S1, E1: By the end of the 1980s, Britain’s Football League was in a dire state, with growing violence, bad press, and empty stadiums . England’s highly viewed performance in the 1990 World Cup , however, proved the sport could still draw audiences…and revenue. This is the origin story of the Premier League—how Manchester United and other powerhouse clubs broke off to form their own entity, how a media mogul made a multi-million-dollar gamble to air the games, and how in its first year, this upstart league changed the national sport forever.