United Football League - Competition for the NFL?

I love watching, and betting, on the NFL, but I always get a sinking feeling as the Superbowl approaches. That means I’m about to have to endure months of NFL-free programming, including the deadly dull rigors of MLB.

My problems might soon be at an end, however, and the solution may come as early as 2008. In its June 3rd issue, The New York Times Sports Magazine reports that Wall Street bigshot Bill Hambrecht and Google executive Tim Armstrong are going to launch the United Football League. The article goes on to say that they have already secured Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Mexico City as the first of eight starting teams.

MARK CUBAN SPEAKS OUT (AGAIN)

In fact, excitable billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will reportedly be the owner of the Las Vegas franchise. Cuban even went on his personal blog and listed reasons why it’s not crazy to compete with the NFL. They are:

1. The is an obvious demand for top level pro football.

2. The NFL wants and needs competition.

3. The NFL just extended their collective bargaining agreement, and it was not designed for a competitive environment.

4. There are many vacant markets that would love to have a pro football team.

5. There are a lot of smart people involved in the UFL.

6. It’s a great TV product.

IT’S BEEN TRIED BEFORE

While I would love to see the UFL be successful, this will not be the first time that someone has tried to compete with the juggernaut which is the National Football League. Remember these…..

1. AFL - The AFL started in 1960 and fully merged with the NFL a decade later. It included teams such as the Chargers, Chiefs, Bills and Patriots.

2. World Football League - Played in the early 70s, this league raided the NFL for such stars as Larry Csonka.

3. USFL - The USFL featured future NFL stars such as Jim Kelly, Steve Young and Reggie White. Heck, Donald Trump even owned one of the teams. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t compete with the NFL when it came to paying players.

4. XFL - Airing on NBC and founded by WWE owner Vince McMahon, this league started in the spring of 2001 and lasted just 3 months.

The plan is for the league to air on Friday nights, a night the NFL avoids to prevent conflicts with high school football. While they may not be able to get the biggest stars, the league is looking to outbid the NFL on players who would traditionally go in the 3rd round or later. They may also be able to pick up a few veteran free agents with some amount of star power.

According to Cuban, “That’s not to say it will be easy. It won’t. We still have to cover quite a bit of ground and have a lot of milestones to hit. That said, if we can get the right owners, I obviously think we can make this work.”

Each owner will be expected to put up $30 million, which will be worth 50% interest in a team. The league will own the other half and eventually sell shares to the public in an effort to raise an average of $60 million per franchise. This should reduce ticket prices for the fans.

While the chances of success are pretty slim, it will give gamblers another fun option if it can get off the ground. We’ll keep you updated.

In the meantime, check out these NFL articles:

Fantasy Football News

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United Football League - Competition for the NFL?