USFL

[GuaranteedFresh!]

Not gonna lie, I thoroughly enjoyed watching NJ @ BHam. Pretty rough 1st qtr but turned into a great game. It'll likely go the way of past XFL iterations but game 1 couldn't have gone any better for them.

I REALLY love the chipped football so there are no questions where it should be placed. Pay attention NFL, embrace the technology.

 

[LonghornMM]

I really hope that the USFL makes it. Here's the difference between now and 1984/1985. Back then the USFL didn't have a salary limit like they do now. They attracted college superstars like Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Reggie White, Doug Flutie, Marcus Dupree, Mike Rozier, etc. The USFL paid those guys market value and above. The way that today's USFL is structured that won't happen.

Then throw in the XFL playing next year and that muddies things up too. The 80's USFL was the best chance for a competing team to merge with the NFL. They were oh so close to that happening, but greed and impatience cost them. If the league would have played their cards better, there would have been a merger of a few key USFL teams with the NFL. The situation today is totally different. I hope that they make it, but the odds aren't in their favor the way things are structured today.

 

[KChorn11]

Sounds like the NFL may embrace the XFL as a minor league of sorts. Which I think the NFL is going to need if they basically eliminate the pre season as they’d like to do. If that happens leagues like the USFL will go away.

The path to a spring league succeeding would be talking kids out of college. If a league has the vision and balls to do that. They could really change the landscape

 

[GuaranteedFresh!]

I really hope that the USFL makes it. Here's the difference between now and 1984/1985. Back then the USFL didn't have a salary limit like they do now. They attracted college superstars like Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Reggie White, Doug Flutie, Marcus Dupree, Mike Rozier, etc. The USFL paid those guys market value and above. The way that today's USFL is structured that won't happen.

Then throw in the XFL playing next year and that muddies things up too. The 80's USFL was the best chance for a competing team to merge with the NFL. They were oh so close to that happening, but greed and impatience cost them. If the league would have played their cards better, there would have been a merger of a few key USFL teams with the NFL. The situation today is totally different. I hope that they make it, but the odds aren't in their favor the way things are structured today.

I was a young buck during USFLs first run so I really don't remember it as a separate league. If not mistaken, didn't it run as a direct competition to the NFL?

A "D" league similar to what the NBA embraced would be awesome in my opinion.

XFL tries too hard to be gimmicky or cool. McMahan basically meshed WWE with NFL washouts.

 

[LonghornMM]

I was a young buck during USFLs first run so I really don't remember it as a separate league. If not mistaken, didn't it run as a direct competition to the NFL?

A "D" league similar to what the NBA embraced would be awesome in my opinion.

XFL tries too hard to be gimmicky or cool. McMahan basically meshed WWE with NFL washouts.

The biggest downfall of the USFL came when the league decided to move to a fall league – directly competing with the NFL. Led by New Jersey Generals’ owner Donald Trump, the league tried to strongarm the NFL into merging the two leagues by moving the schedule to the fall.

The link below is a great article on the history of the USFL. They had the NFL paying attention to them. If the USFL owners would have been more patient, I really do think that some of the teams would have merged with the NFL at some point.

https://www.si.com/longform/2015/1985/usfl/index.html

 

[freeper]

I watched that game last night. I was desperate for sports as I finally had a day where there were no demands on my time. I did some sketching and watched Indian Premier League Cricket and then the USFL game. It was a pleasant surprise that both were great viewing. Go Bangalore Royal Challengers!!!

 

[Oldmanastro]

I watched that game last night. I was desperate for sports as I finally had a day where there were no demands on my time. I did some sketching and watched Indian Premier League Cricket and then the USFL game. It was a pleasant surprise that both were great viewing. Go Bangalore Royal Challengers!!!

Wait, you didn’t want to waste your day watching the nba?
There was Austin FC, which was victorious btw.

 

[LonghornMM]

I'm about to watch the Gamblers/Panthers game on NBC.

 

[Oldmanastro]

Go Gamblers!
Thoroughly enjoyed them when Jim Kelly was there.

 

[KChorn11]

The panthers are playing exactly how you’d expect a Jeff Fisher team to play lol