Some questioned the decision of the United Football League to play the New York Sentinels home opener in Giants Stadium up against the World Series. The league, however, has shown from day one that they intend to build a league the way they wish to rather than following preconceived notions of others. Whether or not this will be successful remains to be seen but few would argue that the product on the field in year one has been great.

Below are excerpts from the FanHouse article:

The UFL, in an attempt to adapt, moved the Sentinels’ home game on Nov. 4 from Citi Field to Hofstra’s James M. Shuart Stadium to accommodate for tepid interest. But due to logistical reasons, it could not shift Thursday’s contest from massive Giants Stadium, where almost 70,000 empty seats made the announced crowd of 10,318 seem even smaller.

The UFL game at Hofstra would be played during Game 6 of the Fall Classic, also at Yankee Stadium if necessary.

“We just felt that Hofstra was a more intimate setting, but it was too close to do the same for tonight’s game at Giants Stadium,” a league source told FanHouse. “It just wasn’t possible.”

In fairness, though, the UFL has yet to completely cater to perception or deviate from its plan, which is to build a competent professional football league from the ground up. Obstacles, in the UFL’s eyes, are non-existent. The league knew coming in that it would have to compete with all the major sports during one of the busiest times on the sporting calendar.

“It’s tough to plan for a World Series game,” Rick Mueller, general manager of all four UFL teams, told FanHouse during the first half of Thursday’s game. “You’re in New York, and there could be a World Series game. That’s what you get.

“But we’re happy with the play on the field, and we hope our television ratings are good.”

For those who do tune in this season, the UFL promises to be more than you expect because, according to the league source, the viewers’ expectations have been set purposefully low.

“We aim to under-promise and over-deliver,” the source said, referring to a lack of hype for the UFL, a departure from the excessive marketing and promotions of other alternative leagues. “We’ve put the majority of the money into the on-field product to bolster the quality.”

In fact, the play on the field is the least of the UFL’s worries. Mueller — a former NFL front office man — said he is in contact with 10-15 NFL personnel evaluators on a weekly basis. The general manager also admitted that he believes the UFL maximized its talent base.

Source: FanHouse