The one in the 80s was very successful, teams were averaging 30-40K attendance, and it was getting good TV ratings and competing with the NFL in signing top players, it might have lasted forever if Trump hadn't taken its direction the wrong way. It could have lasted as a spring league.
It lasted only 3 years and then it went away. I don't know about you, but a league that lasted only 3 seasons is not very successful to me. I do find humor in your laying the blame for the league folding on Donald Trump. If I remember correctly, the biggest issue for the league folding was it attempted to compete with the NFL in an attempt to make the NFL merge into one. Even back then, the NFL was to powerful to be forced into doing anything that didn't generate more money for the league.
Have you seen the documentary, "Small Potatoes" it's one of those ESPN 30 for 30, Donald Trump actually appears in it, it pretty much lays the blame squarely on him because attempting to compete with the NFL in an attempt to make the NFL merge into one was his idea.
I just may take a ride down to a game. Only 45 min from me and the HOF is right next to the stadium. Also, the North Canton area is very nice. Lots of great restaurants there. South Canton sucks though.
It is pretty well documented that Trump was the driving force to move the games to the fall to directly compete against the NFL. It is also well documented that his real goal was to try to force a merger with the NFL because he wanted to own an NFL franchise. This isn't political or anti-Trump. Just an accurate representation of history.
Exactly, I wasn't being political at all, although I do hate Trump... but I also hate Biden just as much.
i was a tad too young to know the ins and outs of why the USFL failed and i never did get around to watching that espn 30 30 special on it.
The Art of the Deal. Watch the show, it's only one hour, I think. Trump had a lot of influence among some of the owners, but the owner of Tampa Bay was against it because he was good with continuing in the spring. can't remember his name? Eventually Trump convinced enough of them to sue the NFL. The Tampa Bay owner unfortuately was diagnosed with cancer just then and died on the day the court ruled on the case. Watch the 30 for 30, it'spretty interesting. Trump was all or nothing, he didn't want to stay as kind of a spring minor league, while some of the others where good with existing and doing business in the spring although never big time like the NFL.
I'm not so sure that they had a good thing going. Yes, they had some level of popularity. They had some TV viewers and ok attendance. But overall, the business model was unsustainable because of the $ being spent to lure players away from the NFL. It is clear to me (and many things have been written about it that support it) that some of the owners, with The Donald being chief among them, viewed the league as a way to force their way into the NFL as opposed to having a league that would compete with the NFL. This goes on all the time in the business world. Most tech start ups operate this way. Start up a business, either slightly erode Google or Apple's business, then get bought out by a bigger company. No knock on The Donald for trying it. Had he been successful, it would've been a major $ score. He (and some of the other owners) overplayed their hands. The NFL wasn't ready at that point to expand that much.
I very seldom listen to or watch anything that espn produces. They lost my respect years ago when they gave their espy award for courage to Caitlin Jenner over Noah Galloway a retired Army veteran who lost an arm and a leg serving our country. espn's job is to REPORT, not to create the sports news around the world. Taking that into account, anything that espn produces is flawed in my opinion.
Read up on it then. The whole goal of the move to a fall schedule was to try to force the league into a merger because the NFL wouldn't allow Trump to become an owner through the normal process. You don't have to rely on any one source to find that information.
That's a little crazy. Who cares who wins an award? Noah Galloway is a tremendous person. That is better than any silly television network award. I doubt he even cares that he didn't win it. And not to demean the guy at all, but was he specifically courageous in 2015? He was courageous way before that and continues to be. Sure, he did the Dancing with the Stars thing in 2015. But I'd argue that his willingness to lay down his life and limb as a member of our military and his journey back from his injuries to become a positive force in our society trumps going on Dancing with the Stars on the courageous scale. Seems kind of crazy to base your opinions of the quality of their documentaries based on that.
This show is pretty old, Kaitlyn was Bruce when it came out. 2009. I think you're just upset because they blame Trump. People like you are just as politically obsessed as ESPN.
www.imdb.com
I just have an issue with ANY television sports/news network that tries to "create" stories instead of just reporting on them. They ALL remind me of Geraldo Rivera when he made himself look important because he saud he found Al Capone's vault.
This USFL story is pretty factual, not created, a lot people that where involved are interviewed.
this level or caliber of football is on par with a D2 college football program. any FCS or D1 program would wipe the floor with these teams, even though these rosters are filled with grown men. take any usfl team and put them in the ACC and they dont win a game, and again, that's saying something..
Arena Football lasted 33 years, it ended because they were bankrupted by an insurance lawsuit or something like that.
I took a look at the Mauler's roster after seeing your post and...yeah, it's worse than I thought. Some of the startup leagues in the past at least had a few recognizable names on their rosters. I haven't heard of a single player on the Maulers.
Hard to imagine there are many. As much as I like football, I really couldn't care less about most other games on TV any Sunday unless the outcome of it impacts the Steelers. I don't think I'm in the minority there.
Bassett, as I recall, was Canadian. America First! 😄 😄This show is pretty old, Kaitlyn was Bruce when it came out. 2009. I think you're just upset because they blame Trump. People like you are just as politically obsessed as ESPN.
"30 for 30" Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? (TV Episode 2009) - IMDb
Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?: Directed by Michael Tollin. With Michael Tollin, Donald Trump, Harry Usher, Steve Ehrhart. The story of the rise and fall of the United States Football League, focusing on two owners: John Bassett, who wanted the league to compete in the spring; and Donald...
I think he was talking about the current iteration of the Maulers.
I'm not sure I understand what story they were "creating". Are you suggesting that they were creating a story about Caitlin Jenner? Or Noah Galloway? Or the USFL? Seems to me that all 3 of those were stories that didn't need to be created.
The current USFL pays everyone $45K they aren't trying to sign anyone that the NFL would want at the moment, anyone in the current USFL would jump at the chance to go to an NFL practice squad. Although a few did get to the NFL last year, Deondre Turpin Dallas KR was USFL MVP. This USFL is basically guys the NFL currently is not interested in.
But do you watch baseball? NBA Playoffs? Non-Pens SC playoffs? Golf? Non-Pitt college basketball? Personally I don't watch that stuff very often, so if I want to watch sports, I might choose the minor league football game that day.
That’s fine, but evidently there aren’t enough people out there like you. If there were, I’d have to think spring football would have caught on. I watch the Pirates if they’re worth watching, but otherwise, I just don’t watch sports from Apri-September.
Actually, the USFL last year did good in the TV ratings enough to be renewed at least for another season. It's more of a TV show than anything,
Give college baseball a try. Pitt has been an good watch the past couple of seasons. And there are a lot of other good games on.
I don't like baseball at all, not even a little. the only baseball games I've watched on TV since 1992 are the Pirates playoff games 2013-2015. Basically, at some point I decided I hate baseball and can't sit through it and never looked back.
He specifically asked about baseball, so I had to reply. But like I always say, I hate baseball so bad, I enjoy any opportunity to piss on it. It's no different from the soccer haters who constantly remind us how bad they think it sucks.
i know, im just messing around. besides the pirates, i dont think i've watched 5 minutes of baseball dating back to the late 90s when i jumped on the yankee bandwagon..
With those sports too, I'm the same, other than the Olympics, I don't think I've ever watched a non-Pens hockey game and college basketball I only watch Pitt and the NCAAT for the most part. But to me that's enough, Pitt plays twice a week and the Pens, I usually get 2-3 games per month on my TV package. That's like 8-10sports events per month that I usually watch to me that's enough. Add a few football or soccer games, I have more than enough sports to watch. I think it's insane some people who comment about how they watch college football or basketball every Saturday from noon to midnight
in my younger days, i could do that with college football on a saturday. life before kids, drinking beers and being in your 20's with crap to do? oh yeah, zero issues wasting away a saturday watching 3-4 college football games..With those sports too, I'm the same, other than the Olympics, I don't think I've ever watched a non-Pens hockey game and college basketball I only watch Pitt and the NCAAT for the most part. But to me that's enough, Pitt plays twice a week and the Pens, I usually get 2-3 games per month on my TV package. That's like 8-10sports events per month that I usually watch to me that's enough. Add a few football or soccer games, I have more than enough sports to watch. I think it's insane some people who comment about how they watch college football or basketball every Saturday from noon to midnight
