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the USFL is back


Sandman

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On 6/3/2021 at 11:57 AM, 'stache said:

It was going to fail. All minor league football will fail. It is guaranteed. I lost interest after watching the first week out of curiosity. I tried again midseason and my immediate observation was that the QBs mostly sucked which meant the games mostly sucked. I enjoy all professional sports to some degree, so NBA and MLB are interesting enough until the next football season. I think there are enough people like me that the die hards who want football year around aren't enough to support an entire league longterm.

XFL had higher TV ratings then most all NBA and would have MLB games before it was canceled because of covid, it was coming back without covid.  The question is now are the USFL and the XFL going to both be competing against each other every weekend in a lot of the same cities no less?   It definitely cuts the talent pool down with three spring leagues now including what ever that was I saw the other week on tv.  

Edited by Hook1997
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On 6/3/2021 at 2:42 PM, Born Burnt said:

Don't spend much time in Dallas, do you?

 

On 6/3/2021 at 3:57 PM, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Dallas doesn't count because it is actually part of Oklahoma

This exchange is kind of oxymoronical because anyone that makes the "Dallas is in Oklahoma" joke is probably from Houston or lives there and is insecure about Houston's standing in the pecking order and true Texasness. It's just a roundabout way of agreeing that Dallas is less Texan. 

Not that either answer is correct - Austin is by far the least "Texan" city in Texas (unfortunately).

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On 6/3/2021 at 10:49 AM, 'stache said:

Why do they keep doing this? Are people loaning money to support this? It will fail like every other fucking league that has tried. What makes anyone think this time will finally be different?

It probably will fail and it’s fucking stupid because football is the only sport with this issue.

MLB has all those minor leagues
NBA has the G league
NHL has multiple minor leagues

Only with football do you have this dynamic where the top dog is actively trying to sabotage what amount to minor leagues that don’t even play during the fall.

It’s so ironic that Vince McMahon, of all people, has tried this twice because the NFL is to football as the WWF/E was to wrestling post-1983: expand it as far as possible and kill all developmental leagues/territories that aren’t even there to compete.

It’s ridiculous because so many football players who might have had a chance to make it in the NFL after a couple years in a USFL/XFL-type environment have been snuffed out.

Edited by hpslugga
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8 hours ago, ztejas said:

 

This exchange is kind of oxymoronical because anyone that makes the "Dallas is in Oklahoma" joke is probably from Houston or lives there and is insecure about Houston's standing in the pecking order and true Texasness. It's just a roundabout way of agreeing that Dallas is less Texan. 

Not that either answer is correct - Austin is by far the least "Texan" city in Texas (unfortunately).

All this tribalism will ultimately cause the death of civilization.
 

And I was told that China Grove was the least Texan town by the Doobie Brothers. 

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On 6/3/2021 at 11:41 AM, BornOrange said:

The USFL screwed up by trying to compete with the NFL, at first for players and then by playing in the fall.

Unfortunately for us, if the USFL is going to be successful this time around, it will be at the expense of college football. They will concentrate not only on players rejected by the NFL, but on players not yet eligible for the NFL. Kids who want to get paid will go to the USFL instead of playing college ball, or will leave college ball early to play in the USFL.

The NFL will scoop up the best USFL players, but the USFL will be raiding college teams just as much.

the corollary to this is it will force the hand of the big programs to stop the charade and pay players

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On 6/3/2021 at 11:57 AM, 'stache said:

It was going to fail. All minor league football will fail. It is guaranteed. I lost interest after watching the first week out of curiosity. I tried again midseason and my immediate observation was that the QBs mostly sucked which meant the games mostly sucked. I enjoy all professional sports to some degree, so NBA and MLB are interesting enough until the next football season. I think there are enough people like me that the die hards who want football year around aren't enough to support an entire league longterm.

what if sam decided $1m a year was enough so he could actually have the keys to a team in san antonio for as long as he wanted to play there?

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re: canada, the CFL is the wildcard and the prize in all of this if they will let go of their history and forgo 3-down football, the 55 yard line and 25-yard endzones.

essential reading from march this year to continue to post in this thread:

https://www.cfl.ca/2021/03/10/cfl-exploring-opportunities-alignment-xfl-ownership/

https://xflnewshub.com/xfl-news/an-xfl-cfl-hybrid-league-that-could-actually-work/

this link is 8 years old but a required primer for this discussion:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1685288-cfl-usa-how-to-make-it-work-this-time-and-15-places-where-it-could

smsa without nfl interlaced with cfl smsa (3.3 = 3 million 3 hundred thousand rounded)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_statistical_areas

6.5 toronto

4.4 montreal

3.3 san diego - no brainer

2.8 vancouver

2.8 st. louis - not sure if the support is there... they were really pissed off after losing their 2nd nfl team

2.7 great salt lake city (slc is only 1.3 by itself, but the addressable market includes ogden (.7) and provo (.7) thus the placement here) - no brainer, BYU-graduate-pro-team

2.6 orlando - will the transient population buy in?

2.6 san antonio - no brainer

2.5 portland - the oregon antifas - or even better, the oregon warriors..... just do it

2.4 sacramento - no brainer

2.3 austin - do we *really* want this? .... they would have to play on campus..... do we really want this?  wouldn't a team in san antonio moot this?

2.1 columbus - proximity to canada trumps jortitude

1.9 milwaukee LISTED FOR COMPARISON, includes green bay (.3)

1.8 hampton roads (va beach, newport, etc.) NOT AN OPTION due to transient navy population - 80% of the disposable income rotates out every 3 years

1.6 providence NOT AN OPTION foxboro is equidistant to boston

1.6 calgary

1.5 edmonton

1.5 ottawa

1.4 okc

there are 7 us sms areas underlined above, and with 9 cfl teams that rounds out a nice level bracketable league of 16

1.4 raleigh-durham

1.3 memphis

1.3 richmond

1.3 louisville

1.2 hartford (an interesting idea for a team in the north east with proximity to ontario and quebec, far enough away from the ginajets and hoodieland)

1.1 buffalo LISTED FOR COMPARISON, this is the smallest smsa in the nfl when milwaukee and green bay are combined

1.1 birmingham - vulcans holla

1.1 grand rapids - there's enough hate for lions suckitude that the proximity to toronto and winnipeg might make it viable.... maybe

1.1 rochester - central new york is another option for a team close to ontario & quebec

1.1 tucson - very stable population but huge number of retirees, we are getting in to speculative territory

1.0 tulsa - 2 teams in oklahoma?  maybe a franchise to split games between okc and tulsa?

1.0 fresno - 2 teams in central california?

1.0 oahu - not until the boomliner is operational

1.0 corn - chefs fans

.9 worcester mass - part of hoodieland

.9 bridgeport ct - additional hartford market

.9 greenville sc - getting very speculative here

.9 albuquerque - isotopes holla, we could have the california atoms (sacramento) and the albuquerque isotopes and that would be cool

stopping here for us markets as many of the smaller sms on the list are next to or part of larger conurbations already listed above and/or in nfl tv markets and i don't see any that i think could support a team by themselves

it would be useful to compare population data against tv markets as a check-sum

note: san francisco / oakland (4.7) and san jose (2.0) are considered separate MSAs but i left both out even though the 49ers play in santa clara so the peninsula and the city are "technically" available, and the raiders fan base which stayed solid during the 12 years in la means a bet on oakland as a market needs 10 years to see if the same thing happens after the move to vegas; i would stay out of norcal but go all-in on sacramento as a must-have

to round out the canadian comparison there is a big drop after ottawa:

.9 winnipeg

.8 hamilton

and the smallest pro football market in both the us and canada....

".6" the saskatchewan roughriders who play in regina, population 263,184, and have fans that travel from saskatoon, population 336,614, which is 163 miles northwest

for comparison, green bay is 117 miles north of milwaukee

 

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54 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

re: canada, the CFL is the wildcard and the prize in all of this if they will let go of their history and forgo 3-down football, the 55 yard line and 25-yard endzones.

essential reading from march this year to continue to post in this thread:

https://www.cfl.ca/2021/03/10/cfl-exploring-opportunities-alignment-xfl-ownership/

https://xflnewshub.com/xfl-news/an-xfl-cfl-hybrid-league-that-could-actually-work/

this link is 8 years old but a required primer for this discussion:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1685288-cfl-usa-how-to-make-it-work-this-time-and-15-places-where-it-could

smsa without nfl interlaced with cfl smsa (3.3 = 3 million 3 hundred thousand rounded)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_statistical_areas

6.5 toronto

4.4 montreal

3.3 san diego - no brainer

2.8 vancouver

2.8 st. louis - not sure if the support is there... they were really pissed off after losing their 2nd nfl team

2.7 great salt lake city (slc is only 1.3 by itself, but the addressable market includes ogden (.7) and provo (.7) thus the placement here) - no brainer, BYU-graduate-pro-team

2.6 orlando - will the transient population buy in?

2.6 san antonio - no brainer

2.5 portland - the oregon antifas - or even better, the oregon warriors..... just do it

2.4 sacramento - no brainer

2.3 austin - do we *really* want this? .... they would have to play on campus..... do we really want this?  wouldn't a team in san antonio moot this?

2.1 columbus - proximity to canada trumps jortitude

1.9 milwaukee LISTED FOR COMPARISON, includes green bay (.3)

1.8 hampton roads (va beach, newport, etc.) NOT AN OPTION due to transient navy population - 80% of the disposable income rotates out every 3 years

1.6 providence NOT AN OPTION foxboro is equidistant to boston

1.6 calgary

1.5 edmonton

1.5 ottawa

1.4 okc

there are 7 us sms areas underlined above, and with 9 cfl teams that rounds out a nice level bracketable league of 16

1.4 raleigh-durham

1.3 memphis

1.3 richmond

1.3 louisville

1.2 hartford (an interesting idea for a team in the north east with proximity to ontario and quebec, far enough away from the ginajets and hoodieland)

1.1 buffalo LISTED FOR COMPARISON, this is the smallest smsa in the nfl when milwaukee and green bay are combined

1.1 birmingham - vulcans holla

1.1 grand rapids - there's enough hate for lions suckitude that the proximity to toronto and winnipeg might make it viable.... maybe

1.1 rochester - central new york is another option for a team close to ontario & quebec

1.1 tucson - very stable population but huge number of retirees, we are getting in to speculative territory

1.0 tulsa - 2 teams in oklahoma?  maybe a franchise to split games between okc and tulsa?

1.0 fresno - 2 teams in central california?

1.0 oahu - not until the boomliner is operational

1.0 corn - chefs fans

.9 worcester mass - part of hoodieland

.9 bridgeport ct - additional hartford market

.9 greenville sc - getting very speculative here

.9 albuquerque - isotopes holla, we could have the california atoms (sacramento) and the albuquerque isotopes and that would be cool

stopping here for us markets as many of the smaller sms on the list are next to or part of larger conurbations already listed above and/or in nfl tv markets and i don't see any that i think could support a team by themselves

it would be useful to compare population data against tv markets as a check-sum

note: san francisco / oakland (4.7) and san jose (2.0) are considered separate MSAs but i left both out even though the 49ers play in santa clara so the peninsula and the city are "technically" available, and the raiders fan base which stayed solid during the 12 years in la means a bet on oakland as a market needs 10 years to see if the same thing happens after the move to vegas; i would stay out of norcal but go all-in on sacramento as a must-have

to round out the canadian comparison there is a big drop after ottawa:

.9 winnipeg

.8 hamilton

and the smallest pro football market in both the us and canada....

".6" the saskatchewan roughriders who play in regina, population 263,184, and have fans that travel from saskatoon, population 336,614, which is 163 miles northwest

for comparison, green bay is 117 miles north of milwaukee

 

We have the new soccer stadium. Perfect for minor league football. 

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On 6/5/2021 at 11:37 AM, Hagbard Celine said:

re: canada, the CFL is the wildcard and the prize in all of this if they will let go of their history and forgo 3-down football, the 55 yard line and 25-yard endzones.

essential reading from march this year to continue to post in this thread:

https://www.cfl.ca/2021/03/10/cfl-exploring-opportunities-alignment-xfl-ownership/

https://xflnewshub.com/xfl-news/an-xfl-cfl-hybrid-league-that-could-actually-work/

this link is 8 years old but a required primer for this discussion:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1685288-cfl-usa-how-to-make-it-work-this-time-and-15-places-where-it-could

smsa without nfl interlaced with cfl smsa (3.3 = 3 million 3 hundred thousand rounded)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_statistical_areas

6.5 toronto

4.4 montreal

3.3 san diego - no brainer

2.8 vancouver

2.8 st. louis - not sure if the support is there... they were really pissed off after losing their 2nd nfl team

2.7 great salt lake city (slc is only 1.3 by itself, but the addressable market includes ogden (.7) and provo (.7) thus the placement here) - no brainer, BYU-graduate-pro-team

2.6 orlando - will the transient population buy in?

2.6 san antonio - no brainer

2.5 portland - the oregon antifas - or even better, the oregon warriors..... just do it

2.4 sacramento - no brainer

2.3 austin - do we *really* want this? .... they would have to play on campus..... do we really want this?  wouldn't a team in san antonio moot this?

2.1 columbus - proximity to canada trumps jortitude

1.9 milwaukee LISTED FOR COMPARISON, includes green bay (.3)

1.8 hampton roads (va beach, newport, etc.) NOT AN OPTION due to transient navy population - 80% of the disposable income rotates out every 3 years

1.6 providence NOT AN OPTION foxboro is equidistant to boston

1.6 calgary

1.5 edmonton

1.5 ottawa

1.4 okc

there are 7 us sms areas underlined above, and with 9 cfl teams that rounds out a nice level bracketable league of 16

1.4 raleigh-durham

1.3 memphis

1.3 richmond

1.3 louisville

1.2 hartford (an interesting idea for a team in the north east with proximity to ontario and quebec, far enough away from the ginajets and hoodieland)

1.1 buffalo LISTED FOR COMPARISON, this is the smallest smsa in the nfl when milwaukee and green bay are combined

1.1 birmingham - vulcans holla

1.1 grand rapids - there's enough hate for lions suckitude that the proximity to toronto and winnipeg might make it viable.... maybe

1.1 rochester - central new york is another option for a team close to ontario & quebec

1.1 tucson - very stable population but huge number of retirees, we are getting in to speculative territory

1.0 tulsa - 2 teams in oklahoma?  maybe a franchise to split games between okc and tulsa?

1.0 fresno - 2 teams in central california?

1.0 oahu - not until the boomliner is operational

1.0 corn - chefs fans

.9 worcester mass - part of hoodieland

.9 bridgeport ct - additional hartford market

.9 greenville sc - getting very speculative here

.9 albuquerque - isotopes holla, we could have the california atoms (sacramento) and the albuquerque isotopes and that would be cool

stopping here for us markets as many of the smaller sms on the list are next to or part of larger conurbations already listed above and/or in nfl tv markets and i don't see any that i think could support a team by themselves

it would be useful to compare population data against tv markets as a check-sum

note: san francisco / oakland (4.7) and san jose (2.0) are considered separate MSAs but i left both out even though the 49ers play in santa clara so the peninsula and the city are "technically" available, and the raiders fan base which stayed solid during the 12 years in la means a bet on oakland as a market needs 10 years to see if the same thing happens after the move to vegas; i would stay out of norcal but go all-in on sacramento as a must-have

to round out the canadian comparison there is a big drop after ottawa:

.9 winnipeg

.8 hamilton

and the smallest pro football market in both the us and canada....

".6" the saskatchewan roughriders who play in regina, population 263,184, and have fans that travel from saskatoon, population 336,614, which is 163 miles northwest

for comparison, green bay is 117 miles north of milwaukee

 

I don't see how it is remotely feasible for teams to learn, strategize, and practice two completely different set of rules, different football size, different field size, different number of downs, etc., etc. Especially for a minor league in which players probably won't be paid enough to say "suck it up and put in the work for your muti-million dollar salary." Also, the XFL is already set in NFL markets (St. Louis being the only exception). I don't see how this works unless they all agree to one set of rules or the other.  

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  • 4 months later...

https://xflnewshub.com/alt-football/potential-usfl-team-names-cities-revealed-15-cities-in-total/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Potential USFL Team Names & Cities Revealed, 15 Cities In Total

by Mark PerryOctober 18, 2021

Today it was announced that the USFL and Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center (BJCC) had reached a tentative Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to bring the relaunch season of the USFL to Birmingham, Alabama.

An entity called National Spring Football League or NSFL owns the rights to the USFL. A quick trademark search revealed recently applied for team names and cities trademarks.

They are the following;
MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS
ORLANDO RENEGADES
JACKSONVILLE BULLS
OAKLAND INVADERS
ARIZONA OUTLAWS
DENVER GOLD
LA EXPRESS
HOUSTON GAMBLERS
NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS
BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS
TAMPA BAY BANDITS
MICHIGAN PANTHERS
PITTSBURGH MAULERS
PHILADELPHIA STARS
NEW JERSEY GENERALS

When the league returns to play in April for its 10-week run plus 3-weeks of playoff games, it will include 8 teams. One of which has already been confirmed as the Birmingham Stallions. That leaves seven other teams from the list above need to be finalized.

Florida has 3 teams in the Renegades, Bulls & Bandits. Cities missing from this list include Dallas, DC, Seattle, New York, and St Louis. Locations the XFL 2.0 era had teams in.

Fox Sports, which owns the league and is its official broadcast partner, has reportedly committed $150 million over three years to its new spring football venture.

The Trademarks all have the standard language;

IC 025. US 022 039. G & S: Clothing, namely tops, bottoms, jerseys, swimsuits, jackets, scarves, gloves, pajamas, underwear, socks, footwear, headwear, aprons

IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, professional football games and exhibition games; providing ongoing television and radio programs in the field of football; providing sports and entertainment information via a global computer network; fan clubs; betting services; gambling services; entertainment services provided during intervals at sporting events, namely, interviews and live musical performances

Edited by MillerEP
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  • 4 weeks later...

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/other/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-united-states-football-league-spring-2022?fbclid=IwAR18ANqDQPAIHUmA0A1kpJfmN7sz2R3IThb6VZ2pGIV8DjeznfHk0p6fPqM

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: THE NEW UNITED STATES FOOTBALL LEAGUE ON FOX

33 MINS AGO

The new United States Football League is launching in the spring of 2022.

The new USFL is an American football league, owned by FOX Sports, that will deliver high-quality, innovative professional football played in the spring and early summer.

Here's what you need to know about the new USFL:

How many teams will be in the league? How will the league be formatted?

There will be eight teams in the new USFL, split into two divisions –– North and South. Each team will play a 10-game schedule, with teams in the same division playing each other twice and teams in the other division once. 

The top two teams in each division will play against each other in the semifinals followed a week later by the championship game.

Where will games be played?

In the inaugural season of the USFL, all eight teams will play in one location, which will be announced soon. In the future, the USFL expects teams to play in their own markets.

When will the season begin? 

The 2022 USFL regular season will begin in mid-April and run through mid-June, followed by the playoffs.

On what days will games be played? How can fans watch?

Games will be played on both Saturday and Sunday, with special broadcasts on specific Fridays and Mondays. 

FOX Sports is an official broadcast partner of the USFL and will air games on a weekly basis.

Who will oversee the new USFL?

Brian Woods –– the founder and CEO of The Spring League from 2017 to 2021 and a co-founder of the new USFL –– will serve as the league's President of Football Operations. 

Three-time Super Bowl champion and former Dallas Cowboys fullback Daryl "Moose" Johnston will serve as Executive Vice President of Football Operations. 

Joining the new USFL as Head of Officiating is former NFL Vice President of Officiating and FOX Sports' NFL and College Football Rules analyst Mike Pereira. And FOX Sports’ Edward Hartman will serve as Executive Vice President of Business Operations.

"We are extremely fortunate to have this extraordinary team of experienced executives to guide the new USFL's development as we move toward launch this spring," said FOX Sports CEO and Executive Producer Eric Shanks, who will serve as Chairman of the USFL's Board of Directors. 

"I am confident Brian, Daryl, Mike and Edward have the passion, experience, and commitment we need to get the job done, so come April, we will offer a compelling, high-quality game of professional football that fans will embrace."

Plans are progressing quickly, and additional announcements will be made in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

 

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3 minutes ago, 'stache said:

All games in one location for the first year? That sounds really, really, really, really, really, really stupid.

Am I missing something? What’s the point of that? It’s not like they have to have a USFL bubble for Covid reasons like the NBA did

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4 minutes ago, 'stache said:

All games in one location for the first year? That sounds really, really, really, really, really, really stupid.

Unless you really, really, really, really, really, really love USFL football and live in that location. So all five fans...

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2 minutes ago, GTX Horn said:

Am I missing something? What’s the point of that? It’s not like they have to have a USFL bubble for Covid reasons like the NBA did

It's guaranteed to fail regardless like all attempts at minor league football, I guess the intent here is to ensure it fails quicker than normal?

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4 hours ago, 'stache said:

All games in one location for the first year? That sounds really, really, really, really, really, really stupid.

It's for TV.  Keep the cost down and show football.  It will work.  I watched Spring Football played at Colts/Rice Stadium...

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This country is awash in entertainment options. Why people keep wasting money on this notion that people in this country need or want a second professional football league never ceases to amaze me. This isnt 1960's America when there were only 16 NFL teams and limited sports on TV. The last few times someone has tried, the damn league craps out before it even makes it to the end of the first season. And it always boils down to there's not enough money to keep the fucking things afloat. Stadiums are not full, people arent watching on TV in great enough numbers, and I doubt there are that many people that really feel  life would be better if only they could watch more football between April and June.

I guess Snacks will watch and a few others, but I just don't believe the market is there to drive the TV revenue that Pro leagues depend on now. Sure, the average person might casually watch for 15 minutes before they switch over to "America's Whores doing Whore Things" or "Ouch My Balls" , but the chances of developing a rabid fanbase like you have with CFB of the NFL seem neglible. 

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50 minutes ago, Snacks said:

It's for TV.  Keep the cost down and show football.  It will work.  I watched Spring Football played at Colts/Rice Stadium...

But its only for the first year. If they wanted to try a model reliant on TV only without geographic affiliation, ok give it a go. But having Memphis v. St. Louis playing in LA (or wherever they choose)? Why? Especially at a time you're trying to get fans to follow their localities team?

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This country is awash in entertainment options. Why people keep wasting money on this notion that people in this country need or want a second professional football league never ceases to amaze me. This isnt 1960's America when there were only 16 NFL teams and limited sports on TV. The last few times someone has tried, the damn league craps out before it even makes it to the end of the first season. And it always boils down to there's not enough money to keep the fucking things afloat. Stadiums are not full, people arent watching on TV in great enough numbers, and I doubt there are that many people that really feel  life would be better if only they could watch more football between April and June.
I guess Snacks will watch and a few others, but I just don't believe the market is there to drive the TV revenue that Pro leagues depend on now. Sure, the average person might casually watch for 15 minutes before they switch over to "America's Whores doing Whore Things" or "Ouch My Balls" , but the chances of developing a rabid fanbase like you have with CFB of the NFL seem neglible. 

It doesn’t need to draw NFL eyeballs and make NFL $ to be viable.

There are two things minor league football needs to do and never does:
1) don’t start right after the NFL season. Wait a few months until people miss football.
2) find markets that love football but don’t have the NFL. No one will care in an NFL town.

They at least got the first part right
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  • 3 weeks later...

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/nbc-fox-simulcast-usfl-inaugural-game-1235080971/

NBC and Fox to Simulcast U.S. Football League Inaugural Game
The debut USFL game on April 16 will be the first network simulcast of a pro football game since Super Bowl I in 1967.


BY ALEX WEPRIN  JANUARY 25, 2022 1:05PM

For the first time since Super Bowl I in 1967, two broadcast networks will simulcast a professional football game.

On Saturday April 16, NBC and Fox will both air the inaugural game from the new United States Football League, a new spring league launched and controlled by Fox Sports. The game, which will originate from Birmingham, Alabama, will see the New Jersey Generals take on Birmingham Stallions, with Fox to produce the game itself, and NBC producing the pre-game, halftime and post-game shows.

The last time two broadcasters carried the same game was Super Bowl I in 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. NBC and CBS both carried that game.

The USFL originally launched in 1983 and served as a springboard for future NFL stars like Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker. It also counted Donald Trump as an owner of the Generals. The league ultimately folded after just a few seasons.

Fox announced plans to revive it last year, and later brought on NBC as a second broadcast partner. With the NFL dominating the TV ratings in the fall and winter months, spring leagues have occasionally popped up to keep some of that momentum going during what is otherwise a slow part of the year for sports.

“Having two broadcast networks combine and start something like the USFL is not only unique but represents our commitment to making spring football succeed,” said Pete Bevacqua, chairman of NBC Sports in a statement.

“It’s rare when two competitors can come together and see how cooperation can lead to long-term benefit,” added Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks.

By simulcasting the game, NBC and Fox are hoping to give the new league an early ratings jolt that past efforts haven’t succeeded with. In the future, the USFL may need to contend with another spring league: A revived XFL, which was sold in 2020 to Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital, and plans to relaunch within the next year.

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28 minutes ago, 'stache said:

The league is owned by Fox Sports but is simulcasting on NBC? So fucking weird. Why?

I think they’re splitting broadcast rights between NBC and Fox now with some games being broadcast on Peacock and USA Network throughout the season

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although, now that i think about it, the number of butts in seats for games that don't involve Birmingham are going to make it *very*easy* to be heard heckling and there won't be much fox or nbc can do about it unless they shut off the sideline mics......    so if you want to heckle any of these coaches or players you could very very easily get a nationwide platform

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1 minute ago, Hagbard Celine said:

although, now that i think about it, the number of butts in seats for games that don't involve Birmingham are going to make it *very*easy* to be heard heckling and there won't be much fox or nbc can do about it unless they shut off the sideline mics......    so if you want to heckle any of these coaches or players you could very very easily get a nationwide platform

Hey coach Sumlin, I'm going in to the bar...you need anything?  

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I’m trying to figure out what the players will make vs a college player earning g nil money.

Growing up in Memphis my dad and I went to WFL Grizzly games with Csonka, Kiick, and Warfield. I took my son to Showboats games with Pepper Rodgers and Reggie White. It was fun to waych.

I’m wondering if this league will get enough eyeballs to make money for Fox.

And fuck Jeff Fisher

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