USFL is trying to make a comeback (sorta)….

dpkimmel2001 said:
Pittsburgh has a team. I'm guessing that all of you care just as much as we do in the Pittsburgh market. There's pretty much Zero interest here for these games. I listen to our local sports radio talk stations all day and most evenings. I've not heard a single caller comment on this league. If my local market, that actually has a team, is any indication, this league will dissolve as all other failed ventures have before it. The only thing that could possibly save it would be Sports betting. Other than that, its days are numbered.
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Doubtful

www.google.com

USFL TV ratings 2023: USFL beating XFL through Week 7

How are the ratings for the USFL? Dive into Sportsnaut's tracker for the USFL TV ratings 2023 and USFL attendance figures.
www.google.com www.google.com
 
It’s year 1 of a league owned by Fox Sports. I don’t know how long it will last but attendance does not matter until teams are sent to home stadiums. Ratings have been decent, I think if they can manage the business side we could see a year 2.

This isn’t Charlie Ebersol & the AAF. This isn’t Vince McMahon selling the XFL to The Rock. I think the league and Fox Sports want to make a spring league work.

The league hasn’t even left Birmingham, AL yet.
 
Michigan (1-3) vs Tampa Bay (2-2) is a pretty good game that Im tuning into the 4th. 20-20 with 4 minutes left on USA Network.
 
I tried watching but my soul refuses. Soul says 'fall or winter only" .....click.
Hope you diehards enjoy it.
Must confess though , I watched a little of the indoor league since we had
a team 10 minutes from our house.
 
Have had some really close games this last weekend including a final play game winning pass by the Pittsburgh Maulers. People are missing out.
 
The USFL is expanding their rosters from 38 to 40 and expanding their practice squads from 7 to 10.
 
West said:
I watched a couple games, some good receiving talent, defensive players looked below average.
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Yea the talent is hit and miss. I thought the games have gotten a lot better since Week 1. Some decent talent, then there’s players who should be happy to be in the USFL.
 
Carl Adkins is a believer in the new USFL, through version 2.0 of the spring pro football league.

Adkins, former general manager of the old Georgia Dome for 20 years, now serves as director of operations for the USFL. The eight-team league plays a 10-week season with all games played at Protective Stadium, a new college football facility in Birmingham, Alabama.

The USFL is named after the spring league that ran for three years in the 1980s. Fox Sports owns the new USFL and broadcasts games on television along with FS1, NBC Sports and Peacock, a streaming service.

From what Adkins has heard, the USFL has committed to a second season in 2023. There has been no official announcement about next year and no decisions have been made on whether all eight teams will play again in one city or split equally among two markets, as well as the possibility of selling individual franchises. Those decisions will be made over the next several weeks, he said.

Adkins got involved with the USFL after league officials brought him on as a consultant and it turned into a full-time job. The biggest challenge for Adkins was coming on board 32 days before the first game.

“It was a sprint to the starting line, but we’ve got into a pretty good groove now in terms of weekly operations,” he said. “We have four games every weekend, sometimes two on Saturday and Sunday, with a few games on Friday nights.”

Protective Stadium, the home of University of Alabama-Birmingham football, opened in October and seats about 41,000. The league adopted the NBA bubble model for keeping all the games in one location. For a startup, it was a smart move to save on travel and production costs, Adkins said.

The Birmingham Stallions, the USFL’s designated “home team,” have drawn decent crowds of 10,000 to 15,000. Otherwise, attendance has been sparse for the seven other teams with 1,500 to 2,000 in the stands, Adkins said.

Ticket prices are $10 for adult general admission, which gets three kids in for free to the games, he said. Premium seats tied to sections at the 50-yard line sell for $25 with kids admitted free of charge as well.

Fox Sports is more focused on broadcast content than attendance, Adkins said. The USFL is testing various technologies to attract viewers with skycams, drones and players, coaches and referees mic’d up during play.

“They’ve put a lot of money into this thing (reportedly $150 million) and they’re doing a lot of experimental stuff on the field,” he said. “It’s kind of a proving ground for some things the NFL may adopt down the road. It’s designed to hit the younger demographic. It’s much more like gaming.”

Heading into Week 6, Adkins is consumed with the logistical challenges of moving games in Week 8 and Week 10 to venerable Legion Field, a 95-year-old facility in Birmingham that lacks the requisite infrastructure compared with the new stadium.

Two scheduling conflicts resulted in the USFL moving those games to Legion Field. Country megastar Garth Brooks performs June 4 at Protective Field and the World Games, an international sports competition, takes place at the venue from July 7-17.

After the regular season concludes, the USFL moves to Canton, Ohio for the semifinals on June 25 and championship game on July 3. Both games are set for Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, which sits next to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This week, Adkins flew to Canton for a site visit to see how those events will fit on the hall of fame campus. Five years ago, the 23,000-seat stadium, named for the late New Orleans Saints owner, underwent $140 million in renovations.

General admission tickets for the semifinals are $15 for adults and $5 for kids under age 15. For the championship game, it’s $20 for adults and $10 for kids under 15.

Apart from the USFL, Adkins is keeping his options open in Atlanta, where he lives. Over the past five years, he served on three local host committees for the 2018 College Football Playoff championship, Super Bowl LIII and the 2020 NCAA Final Four, which never took place due to the pandemic.

“I’m not ruling out future opportunities,” Adkins said. “I’m looking at the World Cup in 2026 and some other things.”
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The new USFL will be back in Year 2.

venuesnow.com

Former NFL stadium GM turns to USFL - VenuesNow

Carl Adkins is a believer in the new USFL, midway through version 2.0 of the spring pro football league.
venuesnow.com venuesnow.com
 
Another final seconds nailbiter game in Birmingham on NBC. 35-28. Good stuff.

Michigan @ Birmingham (5-0) at 7:30 ET on NBC. Should be plenty of fans to seat count later.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Pittsburgh has a team. I'm guessing that all of you care just as much as we do in the Pittsburgh market. There's pretty much Zero interest here for these games. I listen to our local sports radio talk stations all day and most evenings. I've not heard a single caller comment on this league. If my local market, that actually has a team, is any indication, this league will dissolve as all other failed ventures have before it. The only thing that could possibly save it would be Sports betting. Other than that, its days are numbered.
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I can’t say I blame you for your opinion when your team is the Pittsburgh Maulers who freaking stink. 1-4, blown out already once, about to be 1-5. Good lord Pittsburgh has a terrible USFL team actually, it’s Detroit Lions bad lol.

This league has had ratings around a million and the league is planning on a year 2 with home cities or additional home cities.
 
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Pittsburgh (1-5) loses to New Orleans (4-2) 16-26. Pittsburgh is far and away the worst team in the USFL right now.

Houston Gamblers (1-4) vs. New Jersey Generals (4-1) at 4:00 PM Eastern on FOX.
 
AuzGrams said:
I can’t say I blame you for your opinion when your team is the Pittsburgh Maulers who freaking stink. 1-4, blown out already once, about to be 1-5. Good lord Pittsburgh has a terrible USFL team actually, it’s Detroit Lions bad lol.

This league has had ratings around a million and the league is planning on a year 2 with home cities or additional home cities.
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Their success didn't and doesn't have anything to do with my interest. I'm a Pittsburgh fan through and through. It's simply that I have zero interest in football outside of the NFL and NCAA. I'm certain that I'm not alone in that thought. The sport gets zero coverage from every major sports station in the Pittsburgh market and that was even before the world knew they sucked.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Their success didn't and doesn't have anything to do with my interest. I'm a Pittsburgh fan through and through. It's simply that I have zero interest in football outside of the NFL and NCAA. I'm certain that I'm not alone in that thought. The sport gets zero coverage from every major sports station in the Pittsburgh market and that was even before the world knew they sucked.
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Ratings are up this week over the past few weeks. The league isn’t just dying.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
That's great news but they're holding steady in my household.
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Well it sure seems like you have an interest in seeing the league fail and a few others despite evidence that there is some interest. These are good games and people that don’t even WATCH the league are commenting here.
 
AuzGrams said:
Well it sure seems like you have an interest in seeing the league fail and a few others despite evidence that there is some interest. These are good games and people that don’t even WATCH the league are commenting here.
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No interest in seeing it fail. That simply was my prediction due to the past history of these failed attempts. We've all watched these leagues come and go. None have been successful to date. Maybe they'll figure something out this time but if I had to guess I still think the same outcome is inevitable. Perhaps they prove all we naysayers wrong? I know you're a fan and that's great. Hopefully it works out for ya.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
No interest in seeing it fail. That simply was my prediction due to the past history of these failed attempts. We've all watched these leagues come and go. None have been successful to date. Maybe they'll figure something out this time but if I had to guess I still think the same outcome is inevitable. Perhaps they prove all we naysayers wrong? I know you're a fan and that's great. Hopefully it works out for ya.
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The original USFL should have never folded.

The new USFL is trying to not shut down after year 1 and grow their product. Whether it works or not is remained to be seen. But they’re focused on cutting travel, insurance, and other costs.
 
Playoffs start on Saturday, June 25:

Philadelphia Stars (6-4) vs New Jersey Generals (9-1) - Canton, Ohio - 3 PM ET on Fox

New Orleans (6-4) vs Birmingham (9-1) - Canton, Ohio - 8 PM ET on NBC

Championship - July 3rd, 7:30 ET on Fox
 
The USFL held its 1st annual Toilet Bowl between the 1-8 Michigan Panthers vs. 1-8 Pittsburgh Maulers for the #1 pick.

The Panthers won 33-21 over the Maulers to win the Toilet Bowl and secure the 2023 USFL 1st pick in the draft.
 
Not sure how many watched the Championship game last night, but it was pretty entertaining. Philly was on a comeback trail until their QB suffered a leg injury, and the backup couldn't deliver.
Overall an 8 for entertainment 👍
 
Yep. Season 2 next spring. Birmingham wins it all in 2022. 11-1 champion in 2022.
 
Apparently the Tampa Bay Bandits will be relocating as the Memphis Showboats.



Still no announcement on a 2nd or more hubs.
 
Sounds like they’ll be playing “home” games in Memphis & Birmingham in the South.

I think they’ll be having two “home” teams in the North as well.

It’s decent football if they can build a decent fanbase for all teams.
 


Ypsilanti isn’t too bad but I think they should be playing downtown at Ford Field.
 
For whatever reason I’m looking forward to the USFL over the XFL. XFL just doesn’t have branding or appeal. The Rock should just try the Arena Football League concept.
 
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