Report: New start-up league could rival NFL

[burmafrd]

First off they will need 8 guys with a billion dollars in their pockets. Because if this is going to last you can bet each team will lose 100-200 million dollars over 5 years - the minimum time needed to build a sport. Las Vegas, LA, - what other good sized cities do not have NFL teams? Salt Lake City. Who else? San Antonio? maybe. Birmingham. Problem is there are no teams in the North, Northeast, or even the Midwest that they can get that is big enough. So you have a league that only has teams in the South and Southwest. Then you have to get agreements with big enough stadiums. Not easy. Then you have to get some kind of TV deal. Good luck. THEN you have to get enough players and good enough players - and COACHES. To get a good enough product that does not get you laughed at. They better not try and compete in the regular football season. No room. So go from Feb to June.
No stupid tricks- as a matter of fact they should drop a lot of the sissy rules the NFL has. BUT not go so far as the XFL did.
Bottom line is that they need 8 guys willing to lose 200 million each. That should be interesting.

 

[Muhast]

I for one will gladly try out for one of these teams

 

[Beast_from_East]

This is the most ******** thing I have ever heard. We are talking short-bus here fellas. Main problems.

1. Where are you going to play? The XFL was using freaking High School stadiums. I really doubt Cubin is going to blow the coin to build a decent stadium himself, so I guess it is off to the freaking JV fields.

2. How are people going to watch your game? Lets see, ABC, NBC, ESPN, CBS, and FOX all have TV contracts with the NFL. I am pretty sure those contracts prevent televising games of a competing league. How bout satellite you say, well DirectTV has Sunday Ticket so forget about them and Dish Network has NFL Channel so you can forget about them also.

3. Where you getting players from? With no TV deal, you have no money.

 

[Cochese]

This is the most ******** thing I have ever heard. We are talking short-bus here fellas. Main problems.

1. Where are you going to play? The XFL was using freaking High School stadiums. I really doubt Cubin is going to blow the coin to build a decent stadium himself, so I guess it is off to the freaking JV fields.

I'm almost positive the Chicago team played at Soldier Field.

 

[dallasfaniac]

This is the most ******** thing I have ever heard. We are talking short-bus here fellas. Main problems.

1. Where are you going to play? The XFL was using freaking High School stadiums. I really doubt Cubin is going to blow the coin to build a decent stadium himself, so I guess it is off to the freaking JV fields.

The Outlaws played at Sam Boyd stadium, Enforcers at Soldier Field, Thunderbolts at Legion Field, etc. - Basically bigtime venues.

2. How are people going to watch your game? Lets see, ABC, NBC, ESPN, CBS, and FOX all have TV contracts with the NFL. I am pretty sure those contracts prevent televising games of a competing league. How bout satellite you say, well DirectTV has Sunday Ticket so forget about them and Dish Network has NFL Channel so you can forget about them also.

ABC pulled the plug on the NFL in 2005 which is why MNF is on ESPN. They were tired of the fees and might be open to a more cost effective option like a startup football.

3. Where you getting players from? With no TV deal, you have no money.

These aren't some couch quarterbacks, these are guys that use $100 dollar bills to wipe their ***. They could afford to put money into a venture that might take 5 years to start seeing roi. Plus, like I said ABC might be open to such a move if they thought the business model was sufficient.

 

[Mavs Man]

I think it could work, but as other posters mentioned it would take good marketing and deep pockets from billionaire owners who are willing to lose millions over the first 4-5 years, if not more. The USFL failed because it went head-to-head against the NFL. The XFL failed becaused it missed it's target market; it tried for the Xtreme/wrestling crowd by showing poor quality football. If they had mixed in more of the wrestling element (storylined games) it would have been more interesting, appealed more to its base, and possibly lasted longer than it did.

For curiousity's sake, I looked up potential U.S. Markets w/o an NFL team (population of surrounding area):

L.A. - 12.9 million
Portland - 2 million
Orlando - 1.9 million
San Antonio - 1.9 million
Las Vegas - 1.8 million
Columbus - 1.7 million
Virginia Beach - 1.6 million
Austin - 1.5 million
Louisville - 1.2 million
Oklahoma City - 1.1 million

This would give them a 10 team league w/:
-3 west coast teams
-3 midwest teams
-2 Ohio valley teams
-2 east coast teams

I think that's a good mix, considering what's left, and includes a natural rivalry (Austin/San Antonio) two huge, unserviced markets (L.A. and Vegas), teams in states with huge high school followings.

They could go with three three-team divisions.

West:
L.A.
Vegas
Portland

Central:
OKC
SA
Austin

East:
Orlando
Columbus
Louisville

Division winners make the playoffs with one wild card.

 

[Boom]

Im sure it will be equal to the bad press my local AA ballclub gets for playing 18 year olds.

You are exactly correct, other than the fact that:

1) This league isn't attempting to be a minor league
2) They would be attempting to pull prime players from the college football behemoth by signing high school kids
3) They'd be thumbing their nose at the recent controversy of underclassmen going to the NFL
4) Taking future NFL talent away to another league

 

[trickblue]

Report: New start-up league could rival NFL

ummm.... no...

Book it!

 

[Cochese]

You are exactly correct, other than the fact that:

1) This league isn't attempting to be a minor league
2) They would be attempting to pull prime players from the college football behemoth by signing high school kids
3) They'd be thumbing their nose at the recent controversy of underclassmen going to the NFL
4) Taking future NFL talent away to another league

1. Who knows what its attempting to be.

2. 18 year old baseball players that get drafted have the same decision.

3. WHO CARES. Baseball has no age restriction, nor does hockey and the basketball age restriction is laughable.

4. Does a new league care about this?

 

[dogunwo]

XFL= great premise, poor execution.

The UFL will be much of the same..........

 

[burmafrd]

I think the NFL has been absolutely right about keeping the age limit reasonable- and preventing High School kids from competing. Look at all the discipline problems they have now with players years older.

 

[Royal Laegotti]

I think the NFL has been absolutely right about keeping the age limit reasonable- and preventing High School kids from competing. Look at all the discipline problems they have now with players years older.

 

[Alexander]

I think the NFL has been absolutely right about keeping the age limit reasonable- and preventing High School kids from competing. Look at all the discipline problems they have now with players years older.

Plus look at the ratio of underclassmen who declare and yet become complete washouts. For every big name, there are several who do not make it and do not come close to the millions they thought they were getting.

If you recall, during the Clarett fiasco there were high school players declaring and it was pathetic. Nearly every NFL GM stated that these players were making huge mistakes. Even Clarett and Mike Williams were not mentally mature then and their careers have shown it.

To me, football is more physically challenging and mentally stressful than either baseball or basketball. These young players need the time to let their bodies develop, but also prepare for the mental rigors of being that type of athlete.

 

[LD Fan]

So what? Look at how many minor league baseball and hockey leagues there are around that manage to stick and those sports dont have near the following of the NFL or football in this country.

Most minor league teams in other sports are subsidized by their major league parents. Most also lose money. This is a different deal, the NFL will want them out of business.

 

[LD Fan]

The odds are the league will fail but I'm happy to hear it may happen. In the past 40some years, there has been the AFL, WFL, USFL and XFL. 1 of 4 made it, 25% chances are much better than many on here give this one. The XFL never had a chance because it was a farse and as others noted, the USFL was building a base until they moved to the fall. For those of you who can only say, it's been tried, didn't work, so this one doesn't have a chance.....I hope you're not working on the new medicine that cures some fatal disease or the next version of the internet (be careful, Al Gore will probably want a cut). Big payoffs come to those that fail and keep trying.

 

[burmafrd]

Since its been more then 40 years since someone successfully challenged the NFL, in a climate VERY different then the current one, that one out of four chance looks even smaller.

 

[LD Fan]

Since its been more then 40 years since someone successfully challenged the NFL, in a climate VERY different then the current one, that one out of four chance looks even smaller.

So you're saying we're over due then right?

 

[burmafrd]

Got it WRONG again. I guess the obvious really escapes some people.

 

[Royal Laegotti]

I don't think this league will really threaten the NFL.

But it wouldn't bother me if it did, alittle. The NFL seems to be getting to big for it's own undi's lately. The NFL seems to be taking access away from fans in recent years, what was it just last week they are restricting video on websites, other than their own, to 45 seconds a day and they can't keep that video more than 24 hours. Also, I don't have the NFL network and alot of other folks don't as well, for whatever reason. So folks who live outside the city surrounding areas will miss their favorite teams play because some games or on the NFLN. It is my opinion that the NFLN is a step toward the NFL going PPV someday, hope I'm wrong but that's what I think. I can't remember the last time I saw NFL films on any of the ESPN channels, because they (I hear) are being shown on the NFL network. ESPN 2 and ESPN classic has become the poker, bowling, and boxing channels and I couldn't care less about any of those sports/games.

So if this league were to rise up some and make the NFL alittle uncomfortable and take enough fans to hurt the NFL alittle, it wouldn't bother me. Competition is great for the consumer.

I personally, probably wouldn't be a fan of that competing league, I'm to wrapped up in the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL to be a fan of a new league. Having said that I would like to see the NFL get pushed by some competion to come off it's high horse alittle and quit being so greedy. IMO.

 

[DallasEast]

Also, I don't have the NFL network and alot of other folks don't as well, for whatever reason. So folks who live outside the city surrounding areas will miss their favorite teams play because some games or on the NFLN. It is my opinion that the NFLN is a step toward the NFL going PPV someday, hope I'm wrong but that's what I think.

huh?

NFL Sunday Ticket = pay per view

Are you questioning whether the NFL will take all of its games from broadcast television (ABC, CBS, etc.) and subscription cable (ESPN, etc.)?