Ways The United Football League can be Successful
August 9th, 2007 by ChrisSloan
I’ve been thinking pretty hard about it lately and if the UFL wants to compete with the NFL then they’ll have to get rid of the things that really bog down the NFL.
- Speed Up the Game - A major problem with the National Football League is that fact that every game is going to take at least 3 hours of your time. I love the game just as much as the next guy, but I’d love to have that same intensity and emotion compressed into 2 hours or less.
- Get Real Talent - One major flaw of the XFL was the fact that the league was comprised of wanna-bes and poor talent; the UFL plans on exploiting the salary cap and going after NFL players with substantial dollars, more than they’d probably make in the NFL.
- Go International - By that I don’t mean NFL Europa or CFL, but rather have 3-4 teams in Europe or South America that are part of the UFL. US teams would have a two week visit to both Europe and South America and vice-versa giving the game a much broader international reach.
- More Sponsors - Okay so that’s a given, but I’m talking about the Arena League style where sponsors are visible on the players jersey. Nascar does it, golf does it, arena football does it; it’s a no brainer.
These are just a few Matt McCracken and I came up with; see if you can think of some other ways that would contribute to success?
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October 8th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Any new football league should consider revising the field goal rules. Kickers have become so skilled that teams are rewarded for only advancing to the 35 yard line. Either narrow the goal posts, or require a drop-kick, or tier the points awarded by yards advanced. NFL Europe had it wrong - you don’t give more points for not advancing as far, that compromises the integrity of the game. I say field goals of 40 yds or more are 1 point, 30-39 yards are 2 points, under 30 are 3 points. This encourages offenses to drive farther for more partial credit for their effort.
Also, bring back the rugby rule that requires the extra point to be kicked from the side-to-side lateral position from which the touchdown was scored. Wherever the ball carrier crosses the goal line (or reciever catches the ball), from that side-to-side position, kick the extra point. This will make the extra point more interesting.
These ideas are offered free of charge.
November 14th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
Simple:keep your season’s going past the high school season for when people get depressed that there is no more high school football season whala,we have the United Football League on friday nights.You can be successful.Just spend wisely and noe like the multi-millionaires that you are.Spend money like you’re an average family of four on a budget and you should be competing with the NFL and not against the NFL.There is room for both.Even make it a different brand or different style of football with different rules so you could look for diferent players than the NFL.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Speed Up the Game - Absolutely not. As a pro football fan, I want the real deal. That means real football exactly the way it’s played in the NFL. NO gimicks!
Get Real Talent - Yes, I agree here. However, that’s unlikely to happen no matter what you pay these guys. Unless the UFL gets established as a premiere league after a few solid years in business, no NFL player is going to give up a chance at a Super Bowl title to play in a fledgling league.
Go International - Great idea, but maybe after the league survives and proves its worth.
More Sponsors - Sponsoship on the jerseys a no-brainer? Nope. Sorry. That just looks cheesy and is not necessary. I don’t want to see it. And it’s not like the billionaire league owners need the extra cash.
December 30th, 2007 at 2:43 am
I am so tired of watching certain things in the NFL. A team scores a touchdown, commercial. A team kicks the extra point, commercial! Kickoff then commercial! Then the other team finally gets to try and answer the points! I’m tired of waiting through three Payton Manning comercials and like eight bank comercials to see if Eli can get us back in the game!!!!!!!!
January 19th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Speed Up the Game - I agree with the above that this is a bad idea. I want to see real football, not 20 minute halves or whatever else you have in mind.
Get Real Talent - Absolutely.
Go International - I agree that Mexico City is a great idea, and maybe other South American teams later. However, Europe is clearly a failing market right now. Stick primarily to American cities that do not already have a team.
4. More Sponsors - I agree with this idea. The NFL doesn’t do this because it already makes enough money off of the fans and the fans also wouldn’t like a change to something they are already accustomed to. The UFL is a new league and new tradition that needs to do whatever it can to make it financially successful. Fans wouldn’t have the same opposition to the advertisements on the uniforms in a league that is entirely new to them.
January 19th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Well maybe you could have games broadcast with limited commercials and after a touchdown and extra point go right straight to the kick-off but I like the long games.
January 20th, 2008 at 12:00 am
No adds on the uniforms.That’s just tacky.
January 28th, 2008 at 8:57 am
A franchise un Barcelona again would be a nice idea…
February 15th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
horrible idea. i dont want another football league. why? its stupid ill never watch this amateur league. its like watching minor league baseball, who cares. i wouldnt be at all proud if my city won the UFL bowl or whatever. this is stpuid just like the ones before it and NFL europe. I love football and the NFL but We need something different than just the NFL junior. try a different sport. like a real international sport like RUGBY. thats a sport that could really take off here but no one will give it chance
February 25th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I agree with all of those rules. As far as going international goes, professional American football in, let’s say, Brazil? it won’t catch on there simply because of that OTHER football (or, as they would call it, futbol). Now, Mexico City or Puerto Rico would be good places for teams. And, I’m loving the sponsor thing. The Los Angeles team would be sponsored by, say, AT&T, the Orlando team would be sponsored by Gatorade, or the Las Vegas team would be sponsored by (what else?) Las Vegas.
February 26th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
although black athletes are very talented- i would like to see a white football league
February 26th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Ok,one league rule,make it illegal for the quarterback to down the football.That way at the end of the game even if youj’re ahead you have to run a regular play.I also like the idea of the rugby league.Hate the idea of the sponser thing.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
There are some good ideas here, as well as some that are not worth the time to read. What I don’t see however, is any kind of analysis as to why two of the three major American sports are so successful in the first place. I’ll start with the third:
Baseball: This was the first organized American sport. It allowed for the upper class to spend an afternoon in the sun discussing whatever social issues they had and when they heard the crack of the bat they could jump up and get excited for a few minutes. It’s basically a condensed game of Cricket. Nowadays a baseball game is just a lot of waiting around for a few minutes of excitement. This is why it was originally labeled as a “Pastime” not a sport and is currently losing attendance.
Basketball:
In my opinion this is a real sport. Why? Because it emulates battle, or hand-to-hand combat. The action is close-in and almost entirely reactionary. Kind of like the Gladiators fighting it out with the Spartans only without the death part. Of course there is some strategy but most of the game play is players reacting and adjusting quickly to what other players are doing. The action is constant and at a fast pace. This is the trill-ride of modern sport.
Football (the current king): Simply put; Football is Epic WAR from a General’s perspective. It’s based on the execution of thoughtful strategies designed to capture land from the enemy toward the goal of winning multiple battles and eventually, the war (game). The war is fought with two branches of service, Army and Air Force, working in unison to keep the enemy off guard. Just like real war but without the death part. Just as basketball is a close-in view of a single battle, football is a wide view of the whole war and can be followed from a greater physical distance. Hence, bigger stadiums and bigger attendance.
Football and Basketball already exist. Developing a new league in the same sports would be like trying to put out a fire with a flame thrower. What we need is a NEW SPORT that has a wider view than basketball, yet a closer view than football. Using the existing basic football format works just fine as it is familiar to us all.
How?
Speed up the game…does not mean shorten the game. Speed up the action and pace of the game by using a 15-sec play clock; cut the number of players to 8 (3 lineman, 2 ends, 2 backs & QB); the shorter play clock would require the development of more general (reactionary) plays; substitute in platoons rather than single players (allows players to rest from the faster pace and for the coach to plan general strategies by platoon); the lineman would need to be leaner than the NFL because of the pace; maybe the pads could be trimmed for more speed and agility; Thomas T’s field goal scoring system is a great idea (more points for capturing more ground); what about extra points? 20yd = 1pt, 35yd = 2pts, 50yd = 3pts; maybe there’s way to bring in the elements that the Navy brings to war (not necessarily the water) like long distance big bombs that strike at any time–maybe a 2ft diameter target mounted at the center of the crossbar that would net 4pts anytime it’s penetrated; How about taking points off the board for penalties or putting players in a “penalty box” and having to play short (like hockey).
I could (and probably have) go on and on, but I hope you see my point. We already have Football and we love it. There are currently 4 successful Football leagues and they all play by essentially the same rules. The only difference between them is age. (1)Pop Warner/Midget/Youth, (2)High School, (3)College, and (4)NFL.
If you think I’m advocating Arena Football, you’re wrong. Football needs to be played out in the elements, not indoors with walls.
Other Notes:
Uniforms are for player identification not ads; International is a must: Fewer commercials - before kick-offs, quarter breaks and half-time only - charge more instead; don’t compete with football - extend football by replacing baseball.
Thanks for listening to my rant.