You may have heard by now that there is a new professional football league brewing in America called the United Football League, or UFL. There is a great article that pretty much tells you all about the league’s development in the New York Times this week. That’s here:
There is a great article that pretty much tells you all about the league's development in the New York Times this week. Here it is:
I’m going to say that a league can co-exist with the NFL if it heeds past mistakes of other leagues. This is a country that loves its football, and if you don’t believe me, you only need look around at all the media coverage that the NFL gets in its off-season. We love our football.
Currently, our alternatives are Arena football and NFL Europe. But let’s be honest, Arena ball really isn’t the same thing. The weird field goals, the small field and the walls make it just kind of funky. Actually, what I hate most about Arena football is the fact that the receiver can be in motion towards the line of scrimmage while the ball is snapped. I don’t know what that bugs me so much, but it does.
NFL Europe is ok, I guess. There is some talent in there somewhere, but I have neither the time (ok I have the time) nor the inclination to find it. Maybe people catch a game here or there when the only sports alternative on tv at that time is the Phillies bullpen blowing another one. Overall, NFL Europe just doesn’t scratch my football itch, and judging by the ratings, it doesn’t really do it for many other people either.
So, back to the UFL. While I do believe that a league can co-exist with the NFL, it will not be easy. I actually enjoyed the USFL when it came out in 1983 (then again I was seven, and probably would have watched anything with a ball and men in jerseys running fast). The USFL had some star power and that is just huge. They got Hershel Walker, Steve Young, Reggie White, Jim Kelly and Doug Flutie. But they had a few problems.
Sure, they could offer a superstar some serious dough to come play in their league. But without a ton of dough, that was about it. Teams didn’t have the kind of money to pay multiple top-tier names, except maybe when Donald Trump bought the Generals, but that was one team.
The USFL was flawed in its thinking and that was the beginning of the end for them. They tried to take on the NFL and attack them, instead of running their own happy little league in the spring time. For the 1986 season, they planned to directly challenge the NFL with a fall season. That season never happened and the league collapsed.
Then – it gets better – Trump and his boys tried to sue the NFL with an anti-trust lawsuit, claiming that the NFL had bullied the major television networks into not televising games in the fall. They had a few other gripes too and they were seeking some $567 million in damages. Turns out, they got a check for $3.76. And it should be noted that the check was never cashed. Pretty funny.
So, message to the UFL: Do not try to take on or attack the NFL. They hurt people. Bad.
The World Football League (WFL) showed up before the USFL back in 1974 and lasted for two years. They had the Action Point! Instead of a point after try, you had to run for it. Now that’s action! Not really.
They were able to land some big stars too. They shredded the Miami Dolphins’ backfield when they signed Larry Csonka (side note on Csonka: Not sure if people remember, but it was his hip that Piscarcik fumbled the ball off of in “The Miracle of the Meadowlands”) and Jim Kiick. They also landed Dolphins WR Paul Warfield, and helped themselves to the Raiders’ QB situation with Kenny Stabler and Darryl Lamonica.
What the league didn’t have was money or any kind of stability. The Philadelphia Bell reportedly had 120,000 tickets sold to the first two games, but later revealed that about 100,000 of those were given away for virtually nothing in an attempt to generate interest. After the first year, teams were folding or moving. Not a good sign.
Message to the UFL: Have money. Charge for tickets.
This one might be my favorite, the XFL! WWE’s Vince McMahon (who is a brilliant businessman, you have to admit that. Everyone makes mistakes) was determined to produce a product that would get back to old-time, hard-hitting football. As Bob Costas would later say on a late-night talk show, “yeah, for those people who feel the NFL isn’t hard-hitting enough.” I may have paraphrased a bit there, but that’s almost verbatim.
So Mr. McMahon didn’t want any wussy rules protecting the QB’s and none of this fair catch nonsense. I hate to break it to you, Vince, but there are reasons the NFL has those QB protection rules. They have the ball constantly. They are the most important player on the field. They are in compromising positions many times. And most importantly, they are the reason many people watch the game to begin with. I love David Akers, but I’d rather watch Donovan do his thing than him. McMahon quickly found out why the NFL has that rule when all the QB’s were going down with injuries.
Another dumb rule: Players can put whatever they want on the backs of their jerseys. We call this the ‘He Hate Me” rule, as this was the most famous jersey worn by former Eagle Rod Smart. I said before that I think the NFL was right to fine Chad Johnson for putting “Ocho Cinco” on the back of his jersey during pre-game. Otherwise, you get garbage like this. The sentence “He Hate Me” makes no sense and immediately became a big joke. That statement is the only memory left of the XFL for some people.
But this is the best part, the added pro wrestling element. They added those little skits during halftime and tried to develop story lines like the WWE does. I mean, how stupid can you be? I would have been embarrassed to be a legitimate football player and be associated with that. I know I was embarrassed just watching it. I wonder what former Cowboy WR Alvin Harper thought about that. Needless to say, the XFL lasted only one year as ratings plummeted every week.
Message to the UFL: Don’t make stupid rules that get marquee players hurt. Don’t allow players to write stupid things on their jerseys. Don’t add pro wrestling sketches to the broadcast and attempt to develop fictional story lines. That last one probably didn’t need to be said. Overall, take a good look at the XFL and do the opposite.
The UFL can work, but I think the main rule in all of this is not to mess with the NFL. Play nice with them and do not get on their radar. Taking them on is incredibly stupid and instant suicide for any pro football league, just ask the USFL.
