Is anyone excited about the USFL at all?

[Scarlet spidey]

I never actually saw any of the original USFL games, I'm sure they weren't fantastic or anything, which is to be expected, even though they wanted to be a professional league they were essentially semi-pro, as is Arena Football, CFL, and now the UFL. The NFL is obviously the top league and will likely stay that way. Which is fine, the only problem is that the NFL doesn't play during the spring.
The USFL does, though. As does Arena Football, and while the AFL is somewhat fun to watch, it doesn't feel like "real" football to me, probably because it's indoor only, and the field is so much smaller. I'd love to have some "real" spring football going on.
It'd be even nicer to get a team in Minnesota to play, preferably outdoors, but hey, I'll take what I can get.
Sadly, it doesn't look like the USFL has plans to have a team in Minnesota. Though that could change, who knows.
The USFL was supposed to start this year, but they hit a few bumps, and now plan to start in the spring of 2011.

 

[Scarlet spidey]

So I meant to make two threads about this, but I guess if you guys really have to delete one of them.. Go for it.

 

[StorminNorman]

This league is never going to happen - there are simply not enough football players to support this league on top of the UFL and AFL. Like the All-American League of 2007, this will never play a game.

 

[Scarlet spidey]

Yeah, but I want it to.
So.. maybe I'll have to play to make it happen.

 

[Kelly]

I never like this alternative wannabes....hopefully it won't waste people's time or money.

 

[Scarlet spidey]

I never like this alternative wannabes....hopefully it won't waste people's time or money.

I somewhat hear where you're coming from. This is why I'm not a HUGE fan of the UFL.
But I don't see a problem with the USFL since it's in the spring and all.
Year round football is good, right?

 

[StorminNorman]

I somewhat hear where you're coming from. This is why I'm not a HUGE fan of the UFL.
But I don't see a problem with the USFL since it's in the spring and all.
Year round football is good, right?

Embrace the AFL if you want to recapture that fan-friendly, high scoring experience that the old USFL provided. Yes, it's a slightly different game - but they are far closer in spirit than anything you would be able to get from the quality of football you would get from a 4th tear "pro" football league.

 

[TMC1982]

I seriously don't now how this proposed new USFL is really going to work. The original USFL made sense at the time because of the 1982 NFL strike alienating fans, the growing influence of cable television such as ESPN, and the craving for a more free flowing, all out alternative to the "No Fun League" that the NFL was offering at the time. Not only that, but the actually USFL had quality talent in their prime (e.g. Herschel Walker, Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Reggie White, etc.). What killed the USFL in the end was trying to grow too fast and too soon. The biggest mistake they could ever make was proposing to move to the fall, head to head with the NFL for 1986.

 

[TMC1982]

I seriously don't now how this proposed new USFL is really going to work. The original USFL made sense at the time because of the 1982 NFL strike alienating fans, the growing influence of cable television such as ESPN, and the craving for a more free flowing, all out alternative to the "No Fun League" that the NFL was offering at the time. Not only that, but the actually USFL had quality talent in their prime (e.g. Herschel Walker, Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Reggie White, etc.). What killed the USFL in the end was trying to grow too fast and too soon. The biggest mistake they could ever make was proposing to move to the fall, head to head with the NFL for 1986.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

The problem with alternative football leagues is basically that you dont have enough bodies to go around. American football has probably the smallest player pool of any major sport since you effectively only have Americans, and to a much lesser extent, Canadians, (lesser in terms of sheer numbers) playing it.

You dont have outside sources of talent feeding the game like Europe does with basketball and hockey, and like Asia and the Carribean/South America do with baseball.

Given the roster size of your standard NFL team (53 men) and then the UFL, AFL, etc. Where do you get the bodies to play at ny type of quality for people to care?

 

[StorminNorman]

The AFL is entertaining enough that people should care.

The UFL isn't meant to attract your average casual sports fan.

 

[Addendum]

I'm content with the CFL as the other football league I like