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The USFL is Back! Kinda...

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Armchair_QB, Feb 19, 2013.

  1. There were some who were gung-ho on the All American Football League several years ago.
     
  2. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    The UFL has had some pretty big names involved, but would anybody call it a success?
     
  3. PopeDirkBenedict

    PopeDirkBenedict Active Member

    No, it won't succeed. It has never succeeded.

    The NBDL works solely as an NBA farm system and would almost certainly fold without the NBA money. However, a basketball team is much cheaper to run. Fewer salaries, less equipment, travel is cheaper. And I don't think NBDL games draw that well.

    Minor league baseball works largely as pure entertainment. Some fans go to the games to see future stars or rehabbing major leaguers, but for the most part, it is the entertainment of being at the game (similar to going to a movie or a night on the town).

    But a professional football league, where players sign contracts and are paid (a pittance) will not work without the NFL subsidizing its losses. The expenses are the highest of almost any pro sports team and the public at large has shown no interest in seeing a bunch of NFL-players go pro, despite repeated attempts to make it viable (XFL, Arena, UFL). Gate attendance of 5,000 fans will not be enough to support the team and I would be shocked if a "minor" league could attract more than that.

    Plus, the practice squad fulfills the NFL's need to develop talent. Giving each team three additional practice squad players would be a much cheaper way to identify and develop talent.

    It's too expensive to maintain as a small scale, niche local product (i.e. minor league baseball) and the public doesn't care enough to watch it on a national level. These leagues are fool's gold.
     
  4. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    These leagues always die because they fail to land a legit TV deal. With NBC, CBS and Fox now ramping up channels to compete with ESPN and needing programming its entirely possible they could land one.

    It's also possible the NFL Network might want it. They need summer programming so badly they were going to show a rugby 7s tournament in July but the competition they were going to air now won't debut until 2014.
     
  5. PopeDirkBenedict

    PopeDirkBenedict Active Member

    XFL was on NBC. Arena football was on NBC and even had an EA video game. UFL has various regional TV deals. Didn't help those leagues one bit.
     
  6. Tarheel316

    Tarheel316 Well-Known Member

    So does my college classmate Kelvin Bryant.
     
  7. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    <-------?
     
  8. Knighthawk

    Knighthawk Member

    The Michigan Panthers are still the only Detroit football team to win a championship game in my lifetime. Bobby Hebert to Anthony Carter, baby.
     
  9. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    The XFL existed in an entirely different TV era and was on network TV. Not the same as a cable deal, which is what I'm talking about.

    The Arena League is still around and will air on the CBS Sports Network this season. The same type of deal any start-up league should be looking for.

    And a few regional deals isn't the same thing as a national cable deal - which is what I was talking about.

    I'm not saying the USFL will succeed. What I'm saying is that they stand a much better chance of securing a TV deal that works for them than the XFL or UFL did due to the fact that ESPN is no longer the only national all-sports channel.
     
  10. Grand Prix rugby 7s will not happen. It's been "in the works" since 2005.the company recently bought the U.S. sanctioning body for rugby league, but that's a joke, as well. It announced last year it sold a New York franchise for $10 million to a woman who is invisible on Google.
     
  11. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    I have no idea about that one way or the other but the fact the NFL Network was going to air it suggests they're hard up for summer programming.
     
  12. wicked

    wicked Well-Known Member

    UFL had a decent deal with Versus. TV networks want something that will attract eyeballs and that people care about. Fox Sports isn't going to throw insane money at the USFL just for the programming -- it wants programming that will make money.
     
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