USFL How long will it last? (this time)

[matthewb0051]

The missus and I were watching Anatomy of a Scandal last night and I highly recommend it. Afterwards I switched back to cable and the channel just happened to be on a USFL broadcast. It was around 9:30 or 10 pm and the listing showed it as 'new' or possibly 'live' but it clearly wasn't since it was bright sunshine.

At any rate, the game was some Marauders team from some place I don't recall. The players looked tiny and not up to snuff.

Worst part: the stands were absolutely empty. Maybe a hundred or a bit more people in attendance. They had an end zone shot that panned and showed both side stands and opposite end zone.

Anyone watched?

What is the over and under on how long before they pull the plug? Surely they can't go on without butts in seats paying something.

I really think this is for guys that simply can't give it up and have a pipe dream of playing NFL someday. Can't imagine more than one or two will actually get called up. If they were good enough they would already be there.

[berettafan]

It won’t get past one season. Not sure it will get to the end of one season. Fox overestimated it’s ability to sell.

[stevej37]

I think the timing of their season is wrong. 2 1/2 months after the SB....too soon.

[GH85Carrera]

The University of Oklahoma had a "spring scrimmage" with the same quarterback playing on both sides. Only playing themselves. They had 75,000 people in the stands! A sell out for a scrimmage when they are just playing themselves.

So there is always a hunger for football games. It just astonishes me.

[berettafan]

It's minor league football and should run concurrently. Same as baseball does.

[matthewb0051]

Lest we not forget NFL Europe RIP 2007.

It is the same minor league and would have drawn the same players.

[URY914]

Who are these guys that have enough money to invest in something as dumb as this???

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by berettafan

It's minor league football and should run concurrently. Same as baseball does.

Its interesting that someone even bothers with this league. College football is essentially serving as the NFL's minor leagues AND it costs them nothing...

[stevej37]

The un-drafted players are the majority of the players. A great way to show their talents.

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by stevej37

I think the timing of their season is wrong. 2 1/2 months after the SB....too soon.

That was the premise of the original USFL (when Hershel Walker played) back a million years ago. MLB had been on strike or was threatening and the talk was, "who cares? we'll just have year round football". It didn't work...

[stevej37]

I wonder if maybe there is some payment from the players to the owners for the exposure?

[fxeditor]

Originally Posted by URY914

Who are these guys that have enough money to invest in something as dumb as this???

Fox of course. They had to do something with all the ca$h Disney gave them!

[Pazuzu]

I like it, I liked the XFL, and I generally don't like the NFL. These new leagues are nimble, fun, quicker games, more action. Sports these days need some new blood. I also firmly believe that basketball court should be 25% larger, and the rims 2 inches smaller, to be nimble and fun again.

As for crowds, they play 4 games a week, 8 weeks total in one stadium to save infrastructure. There's only so many random football fans in Birmingham AL to be in the stadium. They aren't living off of ticket revenue, they're living off of sponsorship and gambling. BIG gambling.

[red 928]

It never works
Remember the AFL?

I'm watching the games
I'm not sure why but all games
I've seen so far were played at
Birmingham stadium
likely a cost-cutting move with main
focus on TV and not ticket sales
that would explain the MT seats

The games are good without all
the stupid antics of NFL felons

but they need to fire the moron
in charge of sound
why mike up the coaches and QB
and play it full blast at the same time
the goofballs in the press box are
trying to do the play by play
and enough with all the drones
filming kick-offs from weird angles

being different doesn't work if
the difference is being worse

[matthewb0051]

Oh crap... I forgot to put the most offensive thing we noticed when the game was on the other night. They literally piped in crowd noise sounds like there was a 100,000 person crowd in the stands. It was horrible. Pretty much like when the Premier League started playing to empty stadiums after 2 weeks to stop the spread in 2020.

[Seahawk]

This is interesting:

https://sports.yahoo.com/bad-news-good-news-usfl-165012235.html

The USFL expected a dip in TV ratings for Week Two. Dip happened. What it means depends on the lens through which the numbers are viewed.

As reported by the Sports TV Ratings Twitter account, the Saturday Maulers-Stars game on Fox drew an average audience of 1.056 million. Sunday afternoon’s Breakers-Bandits blowout on NBC generated 812,000.

In Week One, the Fox and NBC games attracted audiences of 3 million and 2.153 million, respectively.

Those aren’t great numbers for three-letter broadcast TV. That said, and as noted by Sports TV Ratings, NBC’s audience for spring football was larger than its Premier League number or, more importantly for the network that previously televised pro hockey, the USFL on both NBC and Fox outdrew the NHL on ABC.

That said, a Sunday morning F1 event on ESPN picked up a million viewers. In the 18-49 demographic, the audience doubled the Fox and NBC figures for the USFL.

For me, sports are seasonal; that said, I am staying in a Marriott tonight so...

[MikeSid]

Originally Posted by stevej37

I wonder if maybe there is some payment from the players to the owners for the exposure?

Nope, but the players do it for rent and ego.

I stayed at a cheap roadside hotel in Eastern Washington and met a few players. They lived in the hotel and had a meal allowance. A couple of them had pending DUI or drug charges that were keeping their "talent" off a bigger field.

There was one player among them who might have a shot at the CFL, but by and large they all know they are not moving up. Nevertheless, they all felt good about being able to play and have free rent and a meal allowance. They consider themselves professional football players and by most definitions they certainly would be. They are getting compensated to play.

For a lot of these guys it's a better option than just washing out and taking a minimum wage job. Plenty of guys gut it out in the low level minors with no real possibility of seeing MLB dirt. It probably feels good to play at least.

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

This is interesting:

Those aren’t great numbers for three-letter broadcast TV. That said, and as noted by Sports TV Ratings, NBC’s audience for spring football was larger than its Premier League number

My theory on the PL having poor numbers is NBC jerking around the viewing audience. They got everyone hooked around 2013/4 and were showing matches on NBCSN, USA, CNBC, NBC and on certain days all across the entire NBC platform. Then they came up with some NBC Gold pay garbage. Now it is Peacock. They do stupid ****e like putting the commentary on Peacock after the match or putting top matches on Peacock.

Originally Posted by MikeSid

Nope, but the players do it for rent and ego.

I stayed at a cheap roadside hotel in Eastern Washington and met a few players. They lived in the hotel and had a meal allowance.

They do similar in England for players in lower tiers. A friend of mine back in the day wasn't even close to good enough to play in big league but was offered a lower tier contract for football (soccer) and the club was going to find him work to subsidize.