Sunday in February , and is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC .   The NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association -LRB- APFA -RRB- before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season . The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League -LRB- AFL -RRB- in 1966 , and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season ; the merger was completed in 1970 . Today , the NFL has the highest average attendance -LRB- 67,591 -RRB- of any professional sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States . The Super Bowl is among the biggest club sporting events in the world and individual Super Bowl games account for many of the most watched television programs in American history , all occupying the Nielsen 's Top 5 tally of the all-time most watched U.S. television broadcasts by 2015 . The NFL 's executive officer is the commissioner , who has broad authority in governing the league .   The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen -LRB- nine NFL titles before the Super Bowl era , and four Super Bowl championships afterwards -RRB- ; the team with the most Super Bowl championships is the Pittsburgh Steelers with six . The current NFL champions are the New England Patriots , who defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34 -- 28 in Super Bowl LI .