On Christmas night, I was watching the ESPN “30 for 30” documentary on the United States Football League (for the third time), and it hit me.
The United Football League has an extremely good chance to accomplish what the USFL never could – lasting non-National Football League professional football success.
Once again watching what the USFL meant to the people who lived it – the fun, the chance to play, coach and work in professional football when the NFL wouldn’t allow them to and, perhaps most importantly, the quality of play – got me to projecting what the future for the UFL could be.
Of course, the UFL’s future directly is tied to not repeating the problems that destroyed the USFL.
The UFL has some of the same problems after its first season that the USFL had after its – lack of attendance, lack of television viewership, a stigma of being an inferior product to the NFL, etc. But as long as the UFL learns the lessons of the past and doesn’t repeat the mistakes which doomed “The $1 League,” those problems can be overcome, and the UFL will thrive for many years to come.
Job No. 1 for the UFL most likely already has been accomplished. Out-of-work veterans and rookies who were skeptical about what the league could do for their careers saw the quality of play in the first season and, if they don’t find NFL work again, they won’t hesitate this time to join the UFL for season No. 2. Players like Glenn Holt, Leon Williams and Shaun Smith joined the UFL during the 2009 season, but players of that caliber are more likely to be in UFL preseason camps this time around.
Then, there is the task of the UFL creating its own stars. The league isn’t going to be able to sign multiple Heisman Trophy winners like the USFL did, but with so many college football games on television these days, the UFL still will be able to build name recognition with quarterbacks such as Matt Grothe from South Florida or Juice Williams from Illinois.
Another way in which the UFL is showing it is learning its lessons is in expansion, and that is two-pronged. The first prong is in executing measured expansion. The USFL went from 12 to 18 teams in its first expansion go-around, and never was able to grow from that. The UFL is going from four to six teams in year No. 2, and, most likely, to eight teams in 2011. Despite the country’s insatiable appetite for football, slow and steady, in this case, should win the race.
The second expansion prong is doing so in non-NFL markets. The UFL just was not going to work in New York and San Francisco in the fall. Having a potential lineup next year of teams in Las Vegas (Nevada), Orlando/St. Petersburg (Florida), Hartford (Connecticut), Sacramento/San Jose (California), San Antonio (Texas) and Salt Lake City (Utah) would allow the league to grow at a correct pace. And then cities such as Birmingham (Alabama), Portland (Oregon), Omaha (Nebraska) and Columbus (Ohio) will be beating down the UFL’s door.
One of the biggest positives for the UFL in its first season was finishing the day after Thanksgiving, allowing its players a chance to join or re-join the NFL for the last month or so of the season. NFL teams have jumped at the chance to sign UFL players for their active rosters and/or practice squads, and by the UFL continuing to end its season in the end of November, that will allow its players to see the fruits of their labor a little quicker.
Of course, the UFL doing all of the above won’t mean anything if it doesn’t learn perhaps the biggest USFL lesson – staying the financial course. Once the USFL broke the bank for players like Herschel Walker, while that did allow the USFL much short-term visibility, that ensured the league would be short-lived.
As long as the UFL keeps its player salaries down and keeps its financial model, it will be around for a long time. But as soon as the UFL starts getting into a USFL-type bidding war for NFL free agents, you can start the countdown clock for when we won’t have the UFL anymore.
By doing these things, the UFL – sooner, rather than later – will improve its attendance, its television presence and the impression of the on-field product.
Of course, one major positive the UFL has over the USFL is that it already is playing during football season. While the USFL played its first three seasons in the spring and then tried to move to the fall and compete with the NFL, the UFL began its life as a fall league, will continue to be a fall league and has no designs of trying to be the second coming of the NFL.
In that way, the UFL has a big leg up in trying to become something that the USFL, or any other non-NFL league since the American Football League of the 1960s, couldn’t be – a professional football league that has a long, successful run and that doesn’t die a painful, self-inflicted death.
The UFL will survive as a development league to the NFL. The NBA has it’s NBA d-leagues, the NHL has it’s AHL, MLB has its minor leagues, and now the NFL has it’s UFL. You are right about one thing, the UFL will never be like the USFL…and that is unfortunate. The UFL will never have the quality of players like the USFL. It will never generate as much interest or ever be able to compete on the same level as the NFL as the USFL did. It is doomed to be a minor professional football league.If survival is the only criteria for success, they will probably accomplish that goal, by setting the bar so low. The reason we still talk about the USFL is becaused like the AFL, they dreamed to become one of the best,and compete against the best, and though they failed in many peoples eyes, I and many like me will never forget them. The UFL will be around but will only be remembered as the NFL feeder league, not the kind of league that people write books,movies and documentaries about!
The UFL is starting small. That does not make it a minor league.The league will grow when it’s economic situation allows it to.
The USFL started big and got bigger and while it received significant
following it was not enough to keep it afloat.
Why make the same mistake?
Starting small and growing slow will allow the UFL to build a fan base without breaking the bank. I remember the USFL and it’s quality of play; but unfortunately I also remember it’s death agony.
I agree Andy, but in as much as there is no NFL Europe I think the NFL should invest in the UFL & use it as a feeder , as well as look to create its own stars, I think if they do both it can be a success.
I think the UFL should stay independent. If the present situation allows the NFL to benefit; so be it. But based on the NFL’s role in the Arena league and WLAF/NFLE you can’t say that an interest in the UFL would be positive.
Totally agree with AndyG: “based on the NFL’s role in the Arena league and WLAF/NFLE you can’t say that an interest in the UFL would be positive”
Unlucky those who talk with Mr Goodell
)))
I think having the UFL as a feeder league is the best idea out there right now. Another thing the UFL should have teams in these markets for 2010-11
Florida (Orlando)
Hartford
Las Vegas
California (San Jose/Sacramento)
San Antonio
Salt Lake City
Columbus
Birmingham
What is so good about becoming a feeder league? No one says what the benefits are.Unless you want the NFL to benefit. The stigma that has always plagued all alternative leagues is the perception of being minor league. Becoming a feeder league will make that official.
The Ufl will not contend with the Nfl, it might be best to recieve money from NFL so the league might make, it in return for $ the Ufl can develope players who might return to the NFL . Andy & replay you say NFL like its a bad thing, NFL Europe failed due to bad attendence, & we know Arena lea failed due to bad management. I hope I’m wrong but we might not make it without assistance of the NFL.
The NFL is a bad thing. You cannot expect them to put money into the UFL unless they have some sort of control. But your points about the Arena League and NFLE are wrong. NFL owners who also owned Arena teams had a major hand in the bad management; it was they who drove it bankrupt. NFLE didn’t fold because of bad attendance; in most cases attendance was fine. But the owners thought that that NFL-Europe had already outlived it’s usefulness. The expense of the project was not worth it to them;when they could market in Europe without operating a league;never giving the fan bases that had been built over the years especially in Frankfurt and Dusseldorf any consideration. They already had done this years earlier with WLAF; when they dropped all the US teams after two seasons.Also citing bad attendance and bad TV ratings.
Given the opportunity they will do the same to the UFL.
Andy G please read
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell thanked the fans for their support but said it was time to develop a new international strategy, terming the move to fold NFL Europa the “best business decision.” The league reportedly was losing about $30 million a season.
To read more: Go to ESPN.com.
I think there is a bit of truth in what everyone writes. However, I did not sign on to be a UFL fan for it to be the “official” feeder league of the NFL. If by circumstance players move on the the UFL…. so be it.
The UFL was marketed as an alternative league from the beginning. It must continue to be a “separate entity” from the NFL and another “Major League”.
As soon as you put put the “label” minor league on the UFL it loses it’s punch for future major sponsors… meaning less financial growth.
The UFL… in the current economic abyss… is being very smart in their measured growth plans. Even still they need to strongly ramp up their marketing efforts in order to showcase the product to their future loyal fans.
Please let’s ban the term/s “minor league” and “feeder league” from our vernacular.
Measured growth does not mean the UFL product has to resign itself to minor league status.
Let’s as fans keep our standards high so the UFL will keep their standards the same.
Remember “it’s all about U”.
P.S- The UFL has still not answered those who want a spring league. Michael Dwyer has contradicted and misrepresented so many things I’m thinking the new USFL was a product of delusion.
Is there anyone out there who can make a Major spring league happen?
Afterall, when the Super Bowl is over we will still be left with no football till September.
Major Spring leagues went out with the USFL. While I may hold out hope for low budget outdoor Spring league it is interesting that none of the Spring league groupings(AAFL,UNGL, and NUSFL) have been able to entice any significant investors to be able to get off the ground.At the same time the UFL has already played a season and is set for season two. The UFL has already answered “play in the Fall”.
To quote “Scotty D” “I did not sign on for a feeder league.” No truer words have ever been spoken. We have been mislead.I was so excited about the NFL being an alternative league to the NFL, but it wont be. The fans will not change the minds of the UFL. It seems like they enjoy the idea of being a developmental league to the NFL. If the UFL had come clean in the beginning about the intentions, I would not have been so disappointed, but that would have quelled enthusiasm for the league. But, it is what it is. I don’t watch the NBA-D league, nor the AHL, or the MLB minor leagues, and I hate to say this, the past season will be my last of watching the UFL now that I know they do not aspire to be in a league of their own, but prefer to kow-tow to the NFL and accept the role of preparing players for the NFL, for that, I will watch college football. note: for any doubters, recall how the NFL powers fought vehemently against the other upstart leagues, using their powers of persuasions to convince even networks and writers to assist in denigrating the leagues before they could build properly (case in point, the XFL was criticized in their 1st season for low TV ratings, never mentioning the fact that there ratings were better than the National Hockey Leagues).The NFL has had nothing to say negative about the UFL nor many writers, why? Because they know the UFL does not intend to compete against them, but to compliment them. They will survive….just like all the other D-leagues, and will become almost totally irrelevent on the big stage.
a feeder league would fail because who wants to go see some sucky players that cant and probaly wont play a down for an nfl team
Your hypothesis has already been proven wrong after just one season, TEXASlonghorns.
[...] my last two pieces for UFLAccess.com (“The UFL Offseason Week in Review: Look North?” and “UFLA Year in Review: Why the UFL Might Last”) had no mention of any UFL-NFL connection, either now or in the future. The majority of the [...]