- Television faced a 'vicious triangle' where it needed content to attract viewers, viewers to attract advertisers, and advertisers to fund content, making early adoption difficult.
- Sports became the killer app for television, offering ready-made productions with established stars and fan bases that helped break the vicious triangle.
- Early televised sports events, like the 1946 Louis-Conn boxing match, drew large audiences and demonstrated TV's potential, with bars playing a key role in exposing people to the medium.
- Despite high costs and technical limitations (blurry black-and-white, small screens), television quickly spread, with two-thirds of American homes owning a set by the mid-1950s.
- Contrary to fears that televised sports would reduce live attendance, they actually boosted popularity and ticket sales, as seen in record-setting events like the World Series and college football games.