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USFL was fine as a spring league and would have probably continued to this day if it was left as a spring league. There is a pretty good documentary[1] on Netf
by oxide 10y ago
USFL was fine as a spring league and would have probably continued to this day if it was left as a spring league.
There is a pretty good documentary[1] on Netflix about the USFL and how attempting to make it a fall league competing directly with the NFL essentially handed it a death sentence.
I don't want to spoil anything, of course, so you'll have to watch it yourself to see who's bright idea that was.
It's really a shame, IMO. An alternate spring league would have been great.
[1]: http://espn.go.com/30for30/film?page=small-potatoes-who-killed-the-usfl http://espn.go.com/30for30/film?page=small-potatoes-who-kill...
- r00fus 10y agoSo essentially you're saying that trying to compete with the NFL was the ticket to demise? Doesn't that sound like the NFL is a monopoly?
- oxide 10y agoOh, absolutely. I'm not disputing that even in the slightest.
- fullshark 10y agoUSFL would have died once players got huge salaries. The only reason it was doing alright was because players were underpaid. They had star QBS. The XFL was a summer league and failed because they had no talent.
- ascagnel_ 10y agoThe XFL failed because NBC pulled out of the deal. Without a broadcast partner, a sports league is basically stuck operating off gate revenue, and at the scale the XFL attempted to run at, doomed.