# New Football League to rival the NFL...



## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Saw this article today:

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

The UFL?

Who do they think they are kidding? Unless they plan for the league to be going during the time BETWEEN the Arena League and the NFL (Aka the summer while Baseball is going on).

It most certainly can be an alternative league for more football.
But as a rival to the NFL?

Even with all the PR problems the NFL has as of late, it is still top dog.

There is not any other sport out there... that crams that much attention, detail, and excitment into 17 weeks.... 16 games, single elimination playoffs, and still the #1 watched event of the year... every year.

I liked the XFL at first, until it became more WWF and entertainment, then sport. I enjoy the AFL as it is fast paced and indoors during some of the worst weather of the year... (plus it is a nice hang-over cure for NFL withdrawl).


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## skessel (Aug 11, 2006)

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/sports/playmagazine/0603play-business.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1180554311-/ZzuWFs8trhnHL59+I3iUg

Here's another link.

I live in LA, so it would be a very welcome development but I'm afraid its chances aren't good...


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## Art7220 (Feb 4, 2004)

Yeah, looks like Corporate Football is gonna triumph again. The CFL has managed to hold on against them, though.

Hey here's a good question. How come the NFL doesn't have farm teams like baseball and hockey? Like the Fresno Grizzlies or the Fresno Falcons? Or is CFL the farm team?


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## bidger (Nov 19, 2005)

Deja vu all over again.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Art7220 said:


> Yeah, looks like Corporate Football is gonna triumph again. The CFL has managed to hold on against them, though.
> 
> Hey here's a good question. How come the NFL doesn't have farm teams like baseball and hockey? Like the Fresno Grizzlies or the Fresno Falcons? Or is CFL the farm team?


Probably because of the size of the teams...

You have 56 (? close to that at least), players active on a team.
Plus then the practice squad.

In a game, you get at least 30-40 players in the game for some plays.

In baseball... on an average game... you see maybe 10 position players make it into the game, and a handfull of pitchers.

Also I think the nature of NCAA football (and even high school football).... leads to more "read to go" players right out of the gate...

Plus then the significantly shorter season... only 16 regular season, with a week inbetween.... plenty of time to heal, practice, and work on things to improve.


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## BobbySteelz (May 24, 2007)

They need to add some XFL elements to this. I especially liked the race for the football instead of a traditional coin toss.


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## Michael D'Angelo (Oct 21, 2006)

What I think needs to happen is NFL Europe needs to have 16 teams and each team is split between two NFL teams. Half the roster is one teams developmental players and the other half is from another team. They should put a AFC and a NFC team that runs the same offense and defense together so the players can learn the systems. Then they should cut down the time between picks and add more rounds like it was before. I think that Europe and the league itself would benefit from it a lot. There would be better players and that means better games for European fans. Also the league itself would have a lot more viewers from the US then they do now. I would actually follow it.


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## skessel (Aug 11, 2006)

BMoreRavens said:


> What I think needs to happen is NFL Europe needs to have 16 teams and each team is split between two NFL teams. Half the roster is one teams developmental players and the other half is from another team. They should put a AFC and a NFC team that runs the same offense and defense together so the players can learn the systems. Then they should cut down the time between picks and add more rounds like it was before. I think that Europe and the league itself would benefit from it a lot. There would be better players and that means better games for European fans. Also the league itself would have a lot more viewers from the US then they do now. I would actually follow it.


That's good if they ever merge, but if they shape themselves up as competition I don't see Goodell & Co. giving players up (even developmental ones) to foster another league. The trick is that the UFL plans to pay higher salaries to rookies that the NFL currently does so the NFL might have to make some effort to attract young role players (not stars, probably) away from the UFL.

SK


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## machavez00 (Nov 2, 2006)

I was a season ticket holder for the Arizona Franchises of the USFL






















Steve Young







Jim Kelly








Doug Williams


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## BobbySteelz (May 24, 2007)

http://www.blogmaverick.com/2007/05/30/competing-with-the-nfl/

Cuban speaks on his interest in the league. Not sure if I believe all of what he's saying, but at least he's saying something.


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## n3ntj (Dec 18, 2006)

Yeah, the USFL and XFL really worked out well..


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

When will people realize there is no substitute for the NFL, Arena Football will be the closest thing. Organizations like the USFL and XFL (and this one if this failure ever gets off the ground) were built on pure greed. They saw the success of the NFL and they wanted the samething. 

Long live the NFL!


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## Galley (Apr 3, 2007)

The USFL was the only decent American football league.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Ultimately the problem will be with the fans... People are so used to the NFL by now that they will watch a bad NFL team before they would watch a good UFL team.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a UFL team put together a roster that could beat a weak NFL team (say one of the ones that finished last year with 2-4 wins)... but even so, most folks would still prefer to watch the "real" league. That's just what happens with an established program.

Even I wouldn't be that interested in the UFL... now if they played during the spring/summer when the NFL is on hiatus, that would give me opportunity to watch and see... but by doing that they ensure they are never as popular as the NFL... so it is a catch-22 to some degree.

Not saying the NFL should be the end-all be-all in football... but it sort of is, and that would be hard to shake. There would need to be a lot of problems in the NFL for a competitor to have a chance.

For instance, in a different sport... the way NHL has been handled recently... that sport could possibly be competed against by a rival hockey league since NHL is very much down right now and barely even on TV so a new league could come in and get the same amount of exposure. Not saying it will or should happen, but it has a much better chance than does an NFL-type situation.


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## BobbySteelz (May 24, 2007)

I'm hoping they go for footballs offseason. I'd rather watch a reasonable facsimile of football during the offseason than something that looks like saturday morning romper room (AFL). The closer I get to actual football during the offseason of the NFL, the better. They don't need to be more popular than the NFL, they just need to be more popular than the arena football league.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> I liked the XFL at first, until it became more WWF and entertainment, then sport.


That was, when, halftime of the first game?


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## BobbySteelz (May 24, 2007)

When vince mcmahon said "X..."


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## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

Galley said:


> The USFL was the only decent American football league.


huh? You are kidding right?


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## GlennDio (Jan 19, 2007)

I was a huge USFL fan and really thought they did it right ... good talent mostly good owners and not head to head with the NFL time wise ... Trump ruined it trying for the "merger" ... In Philadelphia at that time the eagles were rumored to be moving to Phoenix but Mayor Wilson Goode paid for new suites at the Vet and saved the eagles had the eagles left the Stars would have made a perfect fit in merged leagues but alas the eagles stayed .... seriously though the stars were more popular than the eagles when they were playing and winning at that point the eagles were just plain terrible (pre Buddy Ryan) .... that said this league stands virtually no chance (<<1%) IMHO


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## Art7220 (Feb 4, 2004)

Steve Mehs said:


> When will people realize there is no substitute for the NFL, Arena Football will be the closest thing. Organizations like the USFL and XFL (and this one if this failure ever gets off the ground) were built on pure greed. They saw the success of the NFL and they wanted the samething.
> 
> Long live the NFL!


So that's why the CFL stands up to the NFL. They weren't built on greed. I think they also resisted the NFL throwing money at them to fold so they can take over their market.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

I really don't see the CFL as a viable alternative to the NFL. I live 25 miles away from Canada, and know no one who follows the CFL. And the CFL is nowhere near as big in Canada as the NFL is in the US.


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