History of the National Football League on television
NBC was the first major television network to cover an NFL game, when on October 22, 1939, it broadcast a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Brooklyn Dodgers; the network was still only in its infancy, with only two affiliates, the modern day WRGB (now a CBS affiliate) in Schenectady and W2XBS in New York City. Portions of that game still survive via films, but the film is not footage from the telecast (recordings of television broadcasts did not begin until 1948). The use of a sideline camera, the sole camera used in the 1939 broadcast, would become the standard for all future NFL broadcasts until 2017; the angle is particularly suited for estimating yardage, compared to more mobile camera angles that began to appear in the 21st century.
1987 NFL season
The eight-year old ESPN cable network became the first cable television broadcaster of the league, with its program "ESPN Sunday Night NFL" (subsequently rebranded as "ESPN Sunday Night Football") debuting on November 8, 1987, broadcasting a series of Sunday night games during the second half of the season.
The 1987 NFL Draft was held from April 28 to 29, 1987 at New York City's Marriott Marquis. With the first pick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected quarterback Vinny Testaverde from the University of Miami.