United Football League

[jfiling]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6863932

First I've heard of this, but with Mark Cuban in the mix it could be interesting. Personally, I think he's looking to become the next Donald Trump in terms of owning a successful football team, so I'll be watching to see if he steals away Charlie Frye with a lifetime contract to play for his Vegas (apparently) squad.

[General]

If Cuban wants him, I say "don't let the door hit ya' where the good Lord split ya'". See ya Chuckles. Give Tom Matte a call.

[swerb]

Frye and a 4th to Vegas for He Hate Me?

[mswerb]

Sounds like the XFL all over again. I heard this on Rome today. Each city would need in the neighborhood of $30million to start up. Only 8 teams would be in the league. Sorry, but I don't see this happening.

[Guest]

Cuban is loaded and a great businessman, I see him getting it to work somehow.
It lasting long is another question.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Sounds like the XFL all over again. I heard this on Rome today. Each city would need in the neighborhood of $30million to start up. Only 8 teams would be in the league. Sorry, but I don't see this happening.

I don't know. A Mexico City team could be a major draw. It' something that won't happen overnight and likely won't jump out on NBC or anything like that, but I could see a slow build.

Cuban also owns HDNet and several other HD channels. He can at least put games there. They also might want to go with local sports networks instead of a national network to start.

[bruce8100]

The NFL no doubt has a monopoly on professional football. It's suicide to try and compete against them. I think the only way to have a shot is to play your games in the spring and summer because once training camps start, not even the MLB can get people to pay attention.

[FUDU]

I think the right people can make this work.

The USFL was this close (holding fingers an inch a part) to making it work back in the day. The reason they folded had more to due with them attempting to compete directly with the NFL in the fall than anything else.

The talent the NFL got form their demise alone pretty much proves it was on the verge of success.

Stick to a time of year when there is no NFL and the other sports are in their dry boring stretches and it can/will work.

[BadBecks]

god...I really hate the dog days of the offseason...

[Charboneau]

I think the right people can make this work.

The USFL was this close (holding fingers an inch a part) to making it work back in the day. The reason they folded had more to due with them attempting to compete directly with the NFL in the fall than anything else.

The talent the NFL got form their demise alone pretty much proves it was on the verge of success.

Stick to a time of year when there is no NFL and the other sports are in their dry boring stretches and it can/will work.

Now your talking my league - the USFL baby! I agree with your points. No league can compete with the NFL directly - too entrenched. Spring is a time wide open for football. If you want to take the USFL and learn from the mistakes then:

1. You have to negotiate and secure flexible terms for positive growth in the TV package. The USFL undersold themselves to ABC for three years and when first year ratings were very good they could not negotiate better terms with ABC because they were locked in.

2. Beware of Los Angeles. The USFL secure the ABC deal because they had teams in major markets and the leagues revenue was based on having teams in top markets. LA was a drain to the league. Shaky ownership and lackluster attendence in year two had the league floating the bills for the Express to stay afloat. Didn't take long to drain the war chest.

3. Follow the business model. The Denver Gold made money in 1983 and 1984 because they followed the original guidelines for player salaries and operating expenses. The spending war of 1984 hurt the league because revenue could not support both operating expenses and player salaries. Attendence in 1984 was solid - but teams were spending too much to keep up with the Jones.

4. Spring time is the right time. Be caeful of bad weather in the spring. Anyone remember the Chicago Blitz. Also the monsoons the Florida teams played in. Go late spring into the summer. Last week of Feb. is too early.

5. Use the "local draft" where teams have right to college talent. This helps build a regional following. Each team has 5 to 6 territorial schools to pick from.

6. The USFL with the exception of Boston (and later Portland), San Antonio all played in good stadiums. To be viewed as a PRO league - you need to secure leases in solid venues.

The USFL was very close to making it. Trump got everyone thinking they could compete head to head but my sense is Trump and maybe The Stars ownership were looking to merge with the NFL. Trump would have gotten an NFL franchise at a USFL price. The other owners were indifferent about the Fall move. If John Bassett who owned the Tampa Bay Bandits had not gotten terminally ill and dies in 1986 - I believe spring football would not have disappeared. He had the vision and marketing no how to pull it off. The Bandits were ultra successful until the move to the Fall was announced.

Go UFL - if any of you guys see Mark Cuban - pass my post along to him OK? I hope it works.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Go UFL - if any of you guys see Mark Cuban - pass my post along to him OK? I hope it works.

Just email him. I've emailed the guy before in regards to HD and gotten a personal response from him.

mark.cuban@dallasmavs.com

As for spring football, I don't know how viable it is. Football players come up and a late summer/early fall schedule and if you draft out of college then they have little preparation times.

To compete another league has to at least pay enough to steal some big time college names from the NFL and entice them to enter the UFL draft.

I'm not sure how well summer football would work down here in Florida. Hurricane season starts on June 1 every year and isn't usually really active until August, but you never know. It's also very hot down here. I would guess an Orlando franchise would be a necessity to any new league, so it needs to be taken into consideration.

They'd need to identify cities that aren't NFL cities (outside of a big one like NY). Orlando is one. San Antonio is another. Columbus would be a good location. Portland's another one. Las Vegas would be an obvious spot. That's half of the ten teams I'd start with. I'd probably put a team in NYC, might try one in LA but you've got to be careful there, probably would got for Atlanta, maybe Louisville, Salt Lake City.

I'd probably do it this way:

EAST:
Atlanta
NYC
Columbus
Orlando
Virginia Beach

WEST:
San Antonio
Las Vegas
Salt Lake City
Louisville
Portland

[swerb]

I really think that done right, a secondary spring football league could be a big success.

PROVIDED that that can get Vegas to make odds for the games.

Football is by far the most popular spectator sport here in America, and there is a big pocket in the spring where the television options for the American sports fan are limited.

Once you're past March Madness, the start of baseball season, the beginning of the NBA playoffs, the Masters, and the Indy/Brickyard weekend, there isn't much to compete with on the weekends. We're in the middle of that now.

There's golf and NASCAR. That's about it.

I loved the USFL as a kid. I watched the XFL at the beginning before it was exposed as gimmicky and constructed wrong.

Just because no one's been able to do it doesn'e mean it can't be done. I think it could become a huge success if done right, and if people are able to gamble on it.

[jb]

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/sports/17439788.htm

NFL Euro closes up shop.