Category: Alternative Football

Think you’re spoiled by watching the best 32 football teams in the world play this fall and winter?

Well, hang on to your helmets, my fellow gridiron geeks, because in 2024 that number will rise to 56.

Yessir, the National Football League is in for some serious competition next year when Major League Football hits the gridiron with 24 franchises scattered across the fruited plain.

The MLF Eastern Conference is made up of the North Division (Connecticut, New York, Oklahoma and Rochester), Central Division (North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia), and South Division (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Orlando).

Over in the Western Conference we’ve got the North Division (Dakota, Nebraska, Portland and Salt Lake City), Central Division (Iowa, Oakland, Sacramento and St. Louis), and South Division (Arkansas, Memphis, San Antonio and San Diego).

Before I go any further with this game-changing news, we need to make sure we’re all on the same page.

This Major League Football (which was scheduled to launch in 2021, but postponed to 2022, then postponed again until 2023, and now plans to kick-off in 2024) is not to be confused with the other Major League Football, which goes by the initialism “MLFB.” If you follow alternative leagues, you know MLFB has been trying to get off the ground since 2014 but just can’t quite to seem to figure out how to make it happen.

When we last saw that hard-luck circuit in “action” in July, 2022, more than 250 players had been kicked out of their motels because MLFB ran out of money during training camp in Mobile, Alabama.

But this Major League Football – or MLF – has no such baggage.

And how do we know it’s going to be top-tier?

Because it says so right there on the website:

Major League Football (MLF) is a new professional football league that will consist of 24 teams, most of them in the top 50 television markets. The season will be played during the Fall starting in 2024. MLF is not a secondary or inferior league to any other professional football league, but instead, a professional football league consisting of the very best players, coaches and staff.

There will be few changes to the rules of MLF games as compared to other professional football leagues. One major difference will be more affordable tickets and concession prices. In addition, there will be less penalties in order to speed up the pace and increase the excitement of the game. We look forward to bringing the United States the most exciting and competitive game of professional football.

There you have it … “MLF is not a secondary or inferior league to any other professional football league.”

If that’s the case, the Kansas City Chiefs might need to sweeten the pot for Patrick Mahomes lest the quarterback and insurance spokesperson decides to become the Joe Namath of MLF.

And Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts?

I can only imagine the bidding war the Alabama and Oklahoma clubs will wage over his services.

OK … I’m being just a tad facetious.

The NFL will not have competition next year. I kinda doubt it’ll have any real competition ever again.

And I’m sorry … for an upstart like this to come along and suggest it’s not a “secondary” league sets itself up for ridicule.

The USFL and XFL (and whatever the combined circuit will call itself if and when their merger goes through) don’t pretend to stand as equals of the NFL because they aren’t. It would be ridiculous if they presented themselves as such.

Instead, they provide a showcase for their players in hopes of getting them into the NFL. When it happens promotions are celebrated, even if it’s a practice squad spot.

Oh, and they play in the spring, avoiding competition with the NFL, high school and college football.

MLF officials, however, apparently think they can carve out a niche in the traditional football season playing minor league football. I wish them luck – sincerely – but I see no scenario where this succeeds.

I get that the majority of the potential franchises are not in NFL cities. And maybe if Sacramento and Portland each had, say, $300 million payrolls and were stocked with NFL all-stars who jumped leagues, they might draw a crowd for their version of the Cascadia Cup.

But I think it’s a safe bet that there will be no $300 million payrolls.

Even if the player salaries are comparable to those of the USFL/XFL (ranging anywhere from $59,000 to $74,000 per season), you still aren’t going to have a product that’s “not a secondary or inferior league to any other professional football league.”

That’s not a criticism, just a statement of fact.

And what about “big league” stadiums?

The largest one in Rochester is the Rochester Community Sports Complex, which has room for just under 14,000 spectators.

Dakota would (I assume) play in the Fargodome on the campus of North Dakota State University – which is a neat place, but has modest seating. The best they could hope for in a game between the Orlando Blooms and Dakota Fannings is 18,700. To help support a major league budget, ticket prices would have to be astronomical.

Yet the MLF mission statement plainly states there will be “more affordable” ticket and concessions prices, ruling out $10,000 box seats and $300 hot dogs.

So, when will we get more information?

Good question (even if I wrote it myself).

Other than what I’ve already included, there isn’t much more info, at least on the website. There’s a disclaimer that they aren’t associated with the MLFB (which, according to MLF, was illegally using its name and trademark), and that the schedule is coming next June.

Oh, and MLF is also hiring general managers and coaches, and candidates are asked to email their resume to [email protected].

Again, I wish it nothing but the best, but my expectations are so low they’re non-existent. I doubt it will get off the ground at all.

Still, I hope MLF proves me wrong.

And if Mahomes takes the opening snap for the San Antonio Banderas next September, I’ll cheerfully apologize for underestimating the league that brought the United States “ … the most exciting and competitive game of professional football.”

Come on … you knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?

I mean when you think about it, the planned merger of United States Football League 2.0 and XFL 3.0 is the only outcome that makes sense. It was going to be hard enough for one spring professional football league to have long-term sustainability. But two?

That was never going to work.

They aren’t married yet – and they have to work through the prenup – but they did show off their engagement rings via a dual press release on Thursday:

Today, the United States Football League (“USFL”) and the XFL announced their intention to merge.

 Subject to customary regulatory approvals and if the transaction is consummated, the new league will establish best-in-class operations based on the most recent seasons of both leagues.  This historic combination will anchor professional spring football with substantial capabilities and resources to ensure future growth and continue to enhance the development of the collective players, coaches, and staff that are coming together. 

 More details regarding the new league will be announced at a later date. 

Ah yes … details. That’s what we all want.

Sadly, I don’t have any for you because I’m not an insider. I get press releases from both leagues and showed up for USFL media availabilities and games in Birmingham last year, but I didn’t cozy up to sources.

I stopped getting paid to chase stories when I retired from the newspaper business back in 2017, and no longer have the energy or inclination to do it. Translation: If you’re looking for a scoop, I’m afraid you’ll need to look elsewhere.

That being the case, I’m quite content to sit back and wait and see what happens, although it is kinda fun to envision where all this is headed.

And in a perfect world, it would be a full merger with eight teams from the USFL and eight from the XFL.

Spoiler alert: it’s not a perfect world.

Those supposedly in the know are all over the map as to what the new league will look like; many are suggesting 12 teams will move forward in 2024 with four getting the ax.

One thing that seems obvious on the surface is that either the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL or Houston Gamblers of the USFL will have to go. Two teams in Space City are one too many in a spring league.

Unlike the USFL club, however, the Roughnecks have actually played in Houston. The Gamblers spent their first season in Birmingham and second in Memphis.

Speaking of that …

I hope the combined league will get rid of the hubs.

Yeah, yeah, yeah … it’s financially responsible and allowed the USFL to walk into living rooms before it ran into more markets, first with one hub (Birmingham) and then with four (Birmingham, Canton, Detroit and Memphis). And for two years, the FOX-funded circuit has been as much a TV show as a sports league, so their approach was smart.

But going into year three, I think it’s time to play where your potential fans live.

And if hubs go away, I would guess supporters of the Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers, New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars and Pittsburgh Maulers might be worried those teams might go away, too, since they’ve never once played in the cities they rep.

Canton was “home” to the Generals and Maulers last season, and 2024 ticket deposits are already being taken for Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. So maybe it’s time for a modern version of the Canton Bulldogs to make their pro football debut in the … what should we call it?

National Spring Football League is getting the most buzz, and  it seems logical. The USFL is owned by National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, and a trademark for that name has been filed.

I’d be fine with that because, honestly, I hoped the USFL reboot was going to be called something else back in 2022. I’m one of those “get off my lawn!” types who prefers that the United States Football League of 1983-85 is allowed to rest in peace.

And I’ll never understand the obsession with digging up the XFL brand over and over.

The NSFL is as good an acronym as any.

When it comes to rules, those of the USFL and XFL were fairly similar overall, with things like tiered (one, two and three-point) conversions, double forward passes, overtime “shootouts” and a scrimmage play that can be called in place of an onside kick. The USFL did have a traditional kick option for a single extra point, which I like better than the all run-or-pass choices in the XFL.

On the other hand, I hope the XFL’s kickoff rule is adopted.

The placekicker kicks off from his 25-yard line and the ball must be in the air and in play between the opponent’s 20-yard line and the end zone. The coverage team lines up on the receiving team’s 35-yard line with the return team stationed five yards away on the 30.

Each team has three players outside the hash marks on both sides of the ball and can’t move until the ball is caught by the returner.

The USFL’s was good, too (kickoffs from the 20, with kicking team members lined up one yard back and stationary until the ball is kicked to the receiving team that has eight or nine players set up between their own 30 and 40), but this is better.

I doubt the competition committee will start from scratch, so I imagine what we see in 2024 will be mostly familiar. (As a guy who loves a good gimmick, I still long for defensive scores where a team gets one point for an interception, recovered fumble or turnover on downs).

Whatever the case, I’m quite interested in how all this plays out in terms of TV coverage, number of games on the schedule, start of season, etc. And based on the executive structure of the league, we should find out fairly soon whether this was a  traditional merger of equals or an absorption.

If we don’t see Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia at every photo op, we’ll know the USFL held the upper hand.

Most important of all, I think this gives organized minor league football its best path forward. There are many obstacles to overcome, but hopefully it can grow into a viable developmental/experimental outlet for the NFL.

May the marriage be a long and happy one.

Minor league football, circa 1973, was neither glamorous nor lucrative.

But the addition of NFL star Roman Gabriel to its ranks would’ve certainly been flashy – especially framed by the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas. And the promise of a $100,000 payday was the key to luring the 32-year-old Gabriel to the desert and making him the face of its lower division team.

The Las Vegas Casinos, members of the Southwestern Football League, tried to put themselves (and the SFL) on the map in April, 1973, by bringing in Gabriel. And based on news reports at the time, it appeared that such a move was actually possible.

Gabriel was going through a messy divorce from the Rams, asking to be traded after new L.A. coach Chuck Knox signed John Hadl away from the San Diego Chargers and tapped him as the franchise’s presumptive starting QB.

Gabriel was coming off an injury-plagued 1972 campaign that saw him suffer from a collapsed lung and tendinitis in his throwing elbow. Although he played in all 14 regular season games, he managed just 12 touchdowns against 15 interceptions.

But while Gabriel was uncertain about his NFL future, his agent – Ed Masry – said his client had an opportunity to get an early start on the 1973 football season. The Casinos would begin their campaign in June and were supposedly ready to write Gabriel a check for six figures, plus a percentage of gate receipts. According to Masry, an agreement in principle to play with Las Vegas had been made on April 12.

The Southwestern League was formed in February, 1972, and its primary gimmicks were field goals from 35 to 50 yards counting four points and those from 51 or more worth five. The SFL featured the Casinos, Phoenix Blazers, Southern California Razorbacks, New Mexico Thunderbirds, Denver Oilers, Dallas Rockets, San Antonio Toros, Oklahoma City Wranglers and Kansas City Steers.

The plan was for Gabriel to play eight games for Las Vegas during the summer and then he could resume his career with an NFL team during its exhibition slate.

But … there was a pretty big problem.

Since Gabriel was still on the payroll of the Rams, he had to follow NFL rules.

“No player under contract to a club in the NFL shall be permitted to participate in any football game for or against any team, group or organization outside the league except in games officially approved and sanctioned by the NFL,” reads an excerpt from the NFL constitution.

League officials also warned him that jumping to the SFL could possibly result in a permanent ban from the NFL.

At a news conference at Masry’s office, Gabriel didn’t address the minor league rumors, but claimed his contract with L.A. was null and void since the franchise was under new ownership.

“I don’t get along with the present Rams management,” he told Associated Press for an April 14 story. “I have reason to distrust them, so it makes it difficult to play for them. I’m a little upset and offended about it being said that I am afraid to compete against John Hadl. In the past 11 years I have competed against a minimum of 14 quarterbacks in order to maintain my position as a starter.

“Under no circumstances would I ever leave a team because of competition. I thrive on it; I don’t fear it.”

Of course – spoiler alert – Gabriel didn’t play for the Casinos, and who knows if he ever had any real intention to do so. It was just a public way of letting the Rams know his time in southern California was over and they needed to make a deal.

It was a bummer for me, because the Rams were my favorite team in the NFL (prior to its merger with the American Football League), and Gabriel was a major reason why.

On April 18, Masry and Casinos legal counsel Eddie LeBaron (a former NFL quarterback himself and four-time Pro Bowler) released a joint statement saying Gabriel would not suit up for Las Vegas.

“Mr. Gabriel has commenced initial steps toward legal resolution of his purported contract with the Los Angeles Rams. It does not appear possible to revolve the legal questions in time for the Las Vegas Casinos to arrange a summer schedule that would permit Mr. Gabriel to play for a National Football League club in the fall. Therefore, negotiation for his services have been terminated by mutual agreement,” the statement read.

The story had a happy ending – at least for Gabriel.

In June he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for Harold Jackson, Tony Baker, a 1974 first-round selection and first and third-round picks in 1975.

He went on to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors in 1973, throwing for league highs of 3,219 yards and 23 touchdowns (although the Eagles finished 5-8-1 and third in the NFC East).

He spent the last five years of his 16-year NFL career in Philly, and why he isn’t in the Pro Football Hall of Fame remains a mystery to me.

As for the Casinos, they suffered the same fate as most minor league/semi-pro teams, spending the rest of their brief existence in obscurity.

They did manage to make the 1973 SFL playoffs without Gabriel, although they were blown out by the Toros in the semifinals, 45-3. Vegas was without starting quarterback Mark Bordeaux – who missed the game because he was attending a wedding.

The Casinos’ last bit of notoriety came in 1974 when, playing in the Pacific Professional Football League, they defeated the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, 100-0, on June 29. The game saw the winners tally 15 touchdowns and was shortened to 50 minutes because it was such a mismatch.  The team folded in August, turning the lights out on the three-year old team repping the City of Lights.