(01-30-2018 06:06 PM)Renandpat Wrote:  

(01-30-2018 04:51 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(01-30-2018 03:41 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(01-30-2018 08:37 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(01-30-2018 03:14 AM)_C2_ Wrote:  I just hate it. I can't stand it. Why be the latest to start a failed spring league? And why do it for a second time?

He should be working with the NFL or with college football if anything.

Because the USFL was working until a couple owners broke the informal salary cap and then wanted to go to the Fall in hopes of forcing a merger.

Call it a developmental league and you automatically cut the fan potential.

Yeah and if I start a Mom and Pop shop, having failed before and start again, should I expect to compete with Wal-Mart?

I admire his ambition but football has already reached a critical mass. If people don't watch the NFL, they'll watch college football and if they don't watch that, they'll watch high school or their kid's peewee league. They may even play it themselves.

It's not my money, he can do what he wants but its the definition of insanity.

Your analogy isn't quite on mark.

USFL was working in the spring. They were selling tickets and drawing a decent TV audience. Couple owners broke the cap and weren't making money in line with their spending. Teams like Memphis, Birmingham and Jacksonville were doing just fine.

The move to fall was the bailout plan of the overspenders.

WLAF had only 7 US teams and the silliness of sending teams off to Europe to play. Two of the teams in the US were solvent enough to buy in to the CFL. The CFL teams in the US did OK until college football and the NFL started then the crowds disappeared but even at the end San Antonio and Baltimore (relocating to Houston because the Browns were moving to Baltimore) were still viable and in the end the CFL pulled the plug and then awarded the new Montreal franchise to Baltimore's owner.

Not like they have been complete busts.

That's not really true. In the three years, they were losing $50M/season and attendance dropped by 10% in the final season. The ABC contract was also a sticking point as the low attendance cities, L.A. and Chicago were required to field teams. Chicago ended up with two owners in two seasons after the trade of rosters with the Wranglers, three if you count the league itself. Ratings were also 25% less in year three than in year two.
http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-02/s..._fall-play

The last season saw the well attended New Orleans Breakers move to Portland because they were unwilling to go head-to-head with the Saints. The defending USFL champions packed up and left Philadelphia to avoid going head-to-head against the Eagles. Michigan packed up and merged with Oakland to avoid going head-to-head with the Lions. Attendance fell off the map in Denver once it was announced the Gold would compete head to head with the Broncos. Washington moving to Miami (and hiring Schnellenberger) imploded with the move to the Fall. Tampa was trying to pull out of the USFL and start another spring league but then John Bassett was too sick to run point on it and USFL put another person in charge of the franchise.

If you want to use 1985 to make your point, you need to remember that 1985 was played with the knowledge your team was closing shop in June 1985 and wouldn't return until August of 1986 going up against college football and the NFL or if you lived in Detroit, Philadelphia, or New Orleans, your team was no longer there in 1985.

I attended fewer games in 1985 because I didn't like the move.