Sykotyk

Of the three, I think SA and HOU will consider ARL their biggest/most hated rival. While ARL will probably consider HOU their rival. Much more rivalry between those two from general sports fans.

With the XFL doing the airline equivalent of hub and spoke, it makes sense to group the three Texas teams together since they're basing their operations out of Arlington. They're going to have 1 to 3 games a week nearby for travel. Keep them grouped, and you're guaranteed at least 1 Texas team in the playoffs, preferably two. And if rumor is true that the final is in San Antonio, then at least 2 of 3 playoff games are a short drive from Arlington. If you did East/West and put Houston in the East with DC, STL, and ORL, you're risking LV and SEA winning the west playoff spots, and Houston missing the two eastern spots. And then your playoffs are all outside Texas. And that neutral site rumored title game will have 50 people at it.

Not just that, but by UNLV playing at Allegiant, Sam Boyd has to have approval of the Raiders to host any events there outside UNLV non-football sports.

St. Louis starts the season with 3 straight road games. For a team with the best fan base from the last go around, better hope they're at least 2-1 and competitive to boost the fan base expectations. Can't believe St. Louis isn't one of the week 1 games. Three games in Texas in Week 1 just feels lazy.

What's funny is that two of those teams didn't even start in those cities. Los Angeles Chargers were first, even if for just one year, and St. Louis Rams were in Cleveland and then Los Angeles before returning to Los Angeles. And Oakland played in Los Angeles. Geez. LA just stealing everyone's team. Like the NFL Grinch.

Adding 6 more teams for 2023. Interesting expansion plans. https://europeanleague.football/elf-news/european-league-of-football-prepares-for-the-2023-season

Interesting location too. Far southwest corner of the metro. Just as the Aviators did. Stay away from the strip and you'll get a lot more locals who generally want to avoid the strip unless they work there. Can't imagine it being a success financially though. Unless their ticket sales aren't expected to be great in lieu of making money on TV views.

I think Las Vegas would be the ideal place for the next team according to the league but I'm thinking they'd get lost in the shuffle. You now have Knights and Raiders and rumors of interest in the As. Sure it's a visitor teams fans dream road trip. San Diego would probably work as a franchise better. Just wish Sacramento could have worked out. As for stadiums I'm going to say nycfc will announce more plans but without anything concrete. The Revs won't announce anything until they have something real. Which won't be this next year I don't think.

Canada has quite a few "football" schools that have popped up. Unlike their real cousins, they only play US teams and use American rules. West Toronto Prep is one such team. Canada Prep, Football North, Clarkson North Prep, etc. They're IMG wannabes hoping that their kids can get the eye off an American college recruiter.

Gaderade

Vegas Vipers and the secondary logo is LV

Orlando colors are great. Name, no. Not a fan of Vegas instead of Las Vegas. Houston and Vegas should've gotten new names. St. Louis wasn't going to change at all.

Doing sideline photography at hs games I've seen two kids snap their legs right in front of me. No photos of that though. The last one the kid bent his ankle sideways came up towards the side of his calf. The scream was unreal. Years ago, there was this one. Was front row seats right at the endzone and witnessed this knee give out.

Their field isn't painted. When they switch between the Jets and Giants endzones, they literally roll up the turf for the one endzone and lay down the other. It velcros in place. It's how you get beauties like this (HS Football game at MetLife where they switched only one endzone out)

The Browns were the first team to lose after leading by 13 or more points in the final two minutes of a game since 2001. Last time a team did it? Also the Browns. I hate my team sometimes.

ESPN was never free to air. And just like with ESPN, TNT, and NFLN, the local markets of the teams in those games get their local affiliates to air the broadcast.

I wish the Panthers never ditched their cat scratch woodmark. This one looks like the font used by a progressive temp staffing service.

Week 1 in Ocean City, New Jersey: Recap of Week 1: http://sykotyk.com/football/2022/09/02/2022-week-1-new-jersey/ Photo Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sykotyk/albums/72177720301628801

Some photos from Week 0 in Georgia. Recap of the weekend: http://sykotyk.com/football/2022/08/25/2022-week-0-georgia/ Photo Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sykotyk/albums/72177720301649858

Thursday - North East (PA) v. Girard (PA) Friday - West Allegheny (PA) v. South Fayette (PA) Saturday - CSP (NY) v. Wilson (NY) Saturday - Salamanca (NY) v. Randolph (NY) North East are the Grapepickers. They're the furthest Northeast town in PA's northwestern wedge that includes Erie. The team in red are the Yellowjackets. West Allegheny Indians v. South Fayette Lions Clymer/Sherman/Panama is a co-op between the three schools. Also known as CSP and are nicknamed the Wolfpack. They're 2018 and 2019 back-to-back state champs in New York. This is the first year with white helmets. Previously the helmets were black with the white CSP logo. Apparently the kids like the white lids better. Wilson is the Lakemen, and from north of Buffalo right along Lake Ontario. Salamanca is part of the Seneca Nation of Indians and the only city in the nation actually IN a reservation. Due to various treaties, the land of the city is owned by the nation and leased to non-Seneca. Land leased is then taxed. The next lease expires in 2030, with an option to 2070. The Seneca also operate a casino in Salamanca and have a compact with the state to pay 25% of the revenue to the state (which goes to the city and county). About 35% of the city is seneca. The high school's football and baseball field complex was just rebuilt and is owned by the Seneca and leased to the school. It's honestly state of the art and beautiful for a school their size. The team's name is Warriors, and they fly both the star spangled banner and the Seneca Nation flag as well. (from previous games there) Full photo gallery from this Week: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sykotyk/albums/72177720301769481/

Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia started this week. Georgia's Corky Kell Classic started on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Johns Creek. Kell (unrelated to the event's name) beat Cherokee Bluff, 38-23. And the host Johns Creek Gladiators got bludgeoned by Parkview, 52-7. Last night, the doubleheader was at West Forsyth. North Atlanta came back from 20-6 down to win on a last minute touchdown pass, 31-27 over North Forsyth. West Forsyth then won the nightcap, 21-7 over Archer. Friday has a tripleheader in Rome. Followed by a quadrupleheader at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday.

And that's only because the NFL used it as a cudgel against players in the PED negotiations. Even though weed is in no way a performance enhancing drug, unless the player had untreated anxiety affecting their play. Even when the NFL did relax their rules on it, they've kept the former punishments in place, arguing "the transgression against the rules is being punished, not the transgression we now deem acceptable being punishment". The NFL (and all major sports leagues) is that enforcement of their rules, punishment for their rules, and the arbitration of those punishments is entirely decided as they come up. When gambling's role in the sport was the third rail, the punishment was drastic. However, no one actually felt the punishment is warranted. It then makes all these 'behavioral punishments' seem lax. Because they are. But no league will make off the field transgressions factor more than on-field transgressions. They do so only for marketability. Same reason Watson's first game is against the Texans. The NFL knows what they're doing. And they've stopped caring about being quiet about it.

Can we stop with this gatekeeping sports fandom. If your money time and energy goes to supporting the team then you're part of it. They don't play without revenue.

Not much different when the qb wears a cap on his helmet to help distinguish them from the rest of the team to avoid contact. They just put the white helmet stripes on the red shell.