U.S.F.L. Redux

[Judge Smails]

USFL to return in 2010! (http://www.newusfl.com/index.html)

I just happened to stumble across this. I'm amazed that I hadn't heard anything about this until now. Did anyone else know this, or am I completely out of the loop?

When I was in highschool I had season tickets for the New Jersey Generals that were given to me by the manager at the sandwich shop I worked for. He thought they were worthless and he got them for free from someone himself. Meh, say what you want - but watching football in the spring was kind of cool. And I got to see two Heisman Trophy winners (Doug Flutie and Hershel Walker) in the same backfield. As I recall, they were getting decent crowds and only went belly-up after the $1 lawsuit and Donald Trump pushing the league to go head to head with the NFL.

I have serious doubts of this actually happening though with the current economy. It's pretty funny that the website has an application page if you want to sign up to be a coach.


This time, there will be no trying to play along side of the NFL, no wasted time in the courts and no desire for a merger with the NFL. There's plenty of room for both leagues to exist!

There are a great number of cities with no NFL football teams and big market cities that want a USFL team. Fans are looking for football year round, not just in the fall.


http://www.newusfl.com/files/ExcitingChanges.jpg_1.png

[PapaBear]

Fuck the USFL. Bring back the World Football League!!!

[King Imp]

This makes the XFL sound like a good idea.

[cougarjake13]

hadnt heard of this coming back but i did hear of the UFL



http://www.ufl-football.com/

[K.C.]

The problem with a second football league is that the NFL is barely watchable as it is. The talent is so watered down, it's ridiculous.

I'm surprised Arena Football does as well as it does. This thing will be a disaster if it ever gets started.

[Sinestro]

I wonder if NY will get a team, since they really don't have one. Heck Buffalo is like in Canada or something.

[disneyspy]

we would like to have a pro team in detroit

[epo]

In the spring I want baseball.

[underdog]

The problem with a second football league is that the NFL is barely watchable as it is. The talent is so watered down, it's ridiculous.

Seriously. The NFL is awful and doesn't get ratings. That's why its no longer one of the top three sports and is broadcast on Versus. I don't know how that league survived a year long lockout.

[NewYorkDragons80]

The problem with a second football league is that the NFL is barely watchable as it is. The talent is so watered down, it's ridiculous.

I'm surprised Arena Football does as well as it does. This thing will be a disaster if it ever gets started.

Obviously from my username I'm a fan of Arena Football. The reason they do well is because the talent is 1) guys who just missed an NFL roster 2) guys from I-AA who never fit the physical stereotype for their position or never got a tryout for whatever other reason. So the skills are certainly there. Also, like the CFL, Arena has done well enough that the players are making a good living and can make a living from the league, which means a franchise can keep a qb for 8+ years the way the Dragons have held onto Aaron Garcia or Mark Grieb in San Jose. Not to mention the fact that Arena Football offers something unique and exciting that's separate from outdoor football. I like all football and I'll watch this league if they ever play a game, but I'm not sure if that's a realistic expectation. Since 2000, I can think of 3 or 4 proposed spring leagues whose initial announcement had relatively high national exposure and never even set foot on the field.

[furie]

I hope they call the West Point team the Vipers

[ozzie]

I'm suprised the NFL hasn't realized the benefit of a true "minor league" yet. One that they can control, and where current teams can place players, and draw talent from.

[razorboy]

Hell yes. Bring me back my Tampa Bay Bandits.

[furie]

i'd like to see a european style relegation rule put in effect between the two leagues.

[K.C.]

Seriously. The NFL is awful and doesn't get ratings. That's why its no longer one of the top three sports and is broadcast on Versus. I don't know how that league survived a year long lockout.

Gambling and Fantasy Football do more to keep up interest in the NFL than most realize. It wasn't that long ago that the NFL was scared of, of all things, the WWE stealing its audience on Monday Nights.

Look at the quality of the product. The talent is shitty today.

[underdog]

Look at the quality of the product. The talent is shitty today.

I hate this argument about all sports now.

The talent in all sports today is better than ever in the history of sports.

There's just parity in today's football among the teams. Not to mention that the players are becoming more and more equal to each other, which is just leveling out the playing field.

Also, there's fantasy for every sport, and gambling. Why does it just effect football so much?

[Donovan McNabb]

The talent in all sports today is better than ever in the history of sports.


I agree.

#5 would kick Otto Graham's ass.

[K.C.]

I hate this argument about all sports now.

The talent in all sports today is better than ever in the history of sports.

There's just parity in today's football among the teams. Not to mention that the players are becoming more and more equal to each other, which is just leveling out the playing field.

Also, there's fantasy for every sport, and gambling. Why does it just effect football so much?

It's not about talent then vs. talent now. It's about the level of competition.

And the competition sucks because the league is geared towards complete parity. You may think parity is good, and I guess from a perspective, it is good for fans if all you care about is your team having a chance to win.

Personally, I think it sucks, because 90% of the games on given week are extremely shitty. Even the 'marquee' games turn out to be fairly shitty most of the time.

And you can't compare other fantasy sports to fantasy football, and gambling on other sports to gambling on football.

Fantasy Football destroys every other fantasy sport in terms of popularity so much, that they've started gearing significant amounts of programming towards it.

And other than maybe College Football, there's no sport in this country gambled on more than the NFL.

And a large reason why the league is so popular, is because of those two things. I think that's kind of indisputable at this point.

[paulisded]

I'm suprised the NFL hasn't realized the benefit of a true "minor league" yet. One that they can control, and where current teams can place players, and draw talent from.

The European league was supposed to be sort of a minor league system, along with a way to promote the product.

[razorboy]

The European league was supposed to be sort of a minor league system, along with a way to promote the product.

Therein lies the problem. The European fans of American football that I know all watch the NFL, and having the league overseas makes it extremely difficult for US fans to follow. Hell, the AFL actually pulls decent numbers in the US.

[Gvac]

I hope they get some better looking helmets this time.

The original ones looked like a mix of bad high school and college helmets. (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mghelmets.com/usfl/usfl07wq0.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mghelmets.com/usfl.html&usg=__b76bvVGqnVziRkWK8WshvfsS1n8=&h=1011&w=1024&sz=515&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=NgaTJJp7dfpLoM:&tbnh=148&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dusfl%2Bhelmets%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26c lient%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN)

[King Hippos Bandaid]

ewww

no new football will ever survive

except Arena, cause it is football in the summer, I cant get into it, but I can see others doing so

[furie]

ewww

no new football will ever survive

except Arena, cause it is football in the summer, I cant get into it, but I can see others doing so

and this will be football in the spring. so i don't understand your point.

[cougarjake13]

actually arena is spring football

its starts in march and the arena bowl is sometime in june

[ozzie]

The European league was supposed to be sort of a minor league system, along with a way to promote the product.

I think the NFL could financially support a true minor league, even if the fans and tv contracts didn't. I think they'd benefit greatly with a place to develop marginal players into future NFL stars in actual NFL game situations, and against similar talent.

[cougarjake13]

I think the NFL could financially support a true minor league, even if the fans and tv contracts didn't. I think they'd benefit greatly with a place to develop marginal players into future NFL stars in actual NFL game situations, and against similar talent.

only problem is a 32 team minor leagues wouldnt survive

[ozzie]

only problem is a 32 team minor leagues wouldnt survive

I'm sitting here watching Gus Ferrotte play QB in the NFL. Between this and the Chiefs fiasco this year, they could really use a league to develop new QB's. Either that, or more NFL teams are going to have to adopt college style offenses to fit the QB's that they're producing, and with the investment the NFL teams have to make in players, I don't think they want to take that risk.

With only a 53 man roster and a practice squad to draw from, too many times they're pulling old men out of retirement to play.