Letters to the Editor
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Coaches
There may be enough players, but are there enough coaches and support personnel?
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A New Football League Would Be Great!
A new league would be great. It is about time that the sporting monopolies had some competition. I am tired of the high prices to attend a damn game when I can. Furthermore, I believe that the sports players who continually strike or threaten to strike so they can become even greedier than they already are will now have to think twice before making these decisions. I mean they want so much money and for what? Rarely do they ever run that much or exert themselves for the money they want. And there are several cities that want teams. I used to live in Orlando and they are beggin for a team! The other league that came out for awhile that played Fri nights were consistently SOLD OUT! They were good games too. Bring it on!!!
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This guy is a major investor in Salon
And now he wants to start a league that competes with the NFL.
I have a time-share I want to sell him. He sounds like a shrewd businessman!
Just kidding, of course. I'm sure Salon is raking in the cash.
Just kidding, of course. Good luck to him.
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Why are the letters X, F, and L, in that order,
Not mentioned anywhere in this article, or in King's questions to this genius of industry? It seems like a pretty relevant comparison, and much more recent than the USFL.
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Community Ownership
The most interesting part for me is the idea of having part of the team owned by the public. I wonder how much control over any sort of team management decisions the public owners will have.
In Australia, football teams are clubs that are controlled by a board that is composed of people voted in by the members of the club. By giving the fans a chance to become a member and allow them a voice football clubs generate a much more passionate loyalty to the point where fans will go in to the streets and rattle tins to help make sure their club will survive.
Obviously there is a big difference between the Bill Hambrecht's proposed league and the Australian Football League in that none of the AFL clubs are for-profit ventures, but I think that people to have a financial stake in the team combined with some sort of voice in team decisions could make this new league really popular among fans.
To me there is nothing about NFL teams that really engender true loyalty among fans. The teams basically blackmail communities into providing them with millions in subsidies while making sure to screw the fans for every dollar they can and raking in a tidy profit for the team owners who may have no connection with the community other than to take their money.
I live in St. Louis and if there was a team that let me be involved in a similar way to AFL clubs I would switch away from the Rams in a second. Why would I care about a team that moved here from another city, exists to make money for Georgia Frontiere and would move again for the right price. There are only a handful of teams with the long, single city history that may allow them to play on a fans sense of nostalgia.
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I'm in, if...
...teams avoid names like "Avengers" or "Lazer Zaps," or other Arena-style names.
...they stick with simple uniform graphics. We shouldn't need hi-def to figure out the logos.
...they maintain a small number of higher quality teams. Enough with leagues with 30 teams, already. Make it a "society" the size of which, we can grasp.
...replay is either a major part of the officiating, or left out completely. Choose one or the other.
...the rules are tweaked a bit. Maybe a fresh kick off and a change of field direction after each quarter, making 4 two minute drills instead of 2. College style overtime.
...they carry themselves with dignity, dignity, dignity. The NFL has thrived on a para-military tone. It suits the gravity of the game. Forget any XFL showmanship.
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Orlando..
Don't take any sports league seriously (except maybe the NBA) that has a franchise (or wants to put one) in Orlando.
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Is the goal of this whole thing to be bought out?
It's pure speculation, but could the long-term goal of this venture simply be to end up being bought out by the NFL? It would basically establish all the infrastructure for several more NFL teams (stadiums, training facilities, etc) and function as a trial run for which cities work and which don't. The NFL could then presumably close down the cities that weren't working. And the investors in this new league could end up owning real, genuine NFL teams, without waiting around for the incredibly slow process of adding new cities or teams changing hands as it is in the current system.
Maybe they really do want to have their own league, but I can't help but think this is just a way for some incredibly rich people to fast-track their way to actual NFL ownership.
Personally, all alternative-league history aside, I just don't think that many people have an appetite for another pro league in any major sport, especially in the TV area. Is there really any demand for another NBA, MLB, NHL, or NFL? You've got those leagues, college sports, and pro sports in other areas (tennis, soccer, golf) to fill in any gaps on the yearly calendar. It seems like any attempt to expand that would be a niche product. To that end, really liked King's question about why they're not trying to develop a sport that doesn't already have a major pro league.
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star players
i don't believe for a second that this new league could hold on to their star players. who wouldn't go to an nfl team if given the chance, even if it meant less money?
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With five years of financing...
I give this league about 60 months to start smelling like 60 month old fish.
The league might be have money to solve the staffing problems, sort of, but let's not forget that besides losing the cream of the crop to the NFL every year, and gambling that enough the fourth-rounders and undrafted players that they do scoop up will turn out to have star potential, they will be competing with the Arena Football League for all the wannabe's and washed up NFL players.
Coaching staff will be even tougher - even though the NFL is kind of a closed loop these days, Bill & company still have to recruit staff who might make it in the NFL, and if not could find employment in the AFL, or Div I NCAA football. That recruitment is going to take more than a play-the-odds, throw-some-money-at-em approach, given the prestige that the NFL and Div I college ball jobs carry.
Also, while this league might be competing with the NFL for eyeballs on screens and butts in seats, they won't be competing with NFL teams, which will diminish the excitement pretty quickly. I do believe the previous poster who stated that Orlando wants a football team, but how long can they sell tickets when the Orlando Tourists aren't playing the Bucs or the Jags?
I get the philosophy that the NFL is ignoring some markets, and I get that there is a good bit of football talent, both on and off field, that never gets a shot at the big-time, but I don't see this business philosophy of sniping markets and market-share away from the NFL as workable. Maybe it would be better if they planned on starting more modestly, pitching it as local football for local markets, and grow the league accordingly, but going toe to toe with the NFL? No way.
On the plus side, though, with only eight teams, fans will definitely get to see their guys make the playoffs!