The NFL voted to establish the NFL Internet network at the annual owners and coaches meeting in Palm Beach, Fla.
The Internet plan will allow the league to capitalize on the guidelines that have been developed to foster the growth of NFL.com and all club sites. It also covers existing and future elements of the Internet such as game highlights, links, game day applications, radio broadcasts, advertising, commerce, auctions and photos.
"We believe this is the best possible model right now for a sports league Internet structure. It emphasizes strong club sites and links everyone together into a unified national network," NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said in a press release.
The NFL was the first professional sports league to go live on the World Wide Web when it did so in April 1995. The site received 50,000 visits during the NFL draft weekend at that time.
In January of 2000, the NFL's official site, NFL.com, received more than 2.9 million users, while its companion site, Superbowl.com, received more than 1.2 million unique users. NFL.com ranked as the most popular sports league site and the third most popular league site overall.
