USFL Film Footage

[Bleujayone]

I just saw an trailer for the movie "Two For the Money", and noticed it was full of old stock footage from the USFL. Since the movie is all about sports betting, I would imagine the NFL refused to have an association with the film. Hence they would need to find their football footage elsewhere.

I've noticed more recently that USFL footage has been used quite often in many types of television advertising for football footage as well. From TVs, to pizza, to copiers. I even recall seeing it in a Coors ad. Probably because its cheaper that paying for the rights of NFL footage or creating uniforms and logos of their own and shooting actors running about.

I have an old football follies videotape I found at a yardsale and discovered the USFL also shot many of their games on 16mm color stock very similarly to NFL Films. But it lead me to wonder, who does one see to get said USFL Footage? Someone must still own the rights. I also wondered who owned the rights to the logos of the USFL teams as they still semed to be owned by someone(s). Do the previous team owners still get residuals from it, or is it someone else altogether?

I thought about all the places I've seen clips of footage and I imagine that whomever holds the footage is still making some money. Can anyone else recall any ads with USFL footage in it?

[sc49erfan15]

I've seen it in Best Buy ads a few times. I also remember seeing an ad (can't remember if it was print or movie) somewhere and thinking "Hey, that was the Orlando Renegades"

But yeah, you're not the only one to have noticed.

[smith03]

I was thinking the same thing last night watch some show on tv where there was a football game being shown on tv and it was a USFL game

[VitaminD]

I've seen newspaper circulars around us that borrow from Philadelphia Stars and NJ Generals pictures, usually with the logos and other identifying marks edited out.

[infrared41]

There was an old HBO series (I think it was called first and 10) that used LA Express footage as the footage for their "team." Whenever the fictional team played a game they just edited in LA Express footage for the action shots.

I have seen USFL pics and video in so many ads over the years that I couldn't possibly name them all.

GO BREAKERS!

[VandyDelphia Mike]

howEVER ...

The one place you're not going to see old USFL footage, apparently, is at NFL Films, even if they're doing a piece that invovles a player that may have spent some time in the USFL.

Apparently, and I am getting this from a friend of mine that works at Films, USFL footage that ABC and/or ESPN has would cost way too much for NFL Films to justify getting the rights to it to use in their pieces.

Maybe there's other USFL photo and video sources that are being tapped to provide that pro football "look" without getting in trouble with the NFL.

Is it really that much tougher to airbrush actual NFL photos to go to the trouble of tapping a defunct league?

[Lumbergh]

i have seen a recent 7 page tribute in a magazine, it had pics,stats,and even the year by year style guide and record holders. I think we should post pics here as it is the 20th anniversary since the collapse.

[Lumbergh]

recently stumbled on this:

USFL

[Cartabago]

The band geeks episode of Spongebob has footage from a Showboats game. o_o;

[kurtman62]

Back in Christmas of, I think it was 1990, my now-deceased mom got me a football follies tape, but did not know it had USFL, instead of NFL, game footage. I have since pawned it.

[CC97]

recently stumbled on this:

USFL

Who's the webmaster of that site?

[eriqjaffe]

For those of you who are Spongebob Squarepants fans, the USFL makes a cameo appearance in the "Band Geeks" cartoon - there is a blimp shot of the Liberty Bowl, and the "SHOWBOATS" wordmark is clearly visible in the end zones. I seem to recall seeing some Tampa Bay Bandits merchandise in some of the crowd shots, as well.

[ebod39]

I was told a year ago that Nike had bought the licensing rights to do

some USFL apparel. Recen;y I did see a sales sample of a Nike/USFL jocktag

from one of my label vendors but have yet to see anything in stores.

[Lumbergh]

recently stumbled on this:

USFL

Who's the webmaster of that site?

don't know, why?

[sacker12]

I've seen many shows with old USFL footage on it. I remember seeing some on an episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger".

[Mac the Knife]

A company called Halcyon Days Entertainment holds the rights to all USFL game footage, except for that of games aired on ABC, which are still owned by Disney. I know nothing about Halcyon Days other than their name, unfortunately.

The USFL's other intellectual property rights are subject to debate though. New Era Cap recently put out a line of USFL caps thinking they had acquired the rights to do so, but found out the hard way that they'd been had.