suave
Dennis Stamp
"I only got on my knees for God and maybe to lick a girl's pussy" -Teddy Hart
Posts: 4,207
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Post by suave on May 12, 2014 21:30:02 GMT -5
I watched the USFL documentary, and it got me thinking. In the past, there have been a few leagues to challenge the NFL. (Like the USFL, WFL, XFL, and recently the UFL.). They all failed. But IMO the USFL could have succeeded in Spring, even if it was going through tough financial times. I was thinking that if a league were to start, and be an actual, legit competitor to the NFL, what would it have to do? I thought up these.
-Spring schedule. Don't try to compete with the NFL ratings wise. Also could draw guys who need to impress teams in the offseason, and could use more experience.
-Be located in non NFL markets. Austin, Portland, Orlando, places where you'll be the #1 team, and populous enough to create a lot of revenue.
-Get a TV/Netflix/Hulu deal on an accessible network. If your games can be seen by anyone, that's a lot of new fans/ad revenue.
-Get owners with a sizable amount of cash. If you can find people who will pay a lot for stars, you could draw in NFL players for the money. Bringing me to my next point.
-Allow Freshman/Sophmores/maybe even high school seniors. This could be controversial, but it gives you young talent that the NFL wont get for at least a year (and that's IF they leave.). There are definitely guys who would rather play against grown men and get paid shitloads of money rather than going to school.
-dont get greedy. The USFL moved to fall and tried to expand as quickly as possible. The UFL was negligent with its debts and got sued by Mark Cuban. The XFL was set up as the NFL's rival right away. Don't try to do too much. Just be a football league. Maybe expand after 3-5 years. Just focus on financial stability for the first few years.
So, if you were trying to rival the NFL, how would you go about it?
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Toxik916
Hank Scorpio
Sacramento Proud
Posts: 6,207 
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Post by Toxik916 on May 12, 2014 21:57:46 GMT -5
I don't ever see a competitor to the NFL, but I could see a minor league sprout up similar to baseball, the NBA D Leauge, the minors in hockey, and the lower level soccer leagues.
The only thing holding up a minor league to the NFL would be a lack of finances. Why would the NFL back such a league when they basically get a free developmental league in college football?
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Lupin the Third
Patti Mayonnaise
I'm sorry.....I love you. *boot to the head*--3rd most culpable in the jixing of NXT, D'oh!
Join the Dark Order....
Posts: 36,316
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Post by Lupin the Third on May 12, 2014 23:00:56 GMT -5
I just prefer to watch Arena Football and Indoor Football in the NFL Offseason. No real worry about another football league, since I'm busy with the AFL and IFL, anyways.
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Post by Can you afford to pay me, Gah on May 12, 2014 23:11:47 GMT -5
I don't see how it could work. That would be like something going against The NBA, MLB, or NHL. Even if you went against the NFL the NFL as to big of a legacy for fans too turn against them. Even if the new league had some different rules and came off more fun like In Zone acts. But the best players always went too be in the NFL and that wouldn't change. So the new league would have a bunch of either has beens who can't get signed by an NFL team or players who didn't make the teams either drafted or undrafted.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2014 23:15:06 GMT -5
CFL is ready brother
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Reflecto
Hank Scorpio
The Sorceress' Knight
Posts: 6,847
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Post by Reflecto on May 12, 2014 23:20:15 GMT -5
The NFL's too big for a competitor- both for roster sizes and in power.
The only way a competitive league will have even a fighting chance is if it's either a relatively unpopular league like the NHL (not unpopular, but the most likely league to have a competitor) or if it's a sport like basketball which has a smaller amount of things to need and has small enough rosters-to-sport's popularity that you could get a great pool of talent without touching NBA players.
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ibdude
Don Corleone
Posts: 1,706
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Post by ibdude on May 12, 2014 23:22:40 GMT -5
The only league to succeed in competing with the NFL was the American Football League in the 60's and the 2 eventually ended up merging anyway.
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Post by Father Dougal McGuire on May 13, 2014 6:55:35 GMT -5
A few years ago, I could have seen a summer or spring league popping up ala Arena Football, now with the NFL monopoly, why bother. Then again I might be to bitter, since my home town seems to get every team from new leagues like the WLAF (became NFL Europe) CFL (that was a mistake) and a few Arena teams (go Force...errr Talons).
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Post by Father Dougal McGuire on May 13, 2014 7:00:41 GMT -5
I will throw in another rule. Don't f*** with the formula. I remember being hyped for the first XFL game, then they did that 20 yard dash to the football to determine opening possession, after that it just seemed too gimicky.
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Ben Wyatt
Crow T. Robot
Are You Gonna Go My Way?
I don't get it. At all. It's kind of a small horse, I mean what am I missing? Am I crazy?
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Post by Ben Wyatt on May 13, 2014 8:22:40 GMT -5
The XFL could have worked if they'd allowed teams a chance to have legit training camps and left the 'storyline'/cartoon aspect out of it (ie: having Jesse Ventura feuding eith head coaches)
The new rules weren't terrible and the games themselves were decent (again, with a legit training camp and a reasonable amount of time, the games could have improved as they went along)
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Post by bluemeii on May 13, 2014 11:54:43 GMT -5
Honestly the USFL was a decent competitor until Trump started throwing his weight around. Stupid contracts, forcing the season change.
I loved the hell outta my Generals and watching Herschel Walker destroy guys while carrying the ball in his early 20s was a sight to behold. Also Brian Sipe as the QB...too bad the defense sucked.
That was 30 years ago and the NFL was no where near what they are now. It would have to take a hit down to Hockey levels of popularity in this country (NOT KNOCKING HOCKEY GUYS JUST BEING REAL PLEASE DON'T KILL ME I LOVE HOCKEY TOO) to enable a 2nd football league to have a chance.
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BRV
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Wants him some Taco Flavored Kisses.
Posts: 16,876
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Post by BRV on May 13, 2014 12:21:43 GMT -5
For an upstart football league to even have a prayer of hanging with or surpassing the NFL, the following would have to happen:
1. The NFL would have to suffer through a strike, lockout, or other prolonged work stoppage that would completely eliminate at least a full season of play. Possibly two full NFL seasons would need to be lost.
2. The upstart league would need to be funded by some benefactors with very deep pockets, and the league would have to consist of at least 15 teams, to give everyone nationally a team to root for.
3. A major television network would have to pick up the broadcast rights, with a Sunday slate of games, ideally starting the spring after the lost NFL season.
4. Premier college football players would see that the NFL is in a work stoppage, and this upstart league is growing strength. The upstart league also has no age requirements or restrictions, so freshmen or high school players can jump right to the league. Elite college athletes would eventually choose to eschew the NFL for the upstart league.
If that perfect confluence of events were to occur, then maybe the upstart league would stand a chance. But the only way a professional football league could ever survive is if the NFL misses some very legitimate playing time. One or two full seasons at a minimum. So with that as a baseline, I don't ever see a day in which an upstart league topples the NFL. The four major American professional sports leagues are too big at this point. They may shift in popularity from time to time, but the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL will never be toppled.
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