THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
When American Football first boomed in the United Kingdom, it was largely due to the National Football League, which was broadcast with a week long delay to catch highlights of major games, with a roundup of scores. Games were also captured through the Armed Forces Radio Network, and hard boned fans were caught tuning in to live coverage on a medium wave radio from the United States to its troops abroad, but the bandwidth soon became public knowledge and the fans, with some persistence could hear their favourites. This was the early to mid-1980s, and how times have changed. But have they really?
Alongside the NFL at this time, a novel idea came along of another league starting up, that, if played out correctly could rival their big brother league. It was a summer league, an advantage in its early setup as it would not compete directly. The United States Football League was founded in 1982, and eventually would cease playing after its third season in 1986. There were many players that had been rejected by the NFL who found greatness in the USFL, as well as some that used the new league to springboard their careers into the big time, even more so when it all ended. There were many reasons why the league folded, ultimately losing $163m in the process, but one major factor was when the league owners voted in 1984 to change their schedule to compete directly against the NFL. This was led by the owner of the New Jersey Generals, a certain Donald Trump (yes, the very same), who had often been repelled by the NFL in his attempts to buy a franchise in the build up to the birth of the USFL, and in this case a merger between the two leagues. In the end it all turned sour, the season that had been arranged for 1986 did not get played and following a bitter lawsuit, the USFL won an antitrust lawsuit but was awarded $1. It became the stuff of legend.
Since then there have been many attempts to start new leagues, some with the assistance of the NFL, such as the World League and NFL Europe, and others failing after just one season, like the WWE's Vince McMahon-led XFL, which sought to bring some new novelties to the game and the way it is broadcast. Some inventions were revolutionary and are used now in the NFL. The XFL is starting again this year, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, a very useful player in his college years, leading the way forward, and it has promised to turn down the gimmicks; we wait and see how that progresses.
Meanwhile the USFL has emerged again, albeit with no links whatsoever to its predecessor. It has kept a lot of the old and mixed in some new, with game rules designed to keep the game flowing. Trademarks and name have been obtained, so as you watch you will be familiar with the teams, even if we're now almost four decades down the line. The eight teams in this first season will play a ten-week schedule, and the big difference is that all games will be hosted in just two stadiums, the Protective Stadium and Legion Field, both located in Birmingham, Alabama. Split into two divisions of four teams, they will represent different areas, where the only "home" team will be the Birmingham Stallions. They will be joined in the South Division by the Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers, and Tampa Bay Bandits. The Bandits were one of two teams that highlighted the USFL in its former guise at London's Wembley Stadium back in July 1984, when they clashed with the Philadelphia Stars. Only 16,000 fans turned up, which was a big drop from the first "pro" game played there a year earlier when Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Cardinals first gave Britain a taste of the NFL. The low turnout was a serious setback at the time, as they had already committed to a further two games in the coming years.
The Stars are back this time too, and they are in the North Division alongside, the Michigan Panthers, New Jersey Generals and Pittsburgh Maulers. Some great coaches have been persuaded to participate in the league, with Jeff Fisher taking charge of the Panthers, and Todd Haley calling the shots for the Bandits. The opening game of the season was this past Saturday, a great game ending with the Stallions holding off the Generals 28-24, then on Sunday a double header had the Gamblers beat the Panthers 17-12 and Breakers outlast the Stars 23-17. Then on Monday the Bandits overcame the Maulers 17-3. Despite a feverish local campaign which looked to give away tickets to swell attendances, the opening game had approximately 17,500 go through the gates, then a rain affected second day drew a considerably less crowd. Time will tell if the action on the field will keep people coming and being in one location will certainly test the local appetite for spring football, but when you're giving away the food as well, who knows?
It would be nice if we get some success from a league that so often sets out with best intentions, only to fall foul of its own greed or ineptitude. If the players and coaches can produce something to catapult their careers, like it did for the likes of Marcus Dupree, Bobby Hebert, Jim Kelly, Herschel Walker, Doug Williams and Steve Young, it will be deemed a marginal success. If it stabilises and grows, then it could prove an invaluable ground for prospects in the future. For now, though, we wait and see if the new incarnation of the USFL will last its first season without any major issues.
