If there's any debate as to why the NAPL—or National Auto Polo League—doesn't exist, these photos from the Library of Congress will render it moot. I mean the Civil War probably resulted in fewer deaths and injury.
These photos date back to between 1910 and 1915, around the time when the New York Times published this report on the burgeoning sport, touting the durability of the cars, the internal combustion engine, and the players. But even with rollbars and shock-absorbing knickers (I made those up) I can't imagine how many players ended up on the injured list. Or how many cars were sent to the scrap pile. [Reddit via Neatorama]