Three scheduled NFL games were under way when the Japanese first attacked Pearl Harbor at 12:55 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 7, 1941. The public address announcer at New York's Polo Grounds, where fans were celebrating " Tuffy Leemans ' Day" in honor of their star running back, interrupted his commentary to tell all servicemen to report to their units.

The same was done at Chicago's Comiskey Park. At Washington's Griffith Stadium, the announcer paged high-ranking government and military personnel who were in attendance, but did not mention the attack. Reporters were told to check with their offices.