United Football League

[JH42XCC]

How come the UFL hasn't recognized these cities for a possible franchise?

-Albuquerque, N.M.

-Hartford, Conn.

-Jackson, Miss.

-Lansing, Mich.

-Lincoln, Neb.

-Little Rock, Ark.

-Montreal, Que., Canada

-Portland, Ore.

-Salt Lake City, Utah

-Shreveport, La.

-Syracuse, N.Y.

-Toronto, Ont., Canada

-Vancouver, B.C., Canada

I can say that Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver all have a pro football team (Yes the CFL is a pro league) and many of those other cities are to small to support a pro team, and probably lack a pro caliber stadium. The only city I see in there that could actually support a pro football team is Portland, and maybe Albuquerque, but those are the onyl ones.

Might I add to this list Rochester, N.Y., Richmond, Va., Norfolk, Va., Omaha, Neb., and Fresno, Calif.?

1) You're going to be one sad poster when this league fails.

2) You may not.

OK, then, fine. But let's just stick to the topic we're on right now.

Anyway, did I mention that you can make up team names for the potential UFL markets by using this random team name generator? You should REALLY check it out!!!

Random Team Name Generator

I typed in Los Angeles and it gave me KILLERS!

Well I got New York CHAMPIONS!

[mantleisthebest7]

How come the UFL hasn't recognized these cities for a possible franchise?

-Albuquerque, N.M.

-Hartford, Conn.

-Jackson, Miss.

-Lansing, Mich.

-Lincoln, Neb.

-Little Rock, Ark.

-Montreal, Que., Canada

-Portland, Ore.

-Salt Lake City, Utah

-Shreveport, La.

-Syracuse, N.Y.

-Toronto, Ont., Canada

-Vancouver, B.C., Canada

I can say that Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver all have a pro football team (Yes the CFL is a pro league) and many of those other cities are to small to support a pro team, and probably lack a pro caliber stadium. The only city I see in there that could actually support a pro football team is Portland, and maybe Albuquerque, but those are the onyl ones.

Apparently, you have'nt been to Salt Lake City. The Olympics were there for crying out loud. I know how big it is because I live 40 minutes from it. I go there all the time. It's plently big for a UFL team. An NFL team? No, but a UFL team? Yes. Oh, and Rice-Eccles Stadium is well worthy of a UFL team also.

[JBPerry]

Oklahoma City: How about Oliers? Maybe.

That's what I nicknamed my fantasy team in Oklahoma City.

[powersurge]

Oklahoma City: How about Oliers? Maybe.

That's what I nicknamed my fantasy team in Oklahoma City.

*giggling*

You named your team the Oliers???

[Brian in Boston]

I spoke with my German brother-in-law today, who told me that recent reports in Germany indicate that UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue has mentioned Frankfurt as a market the league would like to expand to in two or three years. Additionally, according to what my brother-in-law has read and heard, Huyghue says that the UFL will launch this year with between 6 and 8 franchises, all in the United States. The initial markets will apparently be - or, come from amongst - Birmingham, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, New York, Orlando, Sacramento and San Antonio.

[Mac the Knife]

If that's the slate Brian, they're choosing wisely. Let's break 'em down:

BIRMINGHAM

- No NFL presence to compete with.

- Past history of supporting 'renegade' pro leagues.

LAS VEGAS

- No NFL presence to compete with. In fact, no major pro sports anything to compete with, really.

- City is eager to have a professional team presence, and knows it'll NEVER get an NFL franchise.

LOS ANGELES

- No NFL presence to compete with.

- Needed strictly for TV ratings presuming it gets a contract somewhere. Otherwise, it'll be ugly.

MEMPHIS

- No NFL presence to compete with. In fact pissed at the NFL for allowing the Oilers to move to Nashville rather than Memphis.

- Past history of supporting 'renegade' pro leagues.

NEW YORK

- Two NFL teams, but each sell out their stadium regularly, so no attendance-related issues there.

- Metropolitan area that could financially support (by study, not by my yanking numbers out of my ass) 6 NFL franchises. So they could handle one UFL one.

ORLANDO

- No NFL presence to compete with. One could argue Tampa represents competition, but Orlando's its own market.

- If the UFL went to six teams this would be the first market I'd drop, but a presence in Florida will be essential for the UFL to survive.

SACRAMENTO

- No NFL presence to compete with; other than the Kings, no real pro sports to compete with for $$$.

- Could have facilities issues if they draw well enough, but like Los Angeles the television market is appealing.

SAN ANTONIO

- No NFL presence to compete with.

- In the 80's the Gunslingers tanked because of rampant mismanagement and a dinky H.S. stadium. Presumably the UFL would be better managed and in the Alamodome.

However, Huyghue needs to focus his efforts on (1) launching the initial product (i.e., the inaugural season), (2) landing a national television contract, and then (3) survival. Any talk of expansion on his part - even if prompted - isn't just speculative at this point, it's plain asinine.

[rams80]

Allow me to make the pessimist's rebuttal. (Just call me Mr. Glass Half Empty)

Birmingham: Legion Field is a dump, and they may have been freshly burned by the possible collapse of the AAFL.

Las Vegas: Debatable how much of your growing population isn't working when football is being played (probably at evening because of heat.) Enjoyed professional football so much the last time around the team just up and moved to Cleveland (AFL's Gladiators.)

Los Angeles: Shouldn't be too many problems....assuming USC and a likely resurgent UCLA don't take all the football attention.

Memphis: Old stadium...has issues supporting NBA's Grizzlies

New York: Assuming they find a decent place to play, should be enough to make a niche in.

Orlando: 1st question: Citrus Bowl or UCF? Also High school football is HUGE in Florida....and you're playing on Friday nights.

Sacramento: "Facilities issues" will be a problem.

San Antonio: Three Words: "Friday Night Lights"

The other big elephant that needs addressing is (of course) the NFL. Regardless of how you try to couch it, a fall schedule means you will be competing with the NFL. The NFL does not handle these things well. (And I'm pretty sure Cuban will be this league's Donald Trump; trying to force a merger with the NFL.)

[WideRight]

Working from the premise that the UFL will be a Fall, Friday night league, which I think is a big mistake, you have a lot of factors to consider. If they were a Spring-Summer league, playing mostly Saturday nights you could do a lot more, but they seem to think they know something we don't about cross-scheduling. So, assuming we go with Fall, these are the franchises I would start with (I also think anything less than 12 teams is a joke, but they want 8, so...)

WEST

LAS VEGAS

Name: I am going to avoid the obvious wild west or gambling themes. VIPERS

Colors: Silver, 2 shades of green (Phila Eagles dark green is dominant, light green in subtle uses)

Logo: Viper head

LOS ANGELES

Name: Going for an easy one: SURF

Colors: Teal, Navy & Yellow

Logo: Yellow helmet with huge, michigan pantheresque wave crashing on it

UTAH (SLC)

Name: PIONEERS, another easy sell.

Colors: Maroon, Orange, Sandy gold (Think combo of VT and BC)

Logo: Buffalo Skull logo similar to the one on APF2k game.

PORTLAND

Name: COUGARS

Colors: Deep green and gold

Logo: Something similar to Michigan Panthers or Jax Jags, in gold on green helmet.

EAST

MEMPHIS

Name: Elvis reference coming: HEARTBREAKERS

Colors: Red, Navy, Pink

Logo: A tattoo-style heart with knife, maybe barbed wire. Pink used only to highlight.

ORLANDO

Name: TROPICS

Colors: Green, Orange & Blue (Combine Miami & UF)

Logo: A stylized alligator throwing a football (think of the Phil Simms NY Giants logo, but an alligator)

CONNECTICUT (Hartford, UConn)

Name: CANNONS

Colors: Red, Blue, Silver

Logo: A cannonball shooting through the letter C (I believe the MLL or NLL uses something like this.)

LOUISVILLE

Name: KINGS (King Louis of France)

Colors: Purple, Gold, Red

Logo: Something Fleur de Lis influenced, but unique from NO Saints (This team is in my fantasy league and their logo is very strong, I think. www.geocities.com/cfflwebman)

I would in 2 years expand to OKLAHOMA and RALEIGH, and then in year 5 to NEW JERSEY (Rutgers) and BAY AREA (S. Jose) Then in year 7 to AUSTIN or SAN ANTONIO and COLUMBUS

Of course all this is moot, as I am sure they will fold by next July.

[Mac the Knife]

Allow me to make the pessimist's rebuttal. (Just call me Mr. Glass Half Empty)

Birmingham: Legion Field is a dump, and they may have been freshly burned by the possible collapse of the AAFL.

Las Vegas: Debatable how much of your growing population isn't working when football is being played (probably at evening because of heat.) Enjoyed professional football so much the last time around the team just up and moved to Cleveland (AFL's Gladiators.)

Los Angeles: Shouldn't be too many problems....assuming USC and a likely resurgent UCLA don't take all the football attention.

Memphis: Old stadium...has issues supporting NBA's Grizzlies

New York: Assuming they find a decent place to play, should be enough to make a niche in.

Orlando: 1st question: Citrus Bowl or UCF? Also High school football is HUGE in Florida....and you're playing on Friday nights.

Sacramento: "Facilities issues" will be a problem.

San Antonio: Three Words: "Friday Night Lights"

The other big elephant that needs addressing is (of course) the NFL. Regardless of how you try to couch it, a fall schedule means you will be competing with the NFL. The NFL does not handle these things well. (And I'm pretty sure Cuban will be this league's Donald Trump; trying to force a merger with the NFL.)

Okay Mr. Glass Half Empty...

BIRMINGHAM - Legion Field I believe is slated for renovations in the near future, and I suspect fans won't be 'burned' by the AAFL so much that they won't at least give the UFL brand of football at least a cursory look.

LAS VEGAS - The Glads are a really poor example to use: absentee ownership, piss-poor management, and generally bad on the field. The XFL Outlaws are a better yardstick for measurement, and that team drew fans through the turnstiles in numbers that would be sufficient to support a league that doesn't have delusions of grandeur.

MEMPHIS - Has issues supporting the Grizz, but Memphis is a football town. Ask anyone who lives in the region.

ORLANDO/SAN ANTONIO - The Friday night issue has bugged me since the beginning, and in these cities more than any other, it may be a factor.

SACRAMENTO - Yes, but that depends on how a team would draw. If you're only expecting to draw 20, 25,000 a game, you're fine. If somehow you manage to average more than that though, you're going to have to lay out some serious $$$ to expand existing facilities. Building new ones I'm presuming isn't even remotely an option.

As for the big elephant, the UFL's timing actually couldn't be much better. The rumblings about a potential NFL players' strike are getting louder and louder as we get closer to the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement, which would put the UFL in exactly the right place, at the right time, should a 'work' stoppage occur. If they launch in 2008 as planned, and hold on while building a credible brand of football, when the NFL CBA expires the UFL could position itself into a firm slot on the American sports fan's consciousness.

Cuban, incidentally, hasn't said A WORD about the UFL since his initial comments - including ignoring an e-mail I sent him inquiring about the subject a while back. If there's a pessimistic sign in the UFL to be found, that along with their woefully pathetic bloglike web site (unitedfootballleagues.com - presuming it is theirs) are them.

[rams80]

I personally don't know how much stock to put in the NFL owner's claims about the CBA being "bad" for them. I slightly suspect that those issues could "go away" if it looked like the UFL would start doing well.

[walkerws]

There won't be a stoppage IMO. It's really hard to complain about having a bad deal because you're not making as much as you thought you should and then your fans are paying so much money for tickets to games that they are facing the possibility of losing their homes and mounting more debt. Someone will step up and get it done. Gene Upshaw has become a joke, especially after all the issues with the retired players.

[JH42XCC]

Seattle has been added as one of the potential markets for the UFL (according to wikipedia). Chances are the odds of Seattle having 2 professional football teams are pretty slim (since they already have the NFL's Seahawks, and the UFL's Seattle team might have trouble competing with them in terms of attendance), but then again, it's a distinct possibility.

By the way, if Seattle is awarded a UFL team, they could play their home games at Husky Stadium on the campus of the University of Washington (which used to host Seahawks games in the past -- first in 1994, when the Kingdome was rendered unavailable for the Seahawks first 3 home games of the season after four waterlogged 26-lb. ceiling tiles collapsed and fell onto the playing surface inside the empty domed stadium -- and again in 2000 and 2001, after the Kingdome was demolished and while the Seahawks then-future home stadium, Qwest Field, was being built on the footprints of where the Kingdome once stood).

[rams80]

Seattle has been added as one of the potential markets for the UFL (according to wikipedia).

I stopped reading here.

[WideRight]

"According to wikipedia" is the new "my brother's friend told me".

[DG_ThenNowForever]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Footba...tential_markets

he league announced on October 12, 2007, that it would allow fans in 13 communities to reserve tickets at ticketreserve.com and added that "If their city isn't selected, the money is refunded." [8][9]

Though Mexico City and London are also being considered by the league, the markets offered by ticketreserve.com include:

* Austin, Texas

* Birmingham, Alabama

* Columbus, Ohio

* Las Vegas, Nevada

* Los Angeles, California

* Louisville, Kentucky

* Memphis, Tennessee

* New York, New York

* Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

* Orlando, Florida

* Sacramento, California

* San Antonio, Texas

* Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina

Las Vegas, Orlando and Los Angeles are reportly very close to receiving franchises. [10] Additionally, there are plans in place to award franchises in Riverdale, Springfield, Metropolis, Gotham City, and Parts Unknown.

Riverdale? Gotham City? I can't take a football league seriously that would consider expanding to those markets.

[Brian in Boston]

I received an e-mail from my brother-in-law earlier today touching upon the issue of what the lineup of markets would be if the UFL goes with just six teams for the inaugural season. Apparently, he's heard that said lineup would consist of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, New York, Orlando and Sacramento. Rumor has it that the issue in Birmingham could be the AAFL's displeasure over Legion Field being so willing to play host to a second upstart football league in addition to them. He hadn't heard anything specific regarding San Antonio's potential inability to play host to the UFL in the inaugural season.

I also touched base with a friend who works in media-based venture capital. Word in the industry is that the UFL is this close to securing a broadcast deal. Apparently, the only thing holding the deal up is the league's decision on how many teams it will be launching with, which would impact whether the broadcast partner has to commit to televising a 14-week or 10-week regular-season schedule.

[JH42XCC]

I received an e-mail from my brother-in-law earlier today touching upon the issue of what the lineup of markets would be if the UFL goes with just six teams for the inaugural season. Apparently, he's heard that said lineup would consist of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, New York, Orlando and Sacramento. Rumor has it that the issue in Birmingham could be the AAFL's displeasure over Legion Field being so willing to play host to a second upstart football league in addition to them. He hadn't heard anything specific regarding San Antonio's potential inability to play host to the UFL in the inaugural season.

I also touched base with a friend who works in media-based venture capital. Word in the industry is that the UFL is this close to securing a broadcast deal. Apparently, the only thing holding the deal up is the league's decision on how many teams it will be launching with, which would impact whether the broadcast partner has to commit to televising a 14-week or 10-week regular-season schedule.

About the Birmingham issue, I wonder why the AAFL's Team Alabama chose Legion Field over Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn in the first place?

As for San Antonio, they'll get a UFL team one way or another. I'm sure they'll have a team ready for the inaugural season.

As far as home fields are concerned, here's the list for the 8 teams that will likely have a UFL franchise:

-I'm pretty sure Birmingham's team will play at Legion Field.

-Las Vegas' team will most definitely play at Sam Boyd Stadium.

-Los Angeles' team could host their games at the LA Memorial Coliseum, but the Rose Bowl in nearby Pasadena would also suit them well; same for the Home Depot Center in Carson.

-Memphis' team will definitely have a home at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

-Shuart Stadium at Hofstra University may be a small stadium for New York's team (seats up to 15,000), but I'm sure it's a decent enough facility, though they could've gone with Michie Stadium at the U.S. Military Academy.

-Orlando's team will most likely have a home at the Citrus Bowl.

-Sacramento's team might play at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium or Sacramento City College's Charles C. Hughes Stadium. As of now, I'm leaning towards Charles C. Hughes Stadium but I could go with Hornet Stadium instead.

-San Antonio's team? Definitely the Alamodome.

[jrvegeeta]

If that's the slate Brian, they're choosing wisely. Let's break 'em down:

BIRMINGHAM

- No NFL presence to compete with.

- Past history of supporting 'renegade' pro leagues.

LAS VEGAS

- No NFL presence to compete with. In fact, no major pro sports anything to compete with, really.

- City is eager to have a professional team presence, and knows it'll NEVER get an NFL franchise.

LOS ANGELES

- No NFL presence to compete with.

- Needed strictly for TV ratings presuming it gets a contract somewhere. Otherwise, it'll be ugly.

MEMPHIS

- No NFL presence to compete with. In fact pissed at the NFL for allowing the Oilers to move to Nashville rather than Memphis.

- Past history of supporting 'renegade' pro leagues.

NEW YORK

- Two NFL teams, but each sell out their stadium regularly, so no attendance-related issues there.

- Metropolitan area that could financially support (by study, not by my yanking numbers out of my ass) 6 NFL franchises. So they could handle one UFL one.

ORLANDO

- No NFL presence to compete with. One could argue Tampa represents competition, but Orlando's its own market.

- If the UFL went to six teams this would be the first market I'd drop, but a presence in Florida will be essential for the UFL to survive.

SACRAMENTO

- No NFL presence to compete with; other than the Kings, no real pro sports to compete with for $$$.

- Could have facilities issues if they draw well enough, but like Los Angeles the television market is appealing.

SAN ANTONIO

- No NFL presence to compete with.

- In the 80's the Gunslingers tanked because of rampant mismanagement and a dinky H.S. stadium. Presumably the UFL would be better managed and in the Alamodome.

However, Huyghue needs to focus his efforts on (1) launching the initial product (i.e., the inaugural season), (2) landing a national television contract, and then (3) survival. Any talk of expansion on his part - even if prompted - isn't just speculative at this point, it's plain asinine.

I like all of those except Sacramento, which I would replace with Austin, TX or Columbus, OH. Sacramento doesn't have a stadium that is up to pro football standards.

[jrvegeeta]

I hate double posts

[chuckymack]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Footba...tential_markets

he league announced on October 12, 2007, that it would allow fans in 13 communities to reserve tickets at ticketreserve.com and added that "If their city isn't selected, the money is refunded." [8][9]

Though Mexico City and London are also being considered by the league, the markets offered by ticketreserve.com include:

* Austin, Texas

* Birmingham, Alabama

* Columbus, Ohio

* Las Vegas, Nevada

* Los Angeles, California

* Louisville, Kentucky

* Memphis, Tennessee

* New York, New York

* Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

* Orlando, Florida

* Sacramento, California

* San Antonio, Texas

* Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina

Las Vegas, Orlando and Los Angeles are reportly very close to receiving franchises. [10] Additionally, there are plans in place to award franchises in Riverdale, Springfield, Metropolis, Gotham City, and Parts Unknown.

Riverdale? Gotham City? I can't take a football league seriously that would consider expanding to those markets.

HA! I'm probably the only one on these boards who got that. God, I love comic-book jokes! Might I suggest Fawcett City, or perhaps Bludhaven?