XFL and USFL merge into the United Football League

[famicommander]

That’s not as much as you seem to be convinced

Just wait and see, I guess. I don't know how many alternative football leagues need to die before people figure it out but I guess the number is at least two more.

 

[GindyDraws]

I feel like they'll do a ten or twelve team league. Get rid of Vegas, obviously.

Probably like 12 teams make sense. Knock off the weakest bottom 2 from each league. XFL was already moving out of LV.

Don’t need 2 spring leagues to dilute the talent.

You get rid of Vegas, easily, as finding a venue for them on short notice is going to be an impossible feat, and Orlando absolutely stunk up the joint, making them a possible contender to be removed thanks to poor attendance. As for the USFL side, attendance is harder to gauge as teams play in pods, so most of them barely attract flies. Pittsburgh was really crap in the first year, but made the playoffs in year two where the whole North Division had losing records... but, man it's really hard to justify keeping them. And the New Jersey Generals are probably going to struggle in a very saturated New York market that doesn't bother mentioning the existence of a New Jersey, even by New Jerseyians.

You still have to move one of the Houston teams, of course, but I'd move them to Oklahoma or Nebraska. Luckily, the division alignment provides a nice east/west balance.

East: DC, Philadelphia, Michigan, Birmingham, Memphis, St. Louis
West: Seattle, Houston XFL, Houston USFL, Arlington, San Antonio, New Orleans

 

[joelef]

I feel like they'll do a ten or twelve team league. Get rid of Vegas, obviously.

You get rid of Vegas, easily, as finding a venue for them on short notice is going to be an impossible feat, and Orlando absolutely stunk up the joint, making them a possible contender to be removed thanks to poor attendance. As for the USFL side, attendance is harder to gauge as teams play in pods, so most of them barely attract flies. Pittsburgh was really crap in the first year, but made the playoffs in year two where the whole North Division had losing records... but, man it's really hard to justify keeping them. And the New Jersey Generals are probably going to struggle in a very saturated New York market that doesn't bother mentioning the existence of a New Jersey, even by New Jerseyians.

You still have to move one of the Houston teams, of course, but I'd move them to Oklahoma or Nebraska. Luckily, the division alignment provides a nice east/west balance.

East: DC, Philadelphia, Michigan, Birmingham, Memphis, St. Louis
West: Seattle, Houston XFL, Houston USFL, Arlington, San Antonio, New Orleans

Don’t understand why these alternative leagues go to major markets like this and not underserved ones.

 

[GindyDraws]

Don’t understand why these alternative leagues go to major markets like this and not underserved ones.

One reason; television.

They all want to get on TV, and it's a much easier sell to be on TV if they're in a big media market... even if attendance is horrible, than if they're in an area where they're possibly the only major team in town, but they're in the 60th-80th media market percentile. It's why the 2020 XFL revival had teams in Los Angeles and New York.

 

[StreetHawk]

One reason; television.

They all want to get on TV, and it's a much easier sell to be on TV if they're in a big media market... even if attendance is horrible, than if they're in an area where they're possibly the only major team in town, but they're in the 60th-80th media market percentile. It's why the 2020 XFL revival had teams in Los Angeles and New York.

The leagues are making decisions on what they feel they need to do to make it. What drives their revenue? Butts in seats or TV?

If they can, they ideally sign on to play out of MLS specific stadiums and figure out a schedule that works for the MLS club.

 

[MMC]

 

[Mightygoose]

Makes perfect sense if they are aiming to launch next year.

Collectively they have 10 which is fine for year one.

 

[GKJ]

Both leagues have lost way, way more money than they thought they were going to. My prediction is that the XFL folds its Vegas team, absorbs the 3 USFL teams that actually have homes, and folds the other 5 to end up with a 10 team league... which will probably fold within a year or two.

No evidence the USFL lost money

 

[Hasbro]

Resurrect the AAF too and create the AAUSXFCL.

 

[MMC]

 

[GKJ]

UXFL imo

 

[ponder719]

I've been calling it UXFL, and it flows well enough, but "United (or Unified) Spring Football League" gets the message across, could justify rebranding/new logos/etc., while still retaining some measure of brand equity in USFL as an acronym.

 

[MMC]

 

[MMC]

 

[GKJ]

A ‘Pennsylvania’ UXFL team would seem to align more with Philadelphia-area than Pittsburgh as Philly has more venues they could utilize, most likely Subaru Park in Chester. I don’t think Pittsburgh has any kind of venue to host football and they don’t have a MLS stadium or college stadium.

 

[StreetHawk]

A ‘Pennsylvania’ UXFL team would seem to align more with Philadelphia-area than Pittsburgh as Philly has more venues they could utilize, most likely Subaru Park in Chester. I don’t think Pittsburgh has any kind of venue to host football and they don’t have a MLS stadium or college stadium.

The more MLS specific stadiums they can get (20-25K capacity), the better, like for DC Defenders. STL without the NFL draws well. Seattle in Lumen field where it's like 1/4 full gives it a lacklustre feel. But, they have to do what they think serves the league.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Still won’t watch.

 

[ponder719]

A ‘Pennsylvania’ UXFL team would seem to align more with Philadelphia-area than Pittsburgh as Philly has more venues they could utilize, most likely Subaru Park in Chester. I don’t think Pittsburgh has any kind of venue to host football and they don’t have a MLS stadium or college stadium.

Subaru Park makes the most sense in Philly, but there are also multiple college stadiums available without going too far afield. Franklin Field seats 53,000, and Penn is known to let other teams play there (Eastern University is playing there while they're building their own facility in Radnor), Villanova Stadium seats 12,500 and is served by at least a couple SEPTA lines, though that's not the most convenient option in the world, West Chester University's Farrell Stadium seats 7,500, and on the small end, there's a 4,000 seat stadium at Widener University, too, without getting out to the Allentown/Lehigh area, where there are more options. The latter two would almost certainly be "get in the market for a year, then find the right deal" kind of options, but if they need to get placed quickly, that might be the right call.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Sorry--how would a team that has nowhere to play NOT be in trouble

 

[ponder719]

Sorry--how would a team that has nowhere to play NOT be in trouble

That's not an easy question to answer without knowing the answers to several other, larger questions about the league's (or leagues', that's still not 100% nailed down either) structure for next year, since we still have no definitive announcement on anything. That said, if we're headed towards a league where every team plays in its home market, no venue = bye for now. However, if that proves not to be viable, and the hub model remains in place for another year, then organizations can persist without an individual venue, at least for the time being.

 

[End on a Hinote]

I wish they'd throw in the dying CFL to. I'd much rather have a pro football league featuring the CFL teams with other US teams and with NFL rules/field than what we have up here now. The league is dying up here and no-one younger than Gen Xers care about it. Screw its history, get with the times.

 

[Headshot77]

I wish they'd throw in the dying CFL to. I'd much rather have a pro football league featuring the CFL teams with other US teams and with NFL rules/field than what we have up here now. The league is dying up here and no-one younger than Gen Xers care about it. Screw its history, get with the times.

This is the first I'm hearing of the CFL dying.

 

[MMC]

I wish they'd throw in the dying CFL to. I'd much rather have a pro football league featuring the CFL teams with other US teams and with NFL rules/field than what we have up here now. The league is dying up here and no-one younger than Gen Xers care about it. Screw its history, get with the times.

Would also love to see this

 

[ponder719]

Would also love to see this

That adds a serious level of complication to the process, since the CFL isn't single-entity like the other two, but yeah, a 20 team league comprised of 8/9 from the CFL, and 6/8 from each of the other two leagues, would be pretty appealing.

 

[GindyDraws]

I wish they'd throw in the dying CFL to. I'd much rather have a pro football league featuring the CFL teams with other US teams and with NFL rules/field than what we have up here now. The league is dying up here and no-one younger than Gen Xers care about it. Screw its history, get with the times.

For a guy with a Canucks jersey, you got strong "living in Toronto" vibes with this message.

The CFL is wholly dependent on the live gate but outside of the Argos, the league is still doing okay. But, as we know that Toronto is Canada, if the Argos fail, you might as well kill the entire league, based on this incredibly sound logic.