The NFL has too many major non-season events.
Now that the Super Bowl is done, it’s time for football fans to turn to the off season and maybe the XFL or the United States Football League. Here is a word of caution to two leagues. The NFL Draft Combine is a bigger event than any game that the XFL or USFL will offer. The NFL free agency period will get more notice on its first day than any game the XFL or USFL will offer. The NFL Draft will overshadow any game the XFL or USFL will offer. But the XFL and USFL will offer some decent entertainment for the hardcore football fan and the bettors will need a football fix. The two leagues will offer cheap tickets to an entertainment event in certain cities.
The eight-team USFL will be playing its games in four cities, Birmingham, Canton, Detroit and Memphis. Those four cities will house two teams each. Birmingham’s two teams are the Birmingham Stallions and the New Orleans Breakers. Canton, the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has the New Jersey Generals and the Pittsburgh Maulers using its stadium. Detroit will have the games of the Michigan Panthers and the Philadelphia Stars. Memphis will have the Houston Gamblers and the hometown Showboats. In 2022, the USFL played all of its regular season and most of its playoff games in Birmingham. Canton hosted the league championship game. The USFL, which is owned by FOX Sports, had financial issues. FOX Sports was looking for more investors in the league but it is unclear if more money is flowing into the USFL for the 2023 season. The USFL has five of its teams not playing in the areas that teams are allegedly located including Houston, New Jersey, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. But the league made it into year two.
Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191
Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com