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What type of new pro football league could survive? Share your buisness model!


garydavison

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So many new football leagues that never end up playing a single game. Seems almost impossible to establish a new league with the NFL and NCAA being so big and established for so long.

Despite this, there always seems to be a new group that wants to start up a new league. And in the past some ''new leagues'' have showed some potential.

The USFL self destructed themselves when they decided they would switch to the fall. Before this decision, they actually had good attendance in quite a few markets. They had quite a few teams averaging over 30 000 per game and quite a few in the 20-30k range. Not bad at all for a new league. They got huge T.V deals as well and ''decent'' ratings.

The XFL is remebered for being a disaster. However if you look up the attendance, 6 out of 8 teams had over 20 000 fans per game, New York was hovering around the 30k mark and San Francisco averaged 35 000 fans per game. Not bad at all for a startup league with low calibre football for the most part.

These 2 leagues showed potential for a spring league. The UFL had decent attendance in places like Omaha, Hartford and Sacramento but these figures were nowhere near those of the USFL or the XFL. Seems they showed us sarting a new league in the fall is almost suicide.

So what do you guys think could maybe succeed and survive as a new league?

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I don't think any new league could compete with the NFL or the NCAA. Like you mention, new pro teams could possibly do OK in NCAA markets without an NFL team but would almost certainly have to play at a different time.

The biggest/only potential threat to the NFL is the NFL itself.

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Stick to the early spring schedule, ending by the first week of June. Geographically close teams to limit travel expense. Salary cap for each team but no restrictions. That means a DE can get paid more than a QB if you value defense over offense. Most new leagues give more money to the QB than any other player. Local allocation to bring fans in but not a team composed totally of local talent. 8 teams split into 2 divisions and a 10 game schedule. Division champs play for the title.

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Stick to the early spring schedule, ending by the first week of June. Geographically close teams to limit travel expense. Salary cap for each team but no restrictions. That means a DE can get paid more than a QB if you value defense over offense. Most new leagues give more money to the QB than any other player. Local allocation to bring fans in but not a team composed totally of local talent. 8 teams split into 2 divisions and a 10 game schedule. Division champs play for the title.

Interesting idea. Like an ''Eastern Football League'' or ''West Coast Football League''

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My first scenario:

Spring league with most teams in small/medium markets with no NFL teams. But if you want your league to be a major league you need serious national T.V coverage. And for this you need teams in the big 3. The big 3 being: New York/New Jersey, Chicago and Los angeles. Good thing is there is no NFL team in LA and New york/New Jersey has showed it will support spring football. The Generals had great attendance in the USFL and so did the Hitmen in the XFL.

So the league could look like this (quick example)

Eastern Conference

-New York

-Hartford

-Orlando

-Columbus

-Chicago

Western Conference

Los Angeles

San Antonio

Las Vegas

Memphis

Birmingham

Play in the spring. 16 game schedule. If you can get 25-30k fans per game and a decent national T.V contract you could have a serious league.

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My second scenario would be to change the CFL. Keep the same 3 letters but modify it to Continental Football League. I would switch over to american rules and field. Keep the 9 Canadian teams and add 5 american teams in nothern markets to have 14 teams. Keep the current CFL salary structure.

CFL East

Toronto

Hamilton

Ottawa

Montreal

Hartford

Syracuse

Milwaukee

CFL West

BC

Edmonton

Calgary

Saskatchewan

Winnipeg

Portland

Omaha

Keep the 18 game schedule and July start. More teams would make for more revenue, possibly a U.S T.V contract, more variety.

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My second scenario would be to change the CFL. Keep the same 3 letters but modify it to Continental Football League. I would switch over to american rules and field. Keep the 9 Canadian teams and add 5 american teams in nothern markets to have 14 teams. Keep the current CFL salary structure.

CFL East

Toronto

Hamilton

Ottawa

Montreal

Hartford

Syracuse

Milwaukee

CFL West

BC

Edmonton

Calgary

Saskatchewan

Winnipeg

Portland

Omaha

Keep the 18 game schedule and July start. More teams would make for more revenue, possibly a U.S T.V contract, more variety.

So when you are rent limb from limb by angry Canadians, what's your next move?

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My second scenario would be to change the CFL. Keep the same 3 letters but modify it to Continental Football League. I would switch over to american rules and field. Keep the 9 Canadian teams and add 5 american teams in nothern markets to have 14 teams. Keep the current CFL salary structure.

CFL East

Toronto

Hamilton

Ottawa

Montreal

Hartford

Syracuse

Milwaukee

CFL West

BC

Edmonton

Calgary

Saskatchewan

Winnipeg

Portland

Omaha

Keep the 18 game schedule and July start. More teams would make for more revenue, possibly a U.S T.V contract, more variety.

So when you are rent limb from limb by angry Canadians, what's your next move?

lol I'm actually Canadian. I don;t like the Canadian rules. I know quite a few Canadians who agree with me on this. But for sure there would be lots of angry die hard CFL fans over the rule changes. Having said that I think they would still support their teams and would appreciate having 14 teams.

Or I would get shot.

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My second scenario would be to change the CFL. Keep the same 3 letters but modify it to Continental Football League. I would switch over to american rules and field. Keep the 9 Canadian teams and add 5 american teams in nothern markets to have 14 teams. Keep the current CFL salary structure. Keep the 18 game schedule and July start. More teams would make for more revenue, possibly a U.S T.V contract, more variety.

They might get a little more from ESPN but I'm not sure it'd be significant. At least not at first. And as much as I hate to say it, the NFL might need to buy in as well.

Another rule: No templated jerseys like in NFL Europe and the NBA D-League.

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I'm not sure that there's any business model that would sustain a new pro football league. Perhaps long ago, before so many markets were taken by the NFL, but not today.

People confuse love of the NFL with a general love of football. Truth is, Americans love their pro league and a handful of semi-professional collegiate conferences. We don't love the sport itself enough to want to support it at every possible level.

Baseball can thrive in leagues of any size, with a team in every town in the country. The bankruptcy courts are stocked with rich hopefuls who thought the same was true of football.

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My second scenario would be to change the CFL. Keep the same 3 letters but modify it to Continental Football League. I would switch over to american rules and field. Keep the 9 Canadian teams and add 5 american teams in nothern markets to have 14 teams. Keep the current CFL salary structure. Keep the 18 game schedule and July start. More teams would make for more revenue, possibly a U.S T.V contract, more variety.

They might get a little more from ESPN but I'm not sure it'd be significant. At least not at first. And as much as I hate to say it, the NFL might need to buy in as well.

Another rule: No templated jerseys like in NFL Europe and the NBA D-League.

Well with the current CFL salary structure I read teams need 24 000 fans per game to break even. So these U.S markets should be able to attain this after a few years and add in a little extra cash from U.S T.V.

Not sure what you mean by templated jerseys but I would get rid of the advertising on CFL jerseys.

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Take the pads off. That would make any new football league more interesting :P

hmm like the lingerie football league lol Although I think they do keep pads on. I'll look it up for ''research pruposes''

On a serious note, I think my idea for the CFL could work. Baltimore lead the CFL with over 37 000 fans per game in 94 and was second in attendance in 95 with about 31 000 per game. Northern U.S markets would probably work out, especially with american rules and field. Won't ever happen but it's fun to contemplate.

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So Gary has some points worth considering. An eight team league of some kind spread out in the North and Midwest would be a better bet. My thinking would also have it start up during the week before the Super Bowl and end sometime around mid-May, with games primarily on Saturday and Sunday, maybe a Monday night one as well. This way, you capitalize on sports fans who aren't crazy about basketball and/or hockey since both sports seem to lose a chunk of sports fans for one reason or another. A small salary cap would help out, paired with a TV deal on a cable network who has branched out to sports before, but maybe doesn't have a huge hand in it now. A channel like TBS, Spike or the CW comes to mind.

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None. Between the NFL, NCAA, and AFL most potential markets are already covered. As Gothamite said, Americans really don't love the "game" itself as much as we think we do. We're not exactly going to support evert team on every level of football.

The only way leagues like the AFL don't get swallowed up today is because it was created at a time when the NFL wasn't quite as big, and more markets were available. They also vended the rules to give you a different kind of football experience. And the Spring schedule, that helped a lot.

Nowadays, the NFL us so bug you wouldn't even dare start a league that plays from September-February. And niche leagues like the CFL and AFL have taken up air time in the Spring and Summer. And the few available markets not covered by "professional" football are dominated by different levels of college leagues.

TL;DR I don't have any faith in any new football leagues anymore. The market is already oversaturated as is.

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None.

The truest statement made on the thread so far. Saying we need more football is akin to saying we need more cigartee companies.

One forgets how violent football is, especially during non-football season. From the number of players who've been placed on IR in weeks 1-3 (broken arms/legs, dislocated elbows/hips), and the general pain they walk around in to the point which they self-medicate thorough OTC and prescribed drugs, excessive use of alcohol and the use of marijuana. Then we get into the issues of concussions and CTE which can occur while they are playing. There is a messageboard vocal minority who want alt-football because there are former college players without jobs. That does not equate to people buying tickets.

I'm not sure that there's any business model that would sustain a new pro football league. Perhaps long ago, before so many markets were taken by the NFL, but not today.

People confuse love of the NFL with a general love of football. Truth is, Americans love their pro league and a handful of semi-professional collegiate conferences. We don't love the sport itself enough to want to support it at every possible level.

Baseball can thrive in leagues of any size, with a team in every town in the country. The bankruptcy courts are stocked with rich hopefuls who thought the same was true of football.

Exactly, it is easier to stay in business when a parent club pays the players and you have 60+ opportunities to earn your revenue, unlike a football season.

My second scenario would be to change the CFL. Keep the same 3 letters but modify it to Continental Football League. I would switch over to american rules and field. Keep the 9 Canadian teams and add 5 american teams in nothern markets to have 14 teams. Keep the current CFL salary structure. Keep the 18 game schedule and July start. More teams would make for more revenue, possibly a U.S T.V contract, more variety..

Well with the current CFL salary structure I read teams need 24 000 fans per game to break even. So these U.S markets should be able to attain this after a few years and add in a little extra cash from U.S T.V.

Not sure what you mean by templated jerseys but I would get rid of the advertising on CFL jerseys.

It is still very "off-brand" football and you are very unaware of the hidden costs of having a football franchise and business in general. 24K is hard to do for a large percentage of the NCAA when some schools have over a century of community ties, so why would you think that an expanded CFL would have that much success after "a few years"?

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