RFL (Rebellion Football League) - A Fantasy Paint Football League

[Burmy]

As a twelve-year-old in 2000, I would often imagine my own fantasy football teams and the league which they were part of. For about five years it was a pet project of mine, with expansion getting so large the championship game ended up being between Eastern and Western Hemispheres (I think Pakistan beat Lehigh Valley in the very last one). At that point, I simply decided it was getting too hard to follow, so I stopped.

However, I have made an attempt at recreating them onto Paint concepts for this board. (WARNING: Clipart and other copyrighted images were the basis of my drawings, so they will be seen here. Please don't complain-I claim no ownership of these, and the teams I post are just for fun).

So, without further ado, here is the Rebellion Football League. I'll start with the original 20, and then go on to the "expansion years"-there was PLENTY of it. Notice the original cities are kinda random, and my small hometown is in the lineup.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

New Jersey Wolfpack

New York Skyliners

Orlando Lightning (finished 8/27)

Philadelphia Stars

Washington Eagles

Central Division

Chicago Cattle

Columbus Voyage

Detroit Engine

Louisville Blues (finished 8/26)

St. Louis Surge

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Midwest Division

Houston Galaxy

Minnesota Bobcats

Racine Vipers

San Antonio Outlaws

Sioux Falls Scavengers (finished 8/25)

Pacific Division

Arizona Javelinas

Hawaii Tribe

Los Angeles Smoke

San Jose Motion

Seattle Seals

Scavengers up first!

[JCRGraphix]

[LAWeaver]

I don't really blame ya for using other teams logos. In fact, if you look at my leagues I've created on my CPU, I'd say every single logo, if not, 99% of them, are from current or past teams. I'm better with hand drawn concepts, though I've tried to trace them on paint only to have them come out like crap.

All I've done with my team logos was either recolor them, remove the TM, or both. Can't wait to see what you have in store.

[Burmy]

First concept:

Sioux Falls Scavengers

Every league needs at least one team in a "unique" market, one big enough to draw enough fans but not too big where its top spot is in danger of being taken by other sports in that market. For the NFL, it's the Green Bay Packers, for the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs, and for the NHL, the Winnipeg Jets. In the case of the RFL, that team is the Sioux Falls Scavengers!

The identity comes from the league boss' middle school play, "Tied to the Tracks." It was in the style of vaudeville melodramas, taking place in the Dakota Territory and featuring a notorious Snidely Whiplash-style villain who starts off as a snake-oil salesman but is driven to madness when the town belle spurns his offer of marriage. You can guess from the title what he does next. The exact city was chosen as Sioux Falls, the Dakotas' largest city which supports several minor-league teams already.

The identity is based on clip-art used for said promo posters, with the primary logo being the Scavenger head in circle and the secondary sleeve one being the full-body one holding a stick of dynamite. Team colors are white, river blue, and charcoal. The look is more-or-less traditional as far as the coloring, stripes, etc. However, one major deviation is on the sides of the uniforms. True to their villain branding, the side of the jersey reads "TODAY DAKOTA," with the side of the pants reading "TOMORROW THE WORLD."

In my league, the team builds up quite a solid tradition, winning the very first Rebel Bowl at the Reliant Astrodome over the Louisville Blues. Subsequent seasons find the team a perennial playoff contender, but never repeating the success of that inaugural season.

So without further ado...the Sioux Falls Scavengers!

UPDATE (8/25): Per JCRGraphix' suggestion, turned the logo sideways on the helmet so that Silias is facing forward

UPDATE 2 (8/25): Per St Louis Cardinals' suggestion, reduced the number size...also made the sides on the back side of the away jersey match those on the front side-that had been a typo on my part before.

C&C always welcome...next will probably be the Louisville Blues.

[JCRGraphix]

That's pretty clever. I would reverse the head for the helmet though, so he's facing forward.

[jaxon#08]

How many more expansion teams are there

[Burmy]

How many more expansion teams are there

I'd lost count of all of 'em...I'll start doing the expansion teams as soon as I'm finished with the Original 20.

Updated per JCRGraphix' suggestion...some more C&C would be nice between now and when I do the Blues.

[Evil G]

Wouldn't Racine be the GB of the RFL? Just saying.

[Burmy]

Wouldn't Racine be the GB of the RFL? Just saying.

That's my hometown...you have a point though. They share that title with their division rivals Sioux Falls.

[St Louis Cardinals]

i'd make the numbers a lot smaller. also, looking at the side of the jersey, and then the front and back of the white jersey, im not quite sure how the jersey stripe would work

[Burmy]

i'd make the numbers a lot smaller. also, looking at the side of the jersey, and then the front and back of the white jersey, im not quite sure how the jersey stripe would work

Fixed both...

[Burmy]

Louisville Blues

Of the Central Division markets, this was the "unique" choice. Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis and even Columbus are to be expected nowadays, but the league boss saw something in a Louisville group, so he wanted to try how well they'd handle a pro team. As such, the Derby City became one of the "original 20."

However, the boss was quick to ask why they chose the Blues as their nickname, seeing as how they share a stadium with the archrivals of a certain blue-hued team. The ownership group was quick to offer their explanation; in addition to being as catchy a name as the St. Louis hockey team, Louisville was also birthplace to jazz vibraphone pioneer Lionel Hampton, and hosts the Louisville Blues & BBQ festival. Not only did the league like their creative choice, but the University was quick to accomodate them, allowing them to paint the "LOUISVILLE" wordmarks on their field blue for the games.

When I originally drew these images, I had the "Blues" as a wordmark involving a saxophone. After a Google search, I found the closest image coming to that came from Deft on the Out of the Park Baseball Forums, one which would do double duty as a primary logo and team wordmark. The blue-on-blue color scheme proved to be a solid one and easy for me to work with, as well, giving a proper contrast. The secondary logo is a recolored UL-Lafayette fleur-de-lis, which I went with as it's also a symbol of the city of Louisville. Perhaps the most unique part of the uniform, though, is the piano-key striping on the jerseys and pants, which, in addition to emulating a piano, also brings to mind a vibraphone's key pattern, made famous by Hampton mentioned above.

Sneaking into the playoffs as the very last seed in the inaugural season, the Blues pulled off an upset victory over the top-seeded New Jersey Wolfpack in the first round, as well as the third-seeded Orlando Lightning in the championship game. However, their Cinderella run ended all too soon, finding them on the losing end to the Sioux Falls Scavengers in Rebel Bowl I. Since then, they've either been at the top or in the cellar (rarely in the middle) of their division, but when they're at the top, an early exit in the playoffs usually follows them. Now that's something to give the fans a case of the Blues!

So, here they are!

UPDATE (8/26): Per mr.nascar13's suggestion, moved the fleur-de-lis to the helmet. The "L-horn" takes its place on the sleeves.

Once again, all your C&C is appreciated! Next up-the Orlando Lightning!

[LAWeaver]

I would place the FDL on the helmet instead. Also, where can I find that field template?

[Burmy]

I would place the FDL on the helmet instead. Also, where can I find that field template?

Fixed that. And here's the field template:

[LAWeaver]

Okay. Thanks!

[JMurr]

I like both of your concepts.

[C_Malk0]

The piano side panel is very clever. Nice touch to complete the brand

[Burmy]

Thanks for the C&C everybody! On to the next one...

Orlando Lightning

The choice for the RFL's first Florida team was obvious; with the vacation destination and stadium which had attracted many a minor-league franchise before, Orlando and the Citrus Bowl made an ideal choice for the Rebel League's foray into the South.

Central Florida has a reputation for thunderstorms and lightning strikes, which gave the name to not only Tampa Bay's NHL team, but also Orlando's RFL team. In addition, the new team wanted a slight homage to the World Bowl '92 runners-up Orlando Thunder, but obviously with a visual identity that more closely shouted out the neon lights and tropical culture.

Team colors are orange, gold, and black; the helmet is orange, the home jerseys are black, and gold is an accent color for both. Note this is the first team in the RFL to have different color pants for home and away as well (black for home, orange for away, to provide better contrast). The primary logo is based on the Omaha Storm Chasers' road cap logo (fits in PERFECTLY with the whole retro-neon visual identity. Secondary is a combination of a sunburst and a lightning bolt over a black circle I put together, with the black sun serving as a sort of eclipse. On the jerseys themselves, an orange shoulder yoke with yellow collar adorns both home and away. Finally, a lightning bolt (what else?) can be seen on the sides of the jerseys, pants, and even socks, in varying black-on-white, gold-on-black, and black-on orange designs, respectively.

So, ladies and gentlemen...the Orlando Lightning!

As always, each and every bit of C&C is appreciated...next up, the Los Angeles Smoke!

[Burmy]

Bump...waitin' for a lil' C&C...

[DS729]

Not bad for paint, not bad