anyone else watch that show @ the USFL? - The Orange Mane

TomServo · 10-23-2009, 11:21 PM

it was on espn's 30 for 30 show tuesday evening.
i already detested donald trump and my hatred for him went up 1000% after watching that.
for those young uns that dont have a clue about the usfl, they signed steve young, jim kelly, herschel walker, doug flutie, reggie white and many nfl HOF'ers before the nfl did.
i recall going to a couple of denver gold games and it was inexpensive, entertaining good football.
we could all be watching good spring football today if it wasnt for that greedy egotistical bastard trump.
on the show they showed trump the actual 3$ check the usfl won in their lawsuit against the nfl(they sued for $1.6 billion). the look on his face warmed my heart. and on the way out trump called the usfl "small potaoes"(the title of the special). yah trumpy the dallas cowboys are worth $1 Bil. small potatoes indeed- and they Still would never allow you in their club.

KipCorrington25 · 10-23-2009, 11:23 PM

They kept saying how the quality of the football was great but that's not true in my opinion, I've even seen some replays over the years and the product was totally minor league.

TomServo · 10-23-2009, 11:28 PM

maybe, maybe not, maybe im thinking compared to the WFL and xfl and ive looked into the ufl a little. but if the league had been allowed to grow at its own pace... i mean crap the league had jim kelly and steve young.

TomServo · 10-23-2009, 11:31 PM

and before the announced the stupid kamakaze lawsuit at least a few maybe 8-10 clubs had better attendance than some of todays teams-jags?(mandatory)must buy ticket packages.

lex · 10-24-2009, 12:03 AM

I liked it in the beginning but I remember they added too many teams too fast.

TomServo · 10-24-2009, 12:48 AM

Quote:

I liked it in the beginning but I remember they added too many teams too fast.

they did. and got greedy. but they also needed the revenue.
i Liked the spring football even w/the NBA was exremeley entertaining_showtime. larry bird, doug moes nuggets...,
gimme the USFL anyday over the modern day NBA

19Morton77 · 10-24-2009, 01:10 AM

I hope UFL succeeds. We need more than just the NFL. We no longer have NFL Europe, XFL, USFL and such. College Football then it is either the NFL or Canada. Why not have a 6 to 8 team league? Some guys fall into the cracks when they get cut based on their pay and not necessarily they have nothing left. I just wish they would have put one in LA/OC instead of San Francisco. I dont even mind that it is at the same time as the NFL. This could help the NFL get players that are football ready if they have an injury and need someone that week.

chadta · 10-24-2009, 05:16 AM

see this is what i dont get, being up here in canada, when the cfl didnt get the big money tv contract it was the begining of the end, now there is no doubt that the cfl is a minor league, so why compete with the nfl for half the season ? why not start the cfl say spring break and have the grey cup played labour day weekend, have contracts for some of the 2nd and 3rd teir players in the nfl like we have in the cfl now, that allows them to play for a team in the other league during the off time, then maybe expanding back into some of the smaller markets in the US wouldnt be so bad, but to try and go head to head with the nfl for the second half of the year and play offs is just stupid.

illbroncsfn · 10-24-2009, 05:41 AM

The documentary on the USFL was awesome IMHO. I was too young to really know much about the USFL but everyone involved w/the product spoke positively on it.

And yes, Trump is an a-hole...

Hogan11 · 10-24-2009, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 19Morton77

I hope UFL succeeds. We need more than just the NFL. We no longer have NFL Europe, XFL, USFL and such. College Football then it is either the NFL or Canada. Why not have a 6 to 8 team league? Some guys fall into the cracks when they get cut based on their pay and not necessarily they have nothing left. I just wish they would have put one in LA/OC instead of San Francisco. I dont even mind that it is at the same time as the NFL. This could help the NFL get players that are football ready if they have an injury and need someone that week.

They're putting a UFL franchise in LA next year...if there is a next year.

Players who play for the league sign full season contracts...meaning they can't jump to the NFL until the UFL season ends and by that time, it's too late anyways (although I could be wrong in that, not 100% sure).

I liked the USFL and the idea of normal spring football. For the life of me though, I cannot understand the logic of competing head to head against the NFL...that move killed the USFL and The WFL (which I vaguely remember seeing a few games of as a kid on TV....the UFL kinda reminds me of it with every team's uni's kinda looking the same and the 1/4 filled stadiums).

The CFL and the Arena leagues were/are just too frickin' weird to fully enjoy IMHO. I never cared for Arena football and while I give the CFL a glimpse here and there (living close to Canada gives me access to televised CFL games) I'm not into the 55 yrd line, 3 downs and the ultra wide field with 20 yrd deep end zones.

I'll watch UFL games and give it a wait and see approach (besides what else is on Wednesday & Thursdays nights if your NHL team isn't playing and you don't have NFLN?), but I'm not overly optimistic on it's chances for survival.

sisterhellfyre · 10-24-2009, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hogan11

I liked the USFL and the idea of normal spring football. For the life of me though, I cannot understand the logic of competing head to head against the NFL...that move killed the USFL and The WFL (which I vaguely remember seeing a few games of as a kid on TV....the UFL kinda reminds me of it with every team's uni's kinda looking the same and the 1/4 filled stadiums).

IIRC, there was a lot of speculation back then that if the USFL won their antitrust suit against the NFL, they might eventually be able to force a merger with the NFL (at least the top USFL teams). Some USFL teams would probably have to move. I doubt the New York/New Jersey area would support a third team (the USFL Generals), Philly would have supported a second team (the Stars), etc. And what about the Oakland Invaders, plus the Raiders, or the Pittsburgh Maulers with the Steelers? Not happening, not likely.

OTOH, it would have filled some holes in the NFL TV markets at the time. The LA Express might have been viable, plus the Birmingham Stallions and Arizona Wranglers. San Antonio probably wasn't a big enough market at the time to support the Gunslingers (tho that has probably changed in the 30 years since the USFL folded). The Houston Gamblers with Jim Kelly might have given the Oilers a run for their territory. I don't think, tho, that Bronco fans would also have supported the Gold during the fall football season. But then, the Michigan Panthers would outright kick the Lions' collective asses for bragging rights up there. Even back then, the Lions were average at best.

I'm just as glad that nothing was ever likely to come of all that speculation. If the USFL had won, played in the fall, and eventually brought about that merger, I think it may have turned the NFL into the NBA: league bloat leads to too many meaningless regular season games and endless rounds of playoffs where too many mediocre teams get in just so the league gets more TV money.

sisterhellfyre · 10-24-2009, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KipCorrington25

They kept saying how the quality of the football was great but that's not true in my opinion, I've even seen some replays over the years and the product was totally minor league.

[shrug] It was a lower quality of play than the NFL, but not by much.

The NFL held a draft of USFL players in 1984, and there were a LOT of players picked. Many went on to play 5 years or more, even if they weren't household names. The list is out there if you search Google for "USFL players in NFL."

The best legacy of the USFL are the rules changes later implemented by the NFL, like the two-point conversion and instant replay.

lex · 10-24-2009, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sisterhellfyre

IIRC, there was a lot of speculation back then that if the USFL won their antitrust suit against the NFL, they might eventually be able to force a merger with the NFL (at least the top USFL teams). Some USFL teams would probably have to move. I doubt the New York/New Jersey area would support a third team (the USFL Generals), Philly would have supported a second team (the Stars), etc. And what about the Oakland Invaders, plus the Raiders, or the Pittsburgh Maulers with the Steelers? Not happening, not likely.

OTOH, it would have filled some holes in the NFL TV markets at the time. The LA Express might have been viable, plus the Birmingham Stallions and Arizona Wranglers. San Antonio probably wasn't a big enough market at the time to support the Gunslingers (tho that has probably changed in the 30 years since the USFL folded). The Houston Gamblers with Jim Kelly might have given the Oilers a run for their territory. I don't think, tho, that Bronco fans would also have supported the Gold during the fall football season. But then, the Michigan Panthers would outright kick the Lions' collective asses for bragging rights up there. Even back then, the Lions were average at best.

I'm just as glad that nothing was ever likely to come of all that speculation. If the USFL had won, played in the fall, and eventually brought about that merger, I think it may have turned the NFL into the NBA: league bloat leads to too many meaningless regular season games and endless rounds of playoffs where too many mediocre teams get in just so the league gets more TV money.

The Stars had moved to Baltimore by the time it ended, I think.

What I think would have been inereresting are cases like Tampa where they had the Bucs who, to that point, had little to no success. The Bandits might have been a more viable NFL team than the Buccaneers. It would have been interesting to see how that would have went.

Hogan11 · 10-24-2009, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sisterhellfyre

OTOH, it would have filled some holes in the NFL TV markets at the time. The LA Express might have been viable, plus the Birmingham Stallions and Arizona Wranglers. San Antonio probably wasn't a big enough market at the time to support the Gunslingers (tho that has probably changed in the 30 years since the USFL folded). The Houston Gamblers with Jim Kelly might have given the Oilers a run for their territory. I don't think, tho, that Bronco fans would also have supported the Gold during the fall football season. But then, the Michigan Panthers would outright kick the Lions' collective asses for bragging rights up there. Even back then, the Lions were average at best.

Memphis is another city that rival leagues did very well in (WFL, USFL & XFL) but will never get a second look after the Oilers played there a couple of years before the stadium in Nashville was ready. You really couldn't blame the residents for not coming out, after all, why support a run away franchise when the NFL just jilted you for a lesser market (Jax) and the Oilers made it very clear they had no intention of staying in town?

bombay · 10-24-2009, 03:04 PM

I attended the inaugeral USFL championship game at Mile High.

TexanBob · 10-24-2009, 04:37 PM

The USFL was well-positioned with a spring league and tv contracts with ABC and ESPN. It was a lot better to watch pro football than figure skating or senior golf in February/March.

They needed to slowly grow. Trump got greedy and killed the league.

broncosteven · 10-24-2009, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lex

I liked it in the beginning but I remember they added too many teams too fast.

And moved or shut down teams. I liked the spring football angle and vaguely remember watching some games but I didn't know who to root for.

I watched the show, it was a good Documentary but they should have kept the Trump interview run either at the start or end of the show, they split it up and it didn't flow well for me.

I love me some documentaries though.

The one on Nova about the hubble repair had the same problem, they jumped around when they didn't need to.

Hogan11 · 10-24-2009, 07:02 PM

I wish they'd make a WFL one....I barely remember anything of it.

broncosteven · 10-24-2009, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hogan11

I wish they'd make a WFL one....I barely remember anything of it.

How could anyone forget HeHateMe.

They should make one on the Indoor league. Interesting that it died a year or 2 after the NFL bought in.

Hogan11 · 10-24-2009, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by broncosteven

How could anyone forget HeHateMe.

They should make one on the Indoor league. Interesting that it died a year or 2 after the NFL bought in.

You're thinking of the XFL....the WFL had a gold football, a franchise in Hawaii and played in 74 - 75.

It's biggest claim to fame was signing Czonka/Warfield & Kiick away from the Miami Dolphins for a boatload of cash it didn't have (ruining the Dolphins at the time) and moving the goalposts to the back of the endzone.

TexanBob · 10-24-2009, 08:05 PM

The WFL was on TVS and scheduled their games for the summer and fall (like the CFL) and played their games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights to try to get better tv ratings but they just weren't on tv very often.

Their problem was they simply didn't have the money to stay in business. The early deathknell was when the New York franchise moved to Carolina about halfway into their initial season. With no franchise in the NY area, they were doomed to failure.

Hogan11 · 10-24-2009, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexanBob

The WFL was on TVS and scheduled their games for the summer and fall (like the CFL) and played their games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights to try to get better tv ratings but they just weren't on tv very often.

Their problem was they simply didn't have the money to stay in business. The early deathknell was when the New York franchise moved to Carolina about halfway into their initial season. With no franchise in the NY area, they were doomed to failure.

All true, plus thay had a murderous 20 game schedule, unheard of at the time.
Like the UFL, most all the uni's looked the same, ugly variations of brown (in the UFL, every team has a similar look and a variation of the color green in the uni's).

I heard NFL Films did a History of the WFL segment once, but I've never found any evidence of it anywhere.

10-23-2009, 11:21 PM	#1
TomServo Ring of Famer Dancing is Forbidden! Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,013	anyone else watch that show @ the USFL? it was on espn's 30 for 30 show tuesday evening. i already detested donald trump and my hatred for him went up 1000% after watching that. for those young uns that dont have a clue about the usfl, they signed steve young, jim kelly, herschel walker, doug flutie, reggie white and many nfl HOF'ers before the nfl did. i recall going to a couple of denver gold games and it was inexpensive, entertaining good football. we could all be watching good spring football today if it wasnt for that greedy egotistical bastard trump. on the show they showed trump the actual 3$ check the usfl won in their lawsuit against the nfl(they sued for $1.6 billion). the look on his face warmed my heart. and on the way out trump called the usfl "small potaoes"(the title of the special). yah trumpy the dallas cowboys are worth $1 Bil. small potatoes indeed- and they Still would never allow you in their club.

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10-23-2009, 11:23 PM	#2
KipCorrington25 Free Safety Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Centennial Posts: 3,050	They kept saying how the quality of the football was great but that's not true in my opinion, I've even seen some replays over the years and the product was totally minor league.

10-23-2009, 11:28 PM	#3
TomServo Ring of Famer Dancing is Forbidden! Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,013	maybe, maybe not, maybe im thinking compared to the WFL and xfl and ive looked into the ufl a little. but if the league had been allowed to grow at its own pace... i mean crap the league had jim kelly and steve young.

10-23-2009, 11:31 PM	#4
TomServo Ring of Famer Dancing is Forbidden! Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,013	and before the announced the stupid kamakaze lawsuit at least a few maybe 8-10 clubs had better attendance than some of todays teams-jags?(mandatory)must buy ticket packages.

10-24-2009, 12:03 AM	#5
lex Bowlen Sold Us Out! The Broncos have been DisemBowlened Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chi-Town Posts: 10,253 Adopt-a-Bronco: None	I liked it in the beginning but I remember they added too many teams too fast.

10-24-2009, 01:10 AM	#7
19Morton77 Solid Starter New to the Forum Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 193 Adopt-a-Bronco: None	I hope UFL succeeds. We need more than just the NFL. We no longer have NFL Europe, XFL, USFL and such. College Football then it is either the NFL or Canada. Why not have a 6 to 8 team league? Some guys fall into the cracks when they get cut based on their pay and not necessarily they have nothing left. I just wish they would have put one in LA/OC instead of San Francisco. I dont even mind that it is at the same time as the NFL. This could help the NFL get players that are football ready if they have an injury and need someone that week.

10-24-2009, 05:16 AM	#8
chadta Atomic Meatball Keeper Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 2,837 Adopt-a-Bronco: The Mc Rib	see this is what i dont get, being up here in canada, when the cfl didnt get the big money tv contract it was the begining of the end, now there is no doubt that the cfl is a minor league, so why compete with the nfl for half the season ? why not start the cfl say spring break and have the grey cup played labour day weekend, have contracts for some of the 2nd and 3rd teir players in the nfl like we have in the cfl now, that allows them to play for a team in the other league during the off time, then maybe expanding back into some of the smaller markets in the US wouldnt be so bad, but to try and go head to head with the nfl for the second half of the year and play offs is just stupid.

10-24-2009, 05:41 AM	#9
illbroncsfn Ring of Famer adopt a bronco- Barrel Man's Barrel Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Land o' Lincoln Posts: 3,993	The documentary on the USFL was awesome IMHO. I was too young to really know much about the USFL but everyone involved w/the product spoke positively on it. And yes, Trump is an a-hole...

10-24-2009, 03:04 PM	#15
bombay Ring of Famer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: denver Posts: 4,326	I attended the inaugeral USFL championship game at Mile High.

10-24-2009, 04:37 PM	#16
TexanBob Don't Argue With Me You Know I'm Right Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 5,023 Adopt-a-Bronco: Darris Nash	The USFL was well-positioned with a spring league and tv contracts with ABC and ESPN. It was a lot better to watch pro football than figure skating or senior golf in February/March. They needed to slowly grow. Trump got greedy and killed the league.

10-24-2009, 07:02 PM	#18
Hogan11 Rock-N-Roll Historian Let's take these SOB's out!!!!!! Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: W.NY.B.C. Posts: 21,300 Adopt-a-Bronco: Floyd Little	I wish they'd make a WFL one....I barely remember anything of it.

10-24-2009, 08:05 PM	#21
TexanBob Don't Argue With Me You Know I'm Right Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 5,023 Adopt-a-Bronco: Darris Nash	The WFL was on TVS and scheduled their games for the summer and fall (like the CFL) and played their games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights to try to get better tv ratings but they just weren't on tv very often. Their problem was they simply didn't have the money to stay in business. The early deathknell was when the New York franchise moved to Carolina about halfway into their initial season. With no franchise in the NY area, they were doomed to failure.