WideRight

18 hours ago, neo_prankster said:

So if they Raiders stayed in LA, does that mean Al Davis got the stadium he wanted?

Yes, the Raiders and Express worked together to build Farmers Insurance Field in Carson, CA.  around 1996

Working on my 3 Reebok Redos for the 2002 season.  What I think we will see:

1. Tampa Bay:  Same main logo, a lot of uniform changes from the current 1990's look.

2. Philadelphia:  Updated logo, updated uniform with some "modern" touches.

3. Atlanta:  An new primarly logo, new helmet look but the uniforms don't change much. 

Looking ahead to potential changes for Seattle, Texas, LA (again), and Baltimore in the near future. 

17 hours ago, neo_prankster said:

Where are the NFL teams right now? Same cities as real life right?

 

I mean, did the Rams stay in Los Angeles this whole time or did they go to St. Louis?

 

How about the Houston Oilers? Did the Raiders move back to Oakland? Did the Ravens ever come to existence? Will the Saints still be affected by Hurricane Katrina? Has Washington or Kansas City rebranded? Will the Chargers stay in San Diego?

A good question, and one I have not really addressed on the Alt History website, not in any depth.  This is the NFL as of 2000:

AFC EAST:  BUF-MIA-NYJ-NE-BAL                     (Baltimore Ravens moved from Cleveland in 95)

AFC CENTRAL: CLE-CIN-PIT-IND-TEN- HOU       

(Tenn. Copperheads were 1995 Expansion Club,  Houston Oilers never moved.  This is the one 6-team division)

AFC WEST:  KC-DEN-SD-LA-SEA                         (Raiders never moved from LA)

NFC EAST:  NYG-DAL-PHI-WSH-CAR              (Carolina Panthers were 1995 Expansion Club)

NFC CENTRAL: CHI-MIN-DET-GBY-TBY

NFC WEST: SF-ARZ-STL-NOR-ATL                     (Rams relocated to STL in late 1990's)

The league is scheduled to add 1 more team, to expand to 32 in 2002, the two frontrunning cities are Jacksonville and San Antonio, due to the success of the USFL franchises in those cities.   When they add the 32nd team, the league will shift to 8 divisions of 4 clubs each, creating a similar format to what we see IRL.   The new format will be: 

AFC EAST:   BUF-MIA-NYJ-NE

AFC NORTH:  CLE-CIN-PIT-BAL

AFC SOUTH: IND-TEN-HOU-EXPANSION CLUB

AFC WEST:  KC-DEN-SD-LA

NFC EAST: DAL-NYG-PHI-WSH

NFC SOUTH: ATL-TBY-CAR-NOR

NFC NORTH: CHI-DET-GBY-MIN

NFC WEST: SF-STL-ARZ-SEA

(Seattle moves to the NFC West, expansion club joins AFC South)

1 hour ago, JerseyJimmy said:

look, I understand you're trying to be "realistic" here, but maybe we shouldn't just put all of these teams in NFL markets.

I don't think we will see all of the teams in NFL markets, but there are some cities which are a bit problematic stadium-wise.  I think it is safe to say that several non-NFL cities are just fine and new stadiums will be built as needed, while others maybe not.   I can tell you that the plan for the Thunder will have them eventually in a non-NFL city, but not Portland.   I am actually planning for 4 relocations between 2002-2018.  Some dramatic, some not so much. 

1 hour ago, neo_prankster said:

If they go to Salt Lake City and play at Rice-Eccles, they can be the Rocky Mountain Thunder.

 

Vegas and Honolulu are the only other places they can still get away with the neon green.

 

If they do go to Honolulu, they can rebrand as the Kaiju.

 

Either way, it's pretty sad to see Portland continue to play second fiddle to Seattle, even in fictional universes like this one.

It is an issue, but Portland has very real stadium issues, since Civic Stadium really is an old baseball stadium that has been converted for different uses.  I think it works as an MLS stadium, a good size for that, and Portland State can certainly use it, but for a major league franchise in pro football it would never be big enough, and with the USFL as the only football team in town, it is hard to imagine Portland coughing up the money to build a new stadium with a big enough capacity for Portland to compete with LA, Denver, Arizona, etc.  on revenue.  It's not like the NBA, where cities like Portland or Sacramento can compete on a pretty even playing field with bigger markets, at least when it comes to stadia.  

The pattern developing in this alt history is that cities that have both NFL and USFL fall into one of two categories: Cooperation (new stadiums have 3 partners, 2 pro teams and the city) and confrontation (NFL team refuses to play ball with USFL, making stadium issues worse).  Cities without an NFL team have to hope they have a major college nearby to help fund a stadium or struggle with stadium renovation/rehab,.  I see Memphis as another trouble spot, perhaps Birmingham and Orlando too, but at least UAB and UCF might chip in.    Ohio may have issues also since OSU has such a vast stadium for their needs. 

Meanwhile we have some major markets in the NFL that don't have the USFL yet, and that could lead to relocation.  I am thinking of Boston metro, Dallas, Miami, Twin Cities, Kansas City, Nashville, Charlotte, and both NFL cities in Ohio. 

Stadium politics and pressure from other cities is the new reason USFL teams would move, as opposed to shaky owners or the need to deal with a shift to the Fall, which is what caused most team changes in the real USFL back in the 80s. 

2 minutes ago, ManillaToad said:

Are we assuming they keep the Thunder name wherever they relocate to?

Yes, I like the logo and name too much to give it up. 

OK, more crowdsourcing.  My premise is that the Portland Thunder are never going to be able to get a bigger, better stadium in Portland.  Civic Stadium is fine for the Timbers, there is no MLB or NFL in town, and UO is not interested.  
 

This, in my mind, makes Portland one of the clubs most likely to relocate, and I am thinking early 2000's for that move.  But where?  

I know where they are going to end up in the late 2010's,  but I am trying to figure out where they might go in between.  Here are some contenders.  Let me know your thoughts and any suggestions.  Remember that the idea is that this will be a 12-18 year home, but that they will leave again late in the 2010's again because the conditions are not ideal for a profitable endeavor.   And I would want them to stay in the West so as not to force another team to realign or switch divisions.  So, thoughts on possible intermediary locations?

• Honolulu, Aloha Stadium
• Las Vegas, Sam Boyd Stadium
• San Jose, SJSU Spartan Stadium
• Dallas, Ford Stadium (SMU)
• Salt Lake City, U. of Utah Stadium

Thanks to all for your input.  I do want to make it clear that this is the same Wranglers team, but I found the brand a bit busy, especially with the Titans' style flames.  So, back to the drawing board and I think I have come up with a modern, simplified design that still clearly evokes the IRL Wranglers' look.   

What do you think of this look for the 2001 (and beyond) Arizona Wranglers?  (Click to get a zoomable version)

Hey all, hoping for some crowdsourcing on some Arizona Wrangler concepts.  3 different versions, 2 largely based on "Real World" designs and one a little out of the ether.   Let me know what you think and which you think would make a good transition for the Wranglers in 2000. 

Option A:  Modified branding iron.  This one combines some elements of the original Wranglers logo with new flames, courtesy of the Tennessee Titans, and a different font W. 

Option B: Going a different direction, we combine a more angular "W" with the deer/cow/thing from the XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws.  

Option C;  I started by trying to modify the LV Outlaws into a more clearly defined cattle or buffalo skull, but ended up going a totally new direction by adding in elements of a dreamcatcher.  If we assume that the Wranglers worked with local indigenous artists (similar to the kachinka coyote) to create the look, I could see them going possibly in this direction.

So, minor change (with NFL influence), big change (with XFL influence) or big change with no real world equivalent?  Which should it be?

Here is the 2020 Media Guide.  The 2022 version is a lot more toned down and not as impressive as I only updated the 2 relocated teams and the 1 new team.   Hopefully the Google Drive link allows access.    Some of the text got modified as I opened this on my office computer which does not have all the fonts my home CPU has, but all it seems to have done is mess with upper and lower case lettering.  Hopefully it can all still be read. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CvWxcPxa6nPfRJycY3Tw29NeTtB4bmTA/view?usp=sharing

On 7/29/2022 at 2:43 PM, neo_prankster said:

@WideRight

Do you have a backup design for the Wranglers in case Dane says no?

I have a couple of options if I must.  I don't like either of them as well.   They tend to lean heavily towards a version of the Titan's flaming thumbtack. 

And now our three updated clubs for 2022. (Click on the images to see them larger via Imgur.)

1. The return of the Kansas Twisters after 2 seasons as the Athens (Greece) Olympians.

2. The return of the Oakland Terrors, after 3 seaosns as the Berlin (Germany) Brewers. 

And the relocated LA Landsharks, reborn with new ownership as the San Diego Seals. 

Hi all,

Here are the latest updates on the fantasy football league that began in a dorm room at Indiana U. in the fall of 1986 and has been going strong every since.  We lost an owner this year (he's not dead, just dropped out) but a former owner returned to take over his team, relocated it and that means new identity.  We also had 2 clubs abandon the weird European exodus that started with 5 clubs leaving the USA for Europe in 2019-2020 and now has 4 teams remaining in Europe.  

So, before I introduce the 2 "return to normalcy" teams and the one brand new franchise, here is a recap of the 9 clubs that remain the same from 2021 to 2022. 

ALBUQUERQUE GENERALS

ABERDEEN (SCOTLAND)  HIGHLANDERS

LAS VEGAS GAMBLERS

LONDON (UK) WEREWOLVES

SALT LAKE CITY BARDS

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS

STOCKHOLM (SWEDEN) THUNDER

and my very own  10-TIME CHAMPION...TORONTO TUNDRA

Still waiting to hear back from Dane Storrusten and Gridiron Labs to see if they are OK with me basing my new Wranglers' logo on their Dallas Wranglers concept.    Since my whole concept for the ongoing USFL Alt History is to use actual logos that exist both within and outside of the actual USFL, I want to be able to incorporate the work of others, rather than purely invent my own designs.

Hoping to get a "sure, go for it" from them since the project is in no way a financial benefit for me. 

Figured you would want to see how I would incorporate it with Arizona's 18 seasons of flaming brand.  Here is what I am hoping to use moving forward.  Fingers crossed I can.   Yes, a lot of gradient work here.  Well, it is 2000-2001, so that seems about right. 

1 hour ago, cajunaggie08 said:

Everton Away Kit

 

Everton Away Goalkeeper Kit

 

I had high hopes for a purple away kit when I saw how much purple was in the warmups, but this is not what I was hoping for.  Guess I will stick with my 3 year old home kit and last year's 3rds.  This one looks like a truck/lorry ran over the guys.  Hard pass. 

9 hours ago, ralphz said:

... Ooooh, Dallas Wranglers influence?? 

Nothing gets past this board.    Bingo.  Hoping to merge the  Gridiron Labs design with the original flaming brand design (one of my favorites).  

10 hours ago, Bomba Tomba said:

Nice!

 

Are you making one for the NFL? Or if not, would you allow me to?

32 teams on one template would be quite a challenge.  I am not going to attempt that, but feel free to try yourself.  

Waiting to hear back on an email I sent to Gridiron Labs for permission to use one of their logos as a base for a USFL update.  We shall see if it comes and I can go with the design I created from that base.  If not, back to the drawing board.   Meanwhile,  here is the second of the 3 updated teams for 2021... The Ohio Glory.

The main logo remains the same.

New secondary logo with a "banner" as part of shape of Ohio. 

Slightly darker blue (it is 2000) but still a flag blue, with red.

More modern striping, including a yoke with partial sleeve stripes. 

New, yet old font style on team name. 

Not a huge update, but the kind of tweak a team could make after 5 seasons.  

First of the 2001 Reebok redesigns and the only one without a change to the primary logo.  The Houston Gamblers go full early-2000's with side panels that don't align with the pant stripes well, full unitard (black with black, white with white), and shoulder yokes too.  

Bonus points if you can tell me which pretty bad early 2000's uniform this (I expect short-lived) uniform is based on.  

And the last 3. 

I am noting that some of these images are a bit grainy, so I will try to fix that, but you get the basic idea.  Here are 3 more, heading eastward. 

And here are the first 3 clubs, from the West. 

So I have been watching a lot of CFL football this summer, and it occured to me that if the CFL wanted to save some money they could have all their teams work from a uniform template.  That made me wonder if I could create a pretty decent CFL look using the identical template and simply recoloring the different parts, with an allowance to add the logo to the helmet and the team name to the jersey.  Other than that, all I will do is recolor.  Now, by recoloring some stripes the same as the helmet, jersey, or pant color I can adjust how many stripes there are, but I cannot move any of the stripes, add any stripes or make any other modifications.  

So, here is the template, followed by the first 3 teams.  Let me know what you think of these template-based CFL designs. 

Just wrapped up the 1999 season, so we are gearing up for 2000 in the Alt History of the USFL, but that means Reebok is gearing up to provide 3 teams with new looks.  Here are the Top 5 candidates.  Tell me who you think should get a facelift in 2001.

Arizona Wranglers:  Does the flaming brand remain or do the Wranglers go Xtreme?

Houston Gamblers:  Basically unchanged since 1984.  What might the new milennium bring?

Ohio Glory:  Pretty basic, and only 5 years into the league, but do they need to add some flash and pop?

Seattle Dragons: Also only 5 years old, but does the current set really say "Seattle" to you?

Tampa Bay Bandits:  The thin piping and side panels feel very 1990's to me.  Do they pull a Buccaneers overhaul or just a tweek?

On 7/5/2022 at 7:00 PM, RevNet said:

 

Unless there's something wrong with it, they should go with Generals and be done with it. Seems pretty cut-and-dry here to me.

Or Commanders  (Waits for tomatoes and cabbages to be thrown at him by angry WFT fans.)