WideRight

Ok, Two more teams, and these are the 2024 Expansion Clubs.

First up, no surprise, the Tampa Bay Bandits return.  Yes, more red, but so it goes.  

I use the 2022 logo, both primary and secondary, but return the striping to the 1980's black-white-red-white-black format.  

I modify the sleeve stripes a bit but otherwise a very traditional Bandits' look. 

And the 10th team is the Ohio Outlaws.  The league clearly wants a team in Canton, but since the original USFL did not have one, we borrow from the short-lived Oklahoma/Arizona Outlaws.  I don't see Tulsa getting a team so this is the best shot for Outlaws to be used.  I like it better than Blitz, because I do want to see Chicago added eventually.  

So, the Ohio version of the Outlaws uses the original Oklahoma logo, but instead of more red, we use Orange.  Why orange?  Well, both the Browns and Bengals make Orange the official color of Ohio football (Sorry, OSU).  So, Black and Orange is an homage to both the Browns and Bengals in a way.  

I wanted to preserve something of the 1984 Outlaws as well, so three thick stripes on the sleeves and pants, but in 2023 you have to do something interesting, so I expanded the stripes to occupy the entire sleeve (which are nowhere as long as 1980's sleeves.  Other than that it is pretty much the Oklahoma Outlaws recolored and relocated to Canton, Ohio. 

Thoughts?  Anyone think the USFL should expand to 12 teams any time soon? Maybe eventually. Just selfishly I want the Gold to return so I have a team within range to go see. 

Thanks for the support.  Here are the last of the current 8 teams. 

Memphis

A lot to talk about here.  I kept the 2 current logos (despite my inner voice saying the paddlewheel logo was better) but reverted back to the original scarlet and silver look. 

You will also note a lot of 1984 design eleements included, like the single stripe on the helmet, the block font, 

New elements include the focus on two equal width stripes in two colors, seen on the sleeves and the pants.  I put the secondary logo on the helmet, because the primary does not work well when you put it on a silver helmet.  But, the primary does work well embeded on the sleeve stripes, so that is where you will see it.  

No way the USFL actually changes back to these colors, but  a man can dream. 

Pittsburgh

With the Maulers I again ignored the voice in my head that wanted to go back to purple and orange.  Instead what I focused on was trying to find some ways to both incorportae more 1984 elements and also make the look less Steeler-ish.  

1. Add more grey.  Particulary grey stripes on the helmet so it does not look like a Steeler helmet with a new decal on the side. 

2. Pant and sleeve stripes closer to the original 1984 designs (no yoke) and also using a bit more grey than the curent uniform. 

3. I also used a darker grey, since the current grey pants are too close to white.  More contrast is needed. 

Admitedly, it still looks like a cheap knockoff of the Steelers, but with Black and Gold, and black helmet and jersey, that is hard to avoid. 

So, who gets expansion clubs in 2024?  Will Canton get a team?  If so, will it be an old USFL concept repurposed?  (Pretty safe bet there.)

Now it starts to get interesting.  More significant changes with these two. 

Philadelphia:  Ideally I would like to see them go back to a metallic gold shell, but I don't think that is at all likely, so I made the following changes:

1. Adjusted the helmet stripe to go from red to orange only at the crown, not front to back.  

2. changed the side striping so that no red background is needed.  It transitions through three colors instead of 2. 

3. Removed the chest patch and added it to the collar.

4. Could still use something on the shoulders, or perhaps move the numbers up and add striping. Not yet, though. 

New Orleans Breakers

My big issues with the current Breakers look is the helmet.  The way they did the wave creates a huge dark blue egg on the back.  This adjusted version tries to fix that by making it more of a wave pattern across the entire back.  Other than that, the only major changes are the number font (minor shift) and that I opted to make the authentic jersey sleeves look more like the replicas they already sell, where the wave blends into  stripe that is one color moving to the front and a different color to the back. 

I must confess, I stil wish New Orleans used the lighter blue for their jersey, but since both the sky blue and the darker blue are both somewhat lighter than the original versions, I can see why they opted for the darker blue to be the jersey color. 

Next up the 2 most radical changes:  Pittsburgh and Memphis (Will any shoulder yokes survive?) and then 2 expansion teams. 

Our next two teams, one from each division, and we are still very much in the "not much needs to be changed" range, but I think these are the last two before we hit the "moderate" and "major" changes teams.    I am also throwing in a revision of Birmingham because as I looked at it, something just did not work for me, so we have version 2. 

First up New Jersey.  This one honestly needs very little.  The only change I think would help is if they used a more traditional block font for the numbers.  The Generals have always a very basic, very traditional look, and it works. 

And from the south we tweak the Houston Gamblers.  Some changes worth noting:

1. I removed all the dark grey.  i just don't think it adds much.  Instead, it is a clean black and red look.

2. I kept side panels, but wanted a 3-stripe look instead of just one color.  So black/red/black, which comes off as just a single red stripe on the black jersey or pants. 

3. I added the secondary lace-H logo to the collar.

4. Added a single red stripe to the helmet, again paralleling the stripe pattern on the black pants and jersey. 

And the modifed version 2 of Birmingham, with changes made to the stripe order. 

Next up a moderately different New Orleans and Philadelphia. 

And since I want to post these in pairs, here is a Southern Division Team with few changes, the Birmingham Stallions. 

The changes for Birmingham:

1. Added the B-monogram secondary to the collar and added some color to the collars. 

2. Went for stripe consistency across the helmet, pants, and sleeves.  

So, having just watched the 2023 USFL Championship, and hearing that 2024 will not bring expansion, and may not even bring all 8 clubs in their home stadiums, I have to say I am disappointed.  But, rather than whine about how the 3-year plan is now delayed, I thought I would come up with the USFL of 2024 if I were able to make it how I would want it.    This is not in any way based on the designs I have created for the Alt History USFL I have been running since late 2021.  

There will be 10 teams,  and I am redesigning the uniforms for all 8 current teams, as well as the two new teams.    I will start with the teams that I believe need the least adjustment to their looks, then move to the ones I think need more of a revamp, and finally the 2 expansion teams I could see for 2024 (maybe 2025 if the USFL can do it.)

One thing I will do for each team is create a white pant set (for very hot days) as well as a team color set.  Other than that, what you should find are several elements of the 2022-2023 looks for each team blended with some 1983-1985 callbacks, and maybe a new element or two,  so a blending of 2 eras with my own aesthetic preferences. 

We start with one of the teams that I think needs to change the least, the Michigan Panthers. 

Really the only changes are that I added the secondary M logo to the collar and I made some adjustments to the sleeve stripes to bring both the blue and champagne into the look.  Michigan is one of the better-looking teams IRL, so no need to be radical here. 

2 hours ago, neo_prankster said:

The white pants look way too plain and don't match the rest of the uniform.

I am going to agree here.  Gold pants seem a logical choice.  Nothing wrong with the original 1991 versions. 

FC Real Sporting Athletic Dynamo San Diego United of Anaheim. 

OK, more seriously, San Diego Surf FC.  Borrowing from NASL California Surf, which was not San Diego but since Sockers seems unlikely.  

Sorry it took so long to post the full 2008 Pittsburgh Mauler look.  I am traveling a bit, so my internet and access to my files is not as constant as I would like.  Here is the 2008 Mauler uniform with the new logos.   Some influence of 2022 USFL here, but also of the Buccaneers' look from the mid-2010's.  

And here are the secondary, a very Mauler Jolly Roger, and the helmet, now with a simplified (2022-style) stripe.  Full Uni soon. 

After adding the new Memphis (USFL 2023) secondary to the Showboats look, more and more current day USFL elements are starting to make an appearance in the alt history.    Next up?  The Pittsburgh Maulers get a facelift in 2008. 

First up is the main logo, which brings in the Mauler from 2022 as well as the keystone from the 2022 secondary.  No black and gold, as the Maulers are already well established with a purple, orange and steel color scheme.  A secondary is on the way, as is a new helmet and new uniform set.  Not a radical departure for the hammer-head faithful, but a modernization from roid-rage Mauler to a more svelt hammer swinger. 

Here is what I am hoping for in the USFL over the next few years:

2024:  All 8 teams play in their home stadiums and we start to see XFL type attendance numbers. 

2025: They bring back Tampa Bay and add either Chicago (if XFL still around) or Washington (if it is not).  TV ratings and attendance  continue to grow. 

2026: A deal is cut with the NFL to grow the league to 16 teams, and when it gets there, there would be a pipeline of USFL talent to 1 NFC and 1 AFC designated team for each USFL club.  No players sent directly from NFL to USFL (not directly) but a way for  USFL players to get automatic camp invites to those NFL teams. 

Denver and Oakland are added, they form the Western Division with Houston and Chicago. 

2027:  LA and Arizona are added, both to the West, Houston and Chicago return to the South and North. 

2028: Washington and Jacksonville are added, and we have our 16 USFL teams:

                  EAST:  NJ, PHI, WSH, PIT

                 SOUTH: TBY, JAX, BIR, MEM

                 CENTRAL:  MGN, CHI, HOU, NOR

                 WEST: ARZ, DEN, LA, OAK

I know, a lot to ask.  And I feel bad for Oklahoma, Orlando, and San Antonio, but 16 makes more sense.  

Got to say, looking forward to Madrid being in the league.  Osos would be great, but the initial images seem to be trying to link the team to Real Madrid, which would be odd (although, Dragons were aligned with Barcelona back in the NFLE days). 

Still working my way through the 2006-2007 USFL offseason, a lot happening with a few major player shifts, the NFL trying to gain the upper hand on QB signings, and a busy draft to wrap up.  So, that means the redesigns for 2008 are not ready yet, but I have this for everyone while we wait to jump into the 2007 season, the 2nd season with 26 clubs. 

Summer Bowl 2006 in the new Wrangler/Cardinal stadium in Glendale (U. of Phoenix Stadium)

On 5/15/2023 at 2:11 PM, HOOVER said:

I doubt they'll scrap the uniforms after just one season, but the helmets would be an easy redesign as they'll undoubtedly recondition them.  They seriously need to just go back to the original Renegades helmet.

 

The current Home uniform is nearly perfect: 
 

 

But the Away uniform, without Black, does not look great at all.

 

 

They should keep the exact same pant striping from the Home (Light Blue) pants (Black, Red line, Light Blue, Black) and put it on the Away (White) pant, pairing it with Black socks.

I hate the odd shoulder stripes on both; they should probably get rid of them completely and find some other way to use Black on the upper jersey that uses the Red line as a highlight (without doing full-on yoke colorblocking, like the originals).  They could add Black to the collar, for example, keeping the thin Red line on the edge of the collar as the highlight, continuing that theme.  

Then, they can just change the coloring of the UA logo, wordmark, and numbering to achieve a balance of Black, Red, and Light Blue for those on the White jersey.  What really bothers me in that 2nd photo above is that the player name is Red, but the team name on the front is Light Blue.  Stupid and unbalanced.

They could probably use a same exact number font, just with Black fill, Red hightlight line inside the number, and a Light Blue outside border and it would end up balanced.  

This is what fascinates me about this message board. 

One person can look at the Arlington uniforms and call them "nearly perfect" and  I look at them and think they are a hot mess of steaming crap that should be buried at the ocean floor and never seen again.

Why? you ask.  (OK, you didn't ask, but I am going to say anyway.)

• The "I'm wearing overalls" stripes on the shoulders that serve no purpose.
• The ultra wide helmet stripe
• The lame 1-color monogram logo on both sides in just plain white. 
• The bad number font, that does not work on the blue jersey and is just horrible on the white jersey. 
• The lack of black on the white uniform despite black being a primary team color on the dark uniform

If it were not for Houston's absolutely comical uniforms, I would call these the worst in the XFL.  

And yet, I fully recognize that someone else may love them.  It is just weird the way that works. 

I hate Oregon's nike monstrosities, but I am also not a fan of the nap-worthy Penn State and Alabama uniforms. 

I know both of those extremes have fans. 

I consider the Tennessee Titans uniform a complete downgrade from the McNair era, but others prefer them. 

There is, as the saying goes, no accounting for taste.  It is just subjective.  Which is why this message board is a constant source of both frustration and joy for me.  

1 hour ago, mrcubfan415 said:

Is it just me or is the website struggling to load?

This website or the Alt History site?  

I am not seeing an issue with the Alt History "USFL Lives" Site, but let me know if you are. 

Meanwhile, I am gearing up for the 2006-2007 offseason and then the 25th season of USFL football in 2007.   To commemorate that anniversary, the USFL will have each team wearing a patch.  the 12 founding franchises will have a patch with their original 1983 logo in the center, while all other teams will have one with the league's "U" logo at the center.  Here are examples of the two.  

2 hours ago, Blindsay said:

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY…. Wait I ain’t paying for this… MY MINUTES.

Also I was thinking perhaps you could reach out to the Madden Modding Community collab with them for some uniforms and stadiums, and make YouTube Videos from the History of the USFL.

That is a very interesting idea.  I would still simulate using Draft Day Pro Football, but could use a Madden Mod on CPU to create very realistic images.  I will look into that.  

Some interesting ideas on relocations.    I have not yet figured out what the impact of the 2008-2009 recession will be, and I just started thinking about how to handle COVID in 2020 and 2021.  The lockdowns really started to hit right when the USFL would start up in 2020, and I don't think the software I use for simulation will allow me to have a partial season, so I may just have to cancel all of 2020 and then work with 2021 (hubs? pods?) and see what happens.  I will look at what MLB and MLS did and see if any of their strategies would work for the USFL.  

But, that is a long ways off (about 12-15 months from now since I tend to average about 1 season a month. 

Other changes will also come first. 

On another topic, does anyone have any recommendations on the best way to learn how to use Adobe Photoshop or another photo manipulation program.  I feel like the ability to alter photos is key to this project if I want to take it to the next level, but I have never really learned how to use that software.  I do a lot of designing on Corel Draw, but to be able to create realistic looking photos of Tom Brady in a Generals uniform or Terrell Davis scoring for the Maulers, would be a nice upgrade

(BTW, I am considering that once I finish this USFL alt history, I might return to 1983 and start all over again, but with more detail, a slightly slower pace, and more photos.  I thought about an NFL Europe alt history, but the USFL is really where my heart lies, and now, as I look back at the first 20+ seasons, I see lots of places where I wish I had done things differently, so a version 2.0 might be a chance for me to reinvent once again.)

10 minutes ago, Karnage84 said:

Any plans to expand north of the border?

Not really.  Just as it was weird for the Canadian Football League to have teams in the USA, it would also be weird for the United States Football League to have teams in Canada. Besides, I don't want to hurt the CFL, I actually really enjoy it IRL. 

8 hours ago, Brian in Boston said:

 

It wouldn't shock me to see the Oakland Invaders relocate to San Jose. San Jose is the third most populous city in California, the most populous city in the Bay Area, and is home to more than twice as many residents as Oakland. It is located nearly exactly equidistant between Oakland and San Francisco, thereby making it perfectly situated to draw fans from both of those municipalities. As such, the argument could be made that a San Jose-based USFL franchise would tap into support within both the #13 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA MSA and the #36 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA, while drawing viewers from throughout the #6 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose television DMA. Further, the financing of a stadium project in San Jose might be far easier to pull together given the burgeoning Silicon Valley economy. Finally, should USFL leadership ever seek to pursue placing a team in Sacramento, a San Jose-based USFL team would that much farther away from the catchment area of said franchise than an Oakland team would. 

I could see either the Jacksonville Bulls or the Orlando Renegades - likely, the former - relocating to Miami. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area is the most populous in the state and the Miami-Fort Lauderdale Nielsen Designated Market Area (#18 in the country) is the third-largest in the state behind the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Sarasota (#13) and Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne (#17) DMAs. Jacksonville, as the 39th-largest MSA and 41st-largest DMA, significantly trails the other Florida markets in population and TV viewership metrics.

 

In the Lone Star State, I could envision the Texas Outlaws relocating to the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA, only to have an ownership group step up and secure a new team for San Antonio just as soon as possible. On the other hand, I could also see the Dallas market  entering the USFL via expansion, with Outlaws team management subsequently stepping up there game in order to compete with not just one, but two Texas-based competitors. Either way, might a Central Texas-based USFL team opt to divide its scheduled allotment of home games between both San Antonio and Austin?

Also, as both the USFL and the professional sports industry grow, how long will smaller markets such as Memphis (#43 MSA; #52 Nielsen DMA), New Orleans (#47 MSA; #50 Nielsen DMA), and Birmingham (#50 MSA; #45 Nielsen DMA) be able to hold onto their United States Football League teams? 

Interesting scenarios and questions. It will be interesting to see what your fervid imagination comes up with in the seasons ahead.

* Note: All MSA and DMA rankings are from 2020 through the present. 

Love your attention to detail @Brian in Boston    MSA will be a factor moving forward, as will regional economic growth.  The thing is that cities like Birmingham, Memphis, and New Orleans are among the best supporters of their teams on the field.  Not sure if those teams would relocate (Remember that Birmingham already has a partial community ownership like the Packers, set up in the late 1990's.)    

I can say that there will be relocations between 2008-2020, and that expansion again is not entirely off the table.  With big markets like Dallas, Miami, San Jose, KC, Twin Cities, Milwaukee, and others still without USFL football, the pressure will be on any franchise that has attendance issues, stadium issues, ownership issues, or market size issues to consider a new market.    

2 hours ago, Karnage84 said:

I know that I'm boring but I would've liked to see the crowns on the sleeves as opposed to in the middle of the chest stripes. This just looks like a Raven jersey that was recoloured and derailed with a chest stripe + crown. 

An interesting observation.  I am not sure I see the comparison with the Ravens.  It really is an attempt to use several elements of the Memphis Maniax.  If purple were the dominant color, then perhaps Ravens, but the number font is very different,  the striping is more XFL than NFL, and the crown logo on the chest is as close as I could get to the Maniax having two random triangles coming out of the collar. 

Not to worry, however, team uniforms never stay static.  Most teams change their looks at least once a decade, so this won't be the final look.  

And the vote is in.  The Charlotte Monarchs will be joining the USFL in 2008.   The announcement was posted today on the Alt History website, and here is the full design sheet.   

And, to @BengalErnst, can you identify which 2001 XFL team has an influence on this team's look?  It is subtle, but it is there. 

Just a quick question to see what folks think.  Not promising anything will happen, but it just could.

Which current team in the Alt History of the USFL do you think is a prime relocation candidate between 2008-2018?

For those who don't follow the league on my Alt History site, here are the current 26 teams, with Portland and 1 other coming in for 2008:

NE: Baltimore Blitz, Boston Cannons, New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars, Washington Federals. 

SE: Atlanta Fire, Jacksonville Bulls, Orlando Renegades, Tampa Bay Bandits (and a new team in either NC or VA)

SOU:  Birmingham Stallions, Memphis Showboats, Nashville Knights, New Orleans Breakers

CEN: Chicago Machine, Michigan Panthers, Ohio Glory, Pittsburgh Maulers, St. Louis Skyhawks

SW:  Arizona Wranglers, Denver Gold, Houston Gamblers, Texas Outlaws

PAC:  Las Vegas Thunder, LA Express, Oakland Invaders, Portland Stags, Seattle Dragons

On 5/3/2023 at 6:21 AM, BengalErnst said:

Haha that’s how I also feel here. My love for the XFL is shunned. But this is a great follow regardless.

We just have different aesthetic tastes, which is why I have less XFL influence than WLAF/AAF/USFL influence. 

That said, the XFL is peaking into the league in bits, and will continue to do so.  

The Chicago Machine secondary (based on Houston Roughnecks) and the new LA secondary logo from the XFL Xtreme is just one of several future ideas I have kicking around.   You might expect to see more influences of the XFL for the Seattle Dragons, for example.  And, I can tell you now, the current 28 franchises do not remain unchanged between 2006-2025.  There will be franchises sold, moved, added, reimagined, etc. 

Stay tuned. 

Next up on this site, we will announce the winner of the 2008 Expansion race, with full uniforms, and then the redesign of the Pittsburgh Maulers for 2008.   Followed by the 3 teams getting 2009 redesigns. 

Reebok's contract is up for negotiation soon, so we could also have a new player in the game in the 2010's.  

Also,  can the onset of alternate uniforms and even 2nd helmets be far off?  (I dabbled with it in the early 90's but never did much with it.  That will change in the 2010's).

I like what you did with the Renegades design, especially the helmet stripe, but I agree with others that the original Las Vegas Outlaws logos were so strong that they deserve to be present somewhere, primarily the deer skull logo.  That said, if you wanted to put a team in Omaha, Orlando, Oklahoma or Ohio, the deer skull logo from the Las Vegas Outlaws makes a good "O" and could be used with a different nickname. 

Just a thought.