XFL and USFL merge into the United Football League

[Mightygoose]

So this announcement is talking about talking? Understand it's subject to regulatory approvals. Is there a chance it doesn't get done in time for any season this year?

 

[Yukon Joe]

Funny - both the USFL and XFL trademarks have at least a little bit of public awareness - why throw them both out in favour of the NSFL?

 

[MMC]

Love it. Can't wait to hear the details

 

[MMC]

 

[LadyStanley]

XFL, USFL spring football leagues will merge; how will NFL react?

Competing spring football leagues will combine forces; how will the NFL regard this new venture?

sports.yahoo.com

Yahoo Sports take

 

[famicommander]

Funny - both the USFL and XFL trademarks have at least a little bit of public awareness - why throw them both out in favour of the NSFL?

Because both the USFL and XFL brands have failed miserably more than once.

Make no mistake, this merger is a last ditch effort. The smart thing to do would be to just shut both leagues down but they're throwing good money after bad.

 

[MMC]

Because both the USFL and XFL brands have failed miserably more than once.

Make no mistake, this merger is a last ditch effort. The smart thing to do would be to just shut both leagues down but they're throwing good money after bad.

Do you have anything to actually contribute to the discussion of the merger or are you just going to keep screaming into the void about how convinced you are that it's going to fail?

 

[famicommander]

Do you have anything to actually contribute to the discussion of the merger or are you just going to keep screaming into the void about how convinced you are that it's going to fail?

It's a legitimate answer to the question the person I quoted posed. I'm sorry that upsets you but the answer to why they're abandoning both brand names from the merger is self evident.

 

[ponder719]

Funny - both the USFL and XFL trademarks have at least a little bit of public awareness - why throw them both out in favour of the NSFL?

A couple potential reasons: this being presented as a merger of equals, taking either name would undermine that as a matter of PR; trying to present the newly merged league as being closer, in some way, to the NFL (perhaps with an eye towards convincing the NFL, long-term, to make a small investment in the league as a feeder system for players who have aged out of college ball, which each league has already done a fair job of thus far, Kavontae Turpin being the most obvious success story); New name means new merch means new money from people who are interested. Plenty of possible reasons why you might not want to pick either of the two names going forward. (From a personally less satisfying perspective, not tying yourself to prior league branding also means it's easier to abandon franchise branding, if they want to make the teams more, shall we say, portable.)

 

[MMC]

 

[ponder719]

On the subject of the NSFL (might as well get used to the name now, I suppose) looking to work more closely with the NFL, whaddya know...

 

[Yukon Joe]

On the subject of the NSFL (might as well get used to the name now, I suppose) looking to work more closely with the NFL, whaddya know...

So I imagine any deal with the NFL would be along the lines of making NSFL a true "minor league" - that players under contract to an NSFL team would still be free to go to the NFL.

I know at one point the CFL had such a deal - in exchange for some money, any CFL player even if under contract could go and try out for the NFL. Eventually the deal ended - not sure if it was by the CFL, or the NFL. I do know the CFL didn't like it when they start to develop stars only to see them suddenly disappear, but to a certain extent that happens anyways (players just have to wait for their contract to expire). And there's always an inrush of new talent in September anyways when players cut from the NFL come north.

 

[StreetHawk]

So I imagine any deal with the NFL would be along the lines of making NSFL a true "minor league" - that players under contract to an NSFL team would still be free to go to the NFL.

I know at one point the CFL had such a deal - in exchange for some money, any CFL player even if under contract could go and try out for the NFL. Eventually the deal ended - not sure if it was by the CFL, or the NFL. I do know the CFL didn't like it when they start to develop stars only to see them suddenly disappear, but to a certain extent that happens anyways (players just have to wait for their contract to expire). And there's always an inrush of new talent in September anyways when players cut from the NFL come north.

CFL rule was that if you were in the final year of your contract, you could sign with an NFL vs wait until you were a complete free agent.

 

[PCSPounder]

Or… the “NSFL” moniker gives the appearance of working with the NFL while having no agreement to actually do so.

But it would be smarter to go with one of the current names anyway. Not that it’ll survive for long.

BTW I am still holding out to determine if the NFL likes this consolidation of college conferences. I question whether a shrinking top tier, leading to the best players playing on fewer teams would threaten to yield a more banged up (therefore less noteworthy) player pool. And in the end… I think THAT points to why the NFL doesn’t want a minor league.

 

[GindyDraws]

Do you have anything to actually contribute to the discussion of the merger or are you just going to keep screaming into the void about how convinced you are that it's going to fail?

Nah, he's like this over on Arena Fan, as well. Basically, everything is a huge, miserable failure and therefore should be never tried.

 

[MMC]

 

[KevFu]

On the one hand I get why they would be. It’s the one major league that’s uniquely Canadian and been around a long time, so I can imagine losing such an integral part of the Canadian sports culture would suck. Though of course if I think about it from that perspective I’m then asking myself, if it’s such an integral part of Canadian sports culture, why does the younger generation seem to not give a damn about its existence? Not me trying to downplay it, a genuine question

This is incredibly intriguing to me. The topic was flirted with in some convo of a women's pro soccer league in Canada (which to be honest, I care more about than spring football);

But where is the line on "US and Canada are friendly, like-minded neighbors who have one league in hockey" and "We have separate leagues" like CFL, or some middle ground like MLS?

 

[MMC]

 

[Mightygoose]

Much better name than NSFL.

Understood there was a UFL from 2009-12 before.

Virginia Destroyers and Omaha Nighthawks are due for a comeback

 

[ponder719]

Much better name than NSFL.

Understood there was a UFL from 2009-12 before.

Virginia Destroyers and Omaha Nighthawks are due for a comeback

If you want a real throwback, go back to the first UFL, bring back the Wheeling Ironmen or Quebec Rifles.

 

[GKJ]

They should do AFFA like in Any Given Sunday

 

[Yukon Joe]

Sorry, but UFL and United Football League is a bad name.

First, I wonder if they can even get the trademark. UFL was used by a short-lived league from 2009-2012, and someone may still own the trademark But UFL is also being used by a soccer video game under development.

Second - just try to say "UFL". I'm sorry, it sounds somewhere between "awful" and "offal" - neither of which are associations you want.

Third - either "XFL" and "USFL" have more public awareness of the brand than UFL does.

 

[MMC]

 

[GKJ]

Just call it the USFL. No need to create market confusion.

 

[Spydey629]

Just call it the USFL. No need to create market confusion.

United Spring Football League?