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Post by Un-Frozen Rich on May 30, 2007 20:44:07 GMT -5
sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-newfootballleague&prov=ap&type=lgnsGroup eyes possibility of new football league By DAVE GOLDBERG, AP Football Writer May 30, 2007 Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is part of a group considering formation of a football league that would compete with the NFL for players drafted lower than the second round. The league, still very much in the preliminary stage, would play its games on Friday nights. The NFL does not play then because of the potential conflict with high school football. "It's a pretty simple concept," Cuban said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "We think there is more demand for pro football than supply." See the link for the full story. I guess this means he won't be buying the AIFA or the Chicago Cubs or the Pittsburgh Pirates or whatever team he's rumored to buying this week.
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Post by Gene on May 30, 2007 20:53:46 GMT -5
It has failure written all over it. People wont stop going to their kids games to stay home or go to watch players that couldnt make it in the NFL. If he wants to be involved with football, he should just buy a team, indoor or otherwise..........
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Post by Un-Frozen Rich on May 30, 2007 22:38:46 GMT -5
It has failure written all over it. People wont stop going to their kids games to stay home or go to watch players that couldnt make it in the NFL. If he wants to be involved with football, he should just buy a team, indoor or otherwise.......... I don't know. Sure there are some areas where high school football is king, but the advertising dollars that people covet are those of the twentysomethings that probably don't have kids. I know that I personally never really gave a rats arse about high school football - still don't. I actually find the intense coverage of it kinda creepy on some level. There are lots and lots of people out there without kids in High School. I'm not busting your chops Gene, but it's kind of funny to see you say people won't "go to watch players that couldnt make it in the NFL" on the AIFA board. People go to the AIFA games and most teams are lucky to have a player who came from a major NCAA football program -- people just like to watch football. Like most things Cuban-related, this will probably never materealize, but the idea's not totally horrible. Although presonally, I would dig the idea of a Spring league like the USFL again instead of trying to go head to head with the NFL. All he NFL needs to do to kill this would be to schedule one game a week on Friday night -- nobody would watch Cubanball. |
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Post by Gene on May 31, 2007 6:16:01 GMT -5
It has failure written all over it. People wont stop going to their kids games to stay home or go to watch players that couldnt make it in the NFL. If he wants to be involved with football, he should just buy a team, indoor or otherwise.......... I don't know. Sure there are some areas where high school football is king, but the advertising dollars that people covet are those of the twentysomethings that probably don't have kids. I know that I personally never really gave a rats arse about high school football - still don't. I actually find the intense coverage of it kinda creepy on some level. There are lots and lots of people out there without kids in High School. I'm not busting your chops Gene, but it's kind of funny to see you say people won't "go to watch players that couldnt make it in the NFL" on the AIFA board. People go to the AIFA games and most teams are lucky to have a player who came from a major NCAA football program -- people just like to watch football. Like most things Cuban-related, this will probably never materealize, but the idea's not totally horrible. Although presonally, I would dig the idea of a Spring league like the USFL again instead of trying to go head to head with the NFL. All he NFL needs to do to kill this would be to schedule one game a week on Friday night -- nobody would watch Cubanball. My point about the players not making it in the NFL was that parents arent going to bypass their kids games to go see these games, or atleast enough to help that league survive. Some as you suggested, the younger adults as well as the childless ones such as myself would watch but would the masses? Now if the league is gonna be a spring/summer league than maybe it would work. But it would fail miserably in the fall/winter months. Our indoor/arena leagues are football but a different version and most of the time they are not on Friday nights. At times, yes, but not the majority of the time. Between the various indoor/arena leagues as well as all the semi pro and NFLE at some point the talent level will get so diluted that all the leagues, except for the NFL, will suffer. The XFL didnt make it and i kinda doubt another league would either but hey if it happens i would support it.......... |
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Post by UnoBomber on May 31, 2007 7:20:17 GMT -5
Mark Cuban has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it... Doesn't anyone remember the calamity that was the XFL?!? And say if a player does well and the NFL wants to give him another look. Does that mean he can't go, since he's under contract with MCs league?? What about salaries? Hell practice squad players get paid around 4k a week in the NFL! I just don't see 3rd and later drafters jumping at this opportunity. Sorry, but trying to compete with the well established NFL is suicide.
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Post by farscape on May 31, 2007 7:20:34 GMT -5
It has the same chance of making it as the Arena Leagues do. It will provide competition to the NFL at least in the major market where the NFL does not have a franchise. I think it is also worth noting that the XFL Shut down even though it had turned a profit. The XFL was doomed by the media who failed to support it. Because Arena football is different it is harder to compare to the NFL. In order for any new outdoor league to survive it will need support from the media or Fortitude to stay afloat long enough to turn the opinions of the media into a positive recognition of their existance. I enjoy the indoor game alot more than I do the outdoor game because in part to the affordability of attending the games and the closeness of the game to where I may sit to watch it. In Reading I sit in the corner and It seems like a good portion of our corner especially the children have adopted Marcus Sargent so there is a form of relationship between the fan and the player that does not exist in the outdoor game. It will be interesting to see if the new league get off the ground and How they try to develope fan interaction with the player in similar ways such as the arena league uses by talking to the actual player after a touchdown or interception or just allowing you to hear the Quarterback call the play in the huddle. These are concepts that were used successfully first by the XFL.
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Post by exit322 on May 31, 2007 9:34:07 GMT -5
The dumbest part of it is it playing during the NFL season...which is also the high school and college seasons.
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Post by mississippimudcat1 on May 31, 2007 10:34:53 GMT -5
Exactly, and as Gene said no with kids in high school or even probobly college is going to be able to go. And since it is during the NFL season it will be heavily overshadowed. I would support it too, but I dont know how many people could. 
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Post by slocoma on May 31, 2007 10:37:06 GMT -5
The NFL makes most of its money outside of the stadium. Getting people to the stadium isn't going to be their biggest concern. Their biggest concern will be finding a TV network that will be willing to take the chance to broadcast the games. I guess they could always end up on the VS. channel, that worked out great for hockey.
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Post by Gene on May 31, 2007 19:19:12 GMT -5
sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-newfootballleague&prov=ap&type=lgnsGroup eyes possibility of new football league By DAVE GOLDBERG, AP Football Writer May 30, 2007 Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is part of a group considering formation of a football league that would compete with the NFL for players drafted lower than the second round. The league, still very much in the preliminary stage, would play its games on Friday nights. The NFL does not play then because of the potential conflict with high school football. "It's a pretty simple concept," Cuban said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "We think there is more demand for pro football than supply." See the link for the full story. I guess this means he won't be buying the AIFA or the Chicago Cubs or the Pittsburgh Pirates or whatever team he's rumored to buying this week.
The NFL may be the most successful league in the country, but that doesn't mean it's without competition.
Bill Hambrecht, a Wall Street businessman, and Tim Armstrong, a senior executive at Google, have decided to start up a rival football league, the United Football League, according to a report on the New York Times web site Wednesday.
For those worried that the UFL will lack name recognition, Hambrecht and Armstrong already have one owner lined up: Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks.
And though the league is having a difficult time finding other owners, it appears Cuban is committed to the plan. The league intends to play its first preseason games in August of 2008.
And where will the league find the talent necessary to attract fans?
"(Former NFL coach) Bill Walsh used to tell me that the last 20 players cut from every team were almost interchangeable with the last 20 players to make the team," Hambrecht says.
So far, the UFL has decided to put teams in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Mexico City. Cuban, unsurprisingly, is considering buying the team in Vegas, according to the report. |
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Post by mississippimudcat1 on May 31, 2007 19:59:28 GMT -5
Sounds official. All the teams mentioned were out west. Put a team in Tupelo and I will be ecstatic-LOL
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Dragon Fan
2nd String
Words are only powerful if they are given power
Posts: 148
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Post by Dragon Fan on Jun 1, 2007 7:21:04 GMT -5
I hear football does great in Danville.
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Post by slocoma on Jun 1, 2007 7:45:34 GMT -5
Yeah, I heard the second team is going to be called the Danville Ringmasters.
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Post by Sykotyk on Jun 4, 2007 12:08:57 GMT -5
If anybody would like to see real high school football, drive down to Steubenville on a Friday night to watch Big Red defend their back-to-back state titles.
Trust me, Steubenville would rather watch Big Red on TV (and do, actually) than would go to watch on TV the UFL.
Sykotyk
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Post by Gridiron Battle Sports on Jun 4, 2007 14:32:33 GMT -5
No one in their right mind would bet on this league ever being a success. History shows that anyone who has ever tried to go head-to-head with the NFL has fallen flat on their face. Can you say USFL,WFL,XFL. Their is just to much going against these guys. High school football on a friday night is big all across this country. Where are they going to generate income to pay these players. I know many 3rd to 7th round nfl players would rather cash a six figure check than play for the chunk change that they will probably make in this league that will probably fold in 2-years. Saying all this I will definately watch because I love football no matter what kind it is. I hope it gets off the ground because I will definately be sending in my resume for a play-by-play commentator job.
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