USFL IS BACK!

[Claystation360]

The return of the Memphis showboats !!!!

Los Angeles should get an exemption !! So they can bring back the express !!!

Portland breakers !!

Birmingham Bulls ? Or Bolts ??

If they get a Network and a partnership with the NFL unlike the UFL then they have a chance and being moderately successful.

[BJ Sands]

I love the idea and I think a spring/summer minor outdoor league could work, but not as a direct NFL developmental affiliate. With all the awareness about player safety there's no way guys playing 30-plus games in one year would fly.

[Cooleyvol]

The return of the Memphis showboats !!!!

Los Angeles should get an exemption !! So they can bring back the express !!!

Portland breakers !!

Birmingham Bulls ? Or Bolts ??

If they get a Network and a partnership with the NFL unlike the UFL then they have a chance and being moderately successful.

Birmingham was the Stallions. Jacksonville had the Bulls.

[NJTank]

NEW JERSEY GENERALS!!!!

[GeauxColonels]

Anyone else surprised that Orlando wasn't mentioned in the list of possible markets?

[Botiger]

Birmingham Bulls were a hockey team

[Fjm]

The problem with a minor league like this is any time a player shows that he's really good, he'll go off to the big leagues.

Say, QB Darron Thomas of Oregon (who by the way declared for the 2012 NFL draft after his junior year but went undrafted) becomes a sensation for the Portland Breakers, MVP of the league and they win the championship, and the fans there love him and buy his jerseys. Then next year some NFL team signs him to be a 3rd string QB.

Fans will soon realize not to get attached to any players, followed by not caring about the team anymore, either.

With the old USFL, they actually paid their stars really well (better than the NFL in some cases) and had multi-year contracts, so fans of the NJ Generals could get behind Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker, or LA Express fans could root for Steve Young without worrying that they were getting too good for their own team.

[gosioux76]

The problem with a minor league like this is any time a player shows that he's really good, he'll go off to the big leagues.

Say, QB Darron Thomas of Oregon (who by the way declared for the 2012 NFL draft after his junior year but went undrafted) becomes a sensation for the Portland Breakers, MVP of the league and they win the championship, and the fans there love him and buy his jerseys. Then next year some NFL team signs him to be a 3rd string QB.

Fans will soon realize not to get attached to any players, followed by not caring about the team anymore, either.

With the old USFL, they actually paid their stars really well (better than the NFL in some cases) and had multi-year contracts, so fans of the NJ Generals could get behind Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker, or LA Express fans could root for Steve Young without worrying that they were getting too good for their own team.

Yet how is this any different from supporting a minor league baseball team? When I lived in Albuquerque I went to a lot of AAA Albuquerque Isotopes games. I never cared who won, because who ever remembers who wins the Pacific Cost League Championship? I went to see blue-chip prospects before they got their call-up.

Your Darron Thomas example is perfect. The NFL Draft every year is littered with once top-notch, major program quarterbacks who scouts deem to be short of NFL talents. Those players may never get much of a chance. A league like this could provide that opportunity to be seen and, potentially, in the market in which they're most well known. Thomas playing for a Portland team would be an ideal model for this league.

In the end, it doesn't become about the wins and losses. The league exists to create an entertainment experience. It's a product to be sold.

[Claystation360]

The return of the Memphis showboats !!!!

Los Angeles should get an exemption !! So they can bring back the express !!!

Portland breakers !!

Birmingham Bulls ? Or Bolts ??

If they get a Network and a partnership with the NFL unlike the UFL then they have a chance and being moderately successful.

Birmingham was the Stallions. Jacksonville had the Bulls.

Yes I recall I was more less throwing out the idea of old USFL team names which could be recycled to cities currently without a NFL of MLB team so Jacksonville would be off the list !!!

[Raymie]

I had two great ideas:

Birmingham Vulcans: Combine a bunch of themes (horse, flaming mane) to nod to the Stallions, give the Vulcans a mascot, and allude to fire.

Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks: The WLAF nod is in name only. The colors are too early-90s to work now. Plus, I'd use an animal, not airplanes, for this one.

[Td2025]

I would love to see this workout. Could be a great mix between the pro and college games. The last 15 on a roster and 15 cut really have essentially no talent difference that the coaching staff can see. Vic Cruz for example was almost cut twice, interesting to think about.

That being said there is an overwhelming chance this fails like the other leagues that have already tanked. If they can get some nice logos and uniforms as well as a few key college stars they might have a chance of being moderately sustainable for a few years.

[Tygers09]

USFL was actually quite popular, until the big bad NFL filed an anti-trust lawsuit against them...

[Tygers09]

Michigan Panthers with Bobby Hebert at the helm and Anthony Carter on the receivng end were the best!!

[dfwabel]

USFL was actually quite popular, until the big bad NFL filed an anti-trust lawsuit against them...

You have your history backward.

The antitrust suit was filed by the USFL.

[MJWalker45]

USFL was actually quite popular, until the big bad NFL filed an anti-trust lawsuit against them...

You have your history backward.

The antitrust suit was filed by the USFL.

I think he was speaking as "the Donald". LOL!!!! That guy killed the league when he pushed to go head to head. But realistically he probably knew they would have been stuck in a bidding war until the USFL caved in.

I think if they were directly attached to the NFL it could work since they would fall under an agreement similar to the WLAF/NFL Europe/NFL Europa. I think that's what the UFL is trying to move to but they are still trying to remain independant as well.

[whitedawg22]

Michigan Panthers with Bobby Hebert at the helm and Anthony Carter on the receivng end were the best!!

There might be age concerns surrounding Carter and Hebert, though.

[Fresno St. Alum]

USFL was from 1983-1985. I was an Oakland Invaders fan. I wish I had a better memory of the USFL, but I was 5-7 years old while it went on.

1984 had 18(they were at their peak) In 85 Washington became Orlando Renegades. Mich. merged into Oakland. Okla merged into Arizona. New Orleans moved to Portland. Phil moved to Baltimore.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic

Philadelphia Stars

New Jersey Generals

Pittsburgh Maulers

Washington Federals

Southern Division

Birmingham Stallions

Tampa Bay Bandits

New Orleans Breakers

Memphis Showboats

Jacksonville Bulls

Western Conference

Pacific Division

Los Angeles Express

Arizona Wranglers

Denver Gold

Oakland Invaders

Central Division

Houston Gamblers

Michigan Panthers

San Antonio Gunslingers

Oklahoma Outlaws

Chicago Blitz

[Fjm]

The problem with a minor league like this is any time a player shows that he's really good, he'll go off to the big leagues.

Say, QB Darron Thomas of Oregon (who by the way declared for the 2012 NFL draft after his junior year but went undrafted) becomes a sensation for the Portland Breakers, MVP of the league and they win the championship, and the fans there love him and buy his jerseys. Then next year some NFL team signs him to be a 3rd string QB.

Fans will soon realize not to get attached to any players, followed by not caring about the team anymore, either.

With the old USFL, they actually paid their stars really well (better than the NFL in some cases) and had multi-year contracts, so fans of the NJ Generals could get behind Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker, or LA Express fans could root for Steve Young without worrying that they were getting too good for their own team.

Yet how is this any different from supporting a minor league baseball team? When I lived in Albuquerque I went to a lot of AAA Albuquerque Isotopes games. I never cared who won, because who ever remembers who wins the Pacific Cost League Championship? I went to see blue-chip prospects before they got their call-up.

Your Darron Thomas example is perfect. The NFL Draft every year is littered with once top-notch, major program quarterbacks who scouts deem to be short of NFL talents. Those players may never get much of a chance. A league like this could provide that opportunity to be seen and, potentially, in the market in which they're most well known. Thomas playing for a Portland team would be an ideal model for this league.

In the end, it doesn't become about the wins and losses. The league exists to create an entertainment experience. It's a product to be sold.

I agree with you, your minor league baseball analogy is right. I guess that's why I don't like minor league baseball that much. But with football, I think fans might be more upset if their favorite players leave each year. Maybe the league could lock players up to 3 year contracts?

That being said, I'd still like to see a new USFL in the spring/summer, especially if they keep some of the old team names and similar uniforms.

[gosioux76]

The problem with a minor league like this is any time a player shows that he's really good, he'll go off to the big leagues.

Say, QB Darron Thomas of Oregon (who by the way declared for the 2012 NFL draft after his junior year but went undrafted) becomes a sensation for the Portland Breakers, MVP of the league and they win the championship, and the fans there love him and buy his jerseys. Then next year some NFL team signs him to be a 3rd string QB.

Fans will soon realize not to get attached to any players, followed by not caring about the team anymore, either.

With the old USFL, they actually paid their stars really well (better than the NFL in some cases) and had multi-year contracts, so fans of the NJ Generals could get behind Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker, or LA Express fans could root for Steve Young without worrying that they were getting too good for their own team.

Yet how is this any different from supporting a minor league baseball team? When I lived in Albuquerque I went to a lot of AAA Albuquerque Isotopes games. I never cared who won, because who ever remembers who wins the Pacific Cost League Championship? I went to see blue-chip prospects before they got their call-up.

Your Darron Thomas example is perfect. The NFL Draft every year is littered with once top-notch, major program quarterbacks who scouts deem to be short of NFL talents. Those players may never get much of a chance. A league like this could provide that opportunity to be seen and, potentially, in the market in which they're most well known. Thomas playing for a Portland team would be an ideal model for this league.

In the end, it doesn't become about the wins and losses. The league exists to create an entertainment experience. It's a product to be sold.

I agree with you, your minor league baseball analogy is right. I guess that's why I don't like minor league baseball that much. But with football, I think fans might be more upset if their favorite players leave each year. Maybe the league could lock players up to 3 year contracts?

That being said, I'd still like to see a new USFL in the spring/summer, especially if they keep some of the old team names and similar uniforms.

That wouldn't work either. One of the selling points of this league is its intent to become a feeder league for the NFL. If you look at its website, it even touts how its practices and locker rooms are open to NFL personnel at any time. But there's no way the NFL would take interest in a minor league if they can't get access to quality players immediately.

The same goes for the players. Professional football careers are short ones. I can't see any reason why a player who thinks he has a shot at the NFL would commit to three years in the minors.

I do understand what you're saying, though. It's hard to really get into minor league baseball. There's no compelling reason to become a fan of a team, other than its location. So you attend games not with a rooting interest but to watch future stars and experience the pure joy of the game.

In many ways I sense this new USFL wants to do the same. But they may have an opportunity to tap into regional interests more than minor league baseball ever can. It's safe to assume the new USFL would be unaffiliated with NFL teams, allowing the local ownership to make the call on personnel, and freeing them to recruit talent relevant to the local fan base. Former Ducks could be the foundation for a Portland club, former Gators could populate and Orlando roster, and so on. That might be a business model that compels locals to care.

[WideRight]

While I think it is dubious that this league will ever play a game, it is fun to imagine. I think the key for AAA level football is to tie in to NCAA fans as much as NFL fans, because there will be high player turnover (everyone wants to be in the NFL) so you need another hook for fans, and using local colleges as a way to connect to fans can work.

For example:

Birmingham franchise = exclusive rights to Alabama, Auburn & Georgia players.

Memphis franchise = exclusive rights to Tennessee, Old Miss & MSU players

Orlando franchise = Florida, FSU & Miami

San Antonio = Texas, TAMU & Houston

Columbus = Ohio State, Kentucky & Penn State

Salt Lake = Utah, BYU, Colorado

LA = UCLA, USC & Fresno

Portland = Oregon, OSU, Washington

etc. (Northeastern teams would be at a bit of a disadvantage since it is not a hotbed of college talent like the South or west coast.)

You draw fans from the connections to the colleges, and then the rest of the players are free agent acquisitions.

It could work, but only if you have enough $ to support the startup costs, low revenue of early seasons and to support the inevitable 1-15 or 2-14 teams who will not draw well. Having enough startup money is what kills most attempts to develop new leagues in any sport. Football is very expensive so it is even more vital to have huge funding reserves to start with.