Dennis Green to the UFL!!

[stevew]

I can't believe there hasn't been a thread yet.

FOFC are not who I thought we were.

[samifan24]

What's the UFL?

[Crim]

Aw, c'mon, stevew, can't you just let us off the hook?

[Karlifornia]

Just checked out the UFL Website: United Football League (UFL) - Where The Future Stars Come to Play!

You can email them team name suggestions. Here are the markets

Hartford
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Orlando
New York
San Francisco
Sacramento

Any suggestions? So far I've got:

Hartford Pistols
Las Vegas HighRollers
New York Dolls
San Francisco Stallions
Los Angeles Smog Demons

[stevew]

I dunno if this league has a shot. But Dennis green is a step in the right direction

[Young Drachma]

Jim Fassel signed a few weeks ago to the team in Vegas.

[Young Drachma]

lol @ smogdemons.

[RendeR]

I was a huge fan of the USFL when it started and cried mightily when I watched them build far too fast and fall on their asses after only 3 seasons.

IF the ownership and commissioner can accept a slow buildup this league should have a shot, All those places they want to play are very desirous of having a pro franchise. They're also very strong sports towns.

I love seeing new things like this. Hope it is done right, slow and steady.

RIP USFL.....*sniffle*

[DeToxRox]

UFL owners plan on offering million dollar deals to 3rd and 4th round NFL draft picks to get them to jump ship. It's a great idea and a way to get some solid talent in the league if it works.

[stevew]

The first season is just 6 games and 4 teams. There's probably enough 4A type guys to build a league around. But they have to build slowly.

[sooner333]

The Versus contract is huge, I think. Too many things start up and end up getting a deal with HDNet or some crap like that. A lot of people get Versus and it's in HD too. It's also night as high of pressure or scrutiny with the ratings because if they weren't showing it, they would show fishing or something. ESPN or a network would almost turn the league's focus solely on ratings and not on the level of play.

[Groundhog]

Is it the best time to be starting up a new sports league?

[MikeVic]

Economy, bah!

What's with the site though? I click #3 to get to the team name voting, click #2 for some news or something... can't they just have headings?

[Pumpy Tudors]

I'd like to see most pro sports leagues get a chance to succeed. I just wonder how people will react to this one. Does it need a Herschel Walker type of potential superstar to get people to watch? He couldn't go to the NFL after his junior year of college, so he went to the USFL, and he was a big reason that the USFL got off the ground. What's going to get people watching the UFL?

The XFL is really what got me asking the question. Next to the whole Vince McMahon connection, the biggest gripe about the XFL was that the level of play wasn't nearly high enough to bother with. I wonder if people will say the same thing about the UFL. I'm sure people will attend the games just out of novelty, but does any new football league stand a chance to grab television viewers these days without at least one superstar player?

I hope it works. I just hate to see a new league in any sport try to get off the ground and then run into a reality that they should've seen coming. Here's hoping the UFL has a strong plan. Hell, I watch pro bowling and A-level hockey. I'll give the thing a shot.

[stevew]

I forgot that the AFL was done for the near future so that should expand the player pool some. They might do well with players not yet eligible for the NFL draft, but unable to continue at their college due to some reason.

[Groundhog]

I think the teams should target the best college players who didn't make the NFL from their local colleges. I'd think that would give them the best shot at maybe attracting fans from the get-go.

[stevew]

Only if they are willing to put a team in middle Georgia and name Reggie Ball the Starter4LyFe

[sooner333]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I think the teams should target the best college players who didn't make the NFL from their local colleges. I'd think that would give them the best shot at maybe attracting fans from the get-go.

The problem with this is two-fold. Specific to the league, the markets they are pursuing aren't big college football markets. If there are schools, they don't have a huge following. Secondly, and not specific to the league, is that if they did so, they would run the risk of looking more like a semi-pro league than a league trying to reach national respectability.

[DeToxRox]

the UFL will get the first HS player directly to the pros. One of those owners will offer a 3 year, 5 mil deal to some kid and he'll come, ready or not. Won't be any or every kid, but an elite talent that is physically matured will get a shot.

[DeToxRox]

Also, kids who're one or two years into college and want that payday and not risk injury waiting their 3 years, I can see some of those guys coming out to the UFL if the money is there.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by stevew

I can't believe there hasn't been a thread yet.

FOFC are not who I thought we were.

Sportsdigs had this 2 weeks ago...

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by sooner333

Secondly, and not specific to the league, is that if they did so, they would run the risk of looking more like a semi-pro league than a league trying to reach national respectability.

I think this is unavoidable. It is a semi-pro league. 99% of the best football players in the country are going to be playing in the NFL. The UFL may grab a few "big names" (ie. 4th-5th round picks) and offer them good money, but I think most 4th round picks with a shot to get signed are going to want to stay in the NFL, and only head to the UFL if that's not an option for them, or when their rookie contracts expire and they can't stick anywhere else.

The NFL and it's teams just have far too much money for the UFL to realistically compete with I'd imagine.

I think the High School idea is an interesting one though. Would only really work for some positions though, and I think the leap from high school football to playing against men with either 4 years of college or a few years NFL experience is a hell of a lot tougher - physically and mentally - than doing so in basketball.

[bhlloy]

I can see the Bryce and Arthur Brown circus coming to this league pretty soon. Their "advisor" has to be salivating at the thought of making a few bucks off of them 3 years earlier than he thought.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I think this is unavoidable. It is a semi-pro league. 99% of the best football players in the country are going to be playing in the NFL. The UFL may grab a few "big names" (ie. 4th-5th round picks) and offer them good money, but I think most 4th round picks with a shot to get signed are going to want to stay in the NFL, and only head to the UFL if that's not an option for them, or when their rookie contracts expire and they can't stick anywhere else.

The NFL and it's teams just have far too much money for the UFL to realistically compete with I'd imagine.

I think the High School idea is an interesting one though. Would only really work for some positions though, and I think the leap from high school football to playing against men with either 4 years of college or a few years NFL experience is a hell of a lot tougher - physically and mentally - than doing so in basketball.

Maybe what they ought to do is set up a league that goes after kids out of high school, with the amenities you'd expect to find at a major college. If you can get the financing for something like that, how many kids would go for getting paid for 2-3 years to concentrate on nothing but football?

Maybe not the really big ones who can expect to play in front of 100,000 on Saturdays, but if you've got the facilities to allow the kids to train and play as though they were in college, wouldn't you expect to see some second tier talent matriculate in?

[Abe Sargent]

Good call SackAttack

[Blade6119]

Looks like Jim Haslett has signed on to coach a team as well

[Tim Tellean]

Versus has agreed to broadcast one game a week.

[Bobble]

Am I the only one who thinks this league should be run sometime OTHER than September? In September, I can watch all the "real" football I want -- college, High School, pro. It's an Artie Fufkin-esque oversaturation. Play the games in March or April or May when I'm dying to see some decent football.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Maybe what they ought to do is set up a league that goes after kids out of high school, with the amenities you'd expect to find at a major college. If you can get the financing for something like that, how many kids would go for getting paid for 2-3 years to concentrate on nothing but football?

Maybe not the really big ones who can expect to play in front of 100,000 on Saturdays, but if you've got the facilities to allow the kids to train and play as though they were in college, wouldn't you expect to see some second tier talent matriculate in?

Partner up with a local school and offer the kids a chance to take a couple classes one day a week and you can probably swing a lot of hesitant parents too.

[Passacaglia]

Ping: Moderator -- Thank you for merging all these threads.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I'd like to see most pro sports leagues get a chance to succeed. I just wonder how people will react to this one. Does it need a Herschel Walker type of potential superstar to get people to watch? He couldn't go to the NFL after his junior year of college, so he went to the USFL, and he was a big reason that the USFL got off the ground. What's going to get people watching the UFL?

The XFL is really what got me asking the question. Next to the whole Vince McMahon connection, the biggest gripe about the XFL was that the level of play wasn't nearly high enough to bother with. I wonder if people will say the same thing about the UFL. I'm sure people will attend the games just out of novelty, but does any new football league stand a chance to grab television viewers these days without at least one superstar player?

I hope it works. I just hate to see a new league in any sport try to get off the ground and then run into a reality that they should've seen coming. Here's hoping the UFL has a strong plan. Hell, I watch pro bowling and A-level hockey. I'll give the thing a shot.

What's the difference between pro bowling and A-level hockey? Ice.

[lungs]

This also could be a league where players who are currently in jail go.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

What's the difference between pro bowling and A-level hockey? Ice.

you are so done

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

you are so done

welp

[MikeVic]

Daaaaaaaaamn!

[bhlloy]

Anyone else think this could be very bad news for a lot of JC teams (at least the decently big programs) that usually get the stud kids that don't qualify out of HS?

Suddenly not as attractive to go to JC and try and get your grades up and have a shot at maybe playing 2 years in college, when you can go and play at a better level and actually get paid for it?

Also I assume the NFL draft will treat these guys the same - 3 years out of HS and you are eligible?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Anyone else think this could be very bad news for a lot of JC teams (at least the decently big programs) that usually get the stud kids that don't qualify out of HS?

Suddenly not as attractive to go to JC and try and get your grades up and have a shot at maybe playing 2 years in college, when you can go and play at a better level and actually get paid for it?

Also I assume the NFL draft will treat these guys the same - 3 years out of HS and you are eligible?

I was thinking the same thing. I could see Vontaze Burfict going this route with likely a high level of success.

[Autumn]

Originally Posted by Bobble

Am I the only one who thinks this league should be run sometime OTHER than September? In September, I can watch all the "real" football I want -- college, High School, pro. It's an Artie Fufkin-esque oversaturation. Play the games in March or April or May when I'm dying to see some decent football.

I think this is the only way a second pro league could make it. If they ran opposite of the NFL I think they'd get a lot of viewers. There are plenty of people who would watch any football whatsoever if it ran from February to August.

[Cringer]

I find it interesting they have Monterrey, MX marked on the map as a future franchise.

[sooner333]

I think they need to start out in football season when people are thinking about football. Once the Super Bowl is over, people are ready to move on to other things. Sure, you could argue about the NFL draft getting publicity, but it would be more embarassing for a league to lose a ratings war to NFL Live in the offseason than to the NFL in the regular season. The games are going to be on Fridays anyway, so high school and WAC football, beware.

[Autumn]

I know a lot of people who are never ready to think about other things. Football is their sport, and they'd watch it year round if they had any way to.

[larrymcg421]

Playing football in Orlando in May is not a very good idea. Same for some of those other cities. I think they'd do fine during the NFL season if they just picked another day to show the games, and they could fill in well with the Saturday lull after the college football regular season ends.

[Galaxy]

Isn't Mark Cuban an investor in this league?

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Maybe what they ought to do is set up a league that goes after kids out of high school, with the amenities you'd expect to find at a major college. If you can get the financing for something like that, how many kids would go for getting paid for 2-3 years to concentrate on nothing but football?

Maybe not the really big ones who can expect to play in front of 100,000 on Saturdays, but if you've got the facilities to allow the kids to train and play as though they were in college, wouldn't you expect to see some second tier talent matriculate in?

Do you think that by going to college, for at least one or two years, they become more marketable to people? In college, you get that national spotlight and the ability for people to see your talent against the best competition possible. You get "brand named" per se. You take a kid out of high school, does he still have that marketability and proven pedigree (even if he a talented stud)?

Isn't that what makes the NFL Draft so popular and the role of rookies in the league (they are more developed)?

You hear "blah blah selects...Chance Daniels, QB, Missouri", you know who he is, what he's done, and that plays against the best talent possible. You get excited or pissed.

You hear "blah blah selects....Chance Daniels, QB, Southlake High School (TX)", you really don't know who he is. You've heard of him, but you only seen highlight clips against other teams. You aren't sure how good he is (does he make the team better) and if is a product of the system, the team around him, ect. He doesn't have the hype or have fans lining up to buy tickets to see him. It's more of a NHL or MLB type system of talent.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Do you think that by going to college, for at least one or two years, they become more marketable to people?

Absolutely. You think Manning jersey's are a hot item in Tennessee without his college career? Or that anybody in Louisiana gives a damn about Jamarcus Russell if it doesn't say "former LSU quarterback" in front of his name?

[sooner333]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Absolutely. You think Manning jersey's are a hot item in Tennessee without his college career? Or that anybody in Louisiana gives a damn about Jamarcus Russell if it doesn't say "former LSU quarterback" in front of his name?

Or Minnesota Vikings jerseys all over Oklahoma. That makes sense, but they all share revenue on those jerseys in large part. I think it hurts the NFL in college markets more than it would hurt the players themselves who WILL be picked up if they prove themselves against quality competition. The UFL's potential problem will be getting the quality competition for the NFL to adequately scout the players. At least they know what college is about and they have years of experience scouting players in that system.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Autumn

I know a lot of people who are never ready to think about other things. Football is their sport, and they'd watch it year round if they had any way to.

Seriously...I loved having the USFL around way back when.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Do you think that by going to college, for at least one or two years, they become more marketable to people? In college, you get that national spotlight and the ability for people to see your talent against the best competition possible. You get "brand named" per se. You take a kid out of high school, does he still have that marketability and proven pedigree (even if he a talented stud)?

Sure. No argument, and also why I don't think the best of the best would go this route. Way more national exposure playing in front of a sold-out Coliseum than in what would amount to a minor league franchise in Las Vegas.

But depending on what the pay is and how much financial backing the league has, they can get him that exposure. As others have said, there are plenty of people who would watch any football, any time. Just don't try to compete directly with the NFL, and it can be successful.

You hear "blah blah selects....Chance Daniels, QB, Southlake High School (TX)", you really don't know who he is. You've heard of him, but you only seen highlight clips against other teams. You aren't sure how good he is (does he make the team better) and if is a product of the system, the team around him, ect. He doesn't have the hype or have fans lining up to buy tickets to see him. It's more of a NHL or MLB type system of talent.

True, but I suspect one game a week would draw more fans, hype or not, than six. Fewer chances to see the team play, so if you have any interest, you're not going to say "Ah, fuck it. I don't want to deal with Monday night traffic. I'll go Thursday instead." If you've got four, or six, or eight chances per season to see your team play at home, you're more likely to take advantage than if you had 40 or 81, no?

And if you do your marketing right, eventually you have stars.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I'm not convinced that there are enough football-starved people that a spring/summer league could be successful. The talent levels will always be compared to the NFL, and many fans will dismiss a new league because of that. Yes, people will go to the games, but who's going to be watching on television? There are NFL fans all over the country, but what's it going to take to get a guy in Kearney, Nebraska, to watch a new football league? No allegiance to a team, few (if any) players he's heard of, and the overall talent level is going to be miles away from the pro football he watches in the fall. Until an actual superstar player brings in the television audience, what's going to make this watchable for the whole country?

Maybe I'm naive, but I think people watch sports on TV to see the best of the best. To use college football as an example, I know people love the sport, but if ABC's game of the week was Idaho-Louisiana Tech instead of Ohio State-Michigan, I don't think you could get people to even think about turning the TV on, much less watching for more than half a minute.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Maybe I'm naive, but I think people watch sports on TV to see the best of the best. To use college football as an example, I know people love the sport, but if ABC's game of the week was Idaho-Louisiana Tech instead of Ohio State-Michigan, I don't think you could get people to even think about turning the TV on, much less watching for more than half a minute.

Eh, depends on the location I think. For example, 2nd or even 3rd tier SEC games on the conference syndicated package will outdraw some top 25 non-conference teams within the SEC markets. In other words, as many or more people in Birmingham will watch Kentucky vs Vandy as will watch Michigan or FSU play a random Big 10 or ACC opponent.