The NFL is split into the AFC (American Football Conference) and NFC (National Football Conference) to create two conferences with an equal number of teams that compete against each other in regular-season games, playoffs, and the Super Bowl. The split also allows for a more balanced and competitive league, as teams within each conference play each other more frequently than those in the other conference. Additionally, the split helps to maintain a sense of tradition and history, as the original NFL teams were split into two conferences when the league merged with the AFL in 1970.