EX Saints in UFL

SmashMouth · 10-11-2009, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by Saint_LB

There is so much money in the NFL...it's getting a little ridiculous, in fact. My worst nightmare is that the NFL someday turns into the WWF.

It is my opinion, however, that the exorbitant amount of money that the NFL is bringing in could help bolster a sagging US economy if spent/invested properly.

I have always marveled at the nostalgia, for lack of better word, that minor league baseball brings to America and it's smaller towns. Minor league football could catch-on like wildfire, IMO, if the NFL and it's owners and maybe even more wealthy players invested in it. Attaching their names and faces and more importantly money to the venture would give everybody something. The people in smaller towns like the one I'm living in now, Charleston, WV, would now have another alternative for entertainment not to mention the money that would be brought to the local economy. The NFL owners would now have more than just a practice squad to place project players, and there would be more jobs for everyone.

I'm rambling now, but I think it is food for thought. I would love to see minor league football catch-on in the US the way minor league baseball has. IMO, minor league baseball is a way of life for some small town residents.

True, but I think Goodell is more focused on international expansion. It'll be unlikely the NFL will expand in the USA anymore, despite available cities such as San Antonio. Besides Arena football is/was kinda like a minor league football system.

saintfan · 10-11-2009, 10:23 AM

Bring back the arena league. Once I got wrapped around the fact that it was a different kind of football I really enjoyed it.

MatthewT · 10-11-2009, 10:35 AM

The only way the UFL will make it is with full NFL support. If the NFL is truly interested in a minor league system it may fly. Even with that said, the Arena League had full NFL support and we know what happened there. With the NFL and College football being what it is, the possibility of other leagues succeeding are very dim.

SmashMouth · 10-11-2009, 10:37 AM

Originally Posted by MatthewT

The only way the UFL will make it is with full NFL support. If the NFL is truly interested in a minor league system it may fly. Even with that said, the Arena League had full NFL support and we know what happened there. With the NFL and College football being what it is, the possibility of other leagues succeeding are very dim.

Agreed .... we just need a playoff system in college.

jnormand · 10-11-2009, 11:54 AM

Do you guys remember when Fakir Brown was our starting corner and Bockwoldt was an "up and comer"? HA!!!

Tobias-Reiper · 10-11-2009, 12:48 PM

... random thoughts:

Arena football is not football. It doesn't fill the void of actual football. It is just entertainment that kinda looks like football.

Sometimes I don't understand how people who invest millions of dollars in a venture do not see the immediate flaws in their business model. The UFL says it doesn't want to compete with the UFL, so what do they do? They put their games against college football. Smart, very smart. I started watching last night's game which was aired on HDNet; not bad football wise, but right after the first quarter, I switched to the FLA-LSU game.

Also, I noticed that of the 4 teams, 3 of them are using the same Carolina blue in their uniforms. Ugly uniforms too. You'd think that a team named the Redwoods would have something red or brown somewhere. Way to create team identities.

Speaking of HDNet showing the games - btw they got Paul McGuire doing color commentary and the crew from Inside MMA sans Bas Rutten doing play-by-play and sideline reporting and, surprisingly enough, wasn't as awful as I thought it was going to be - the other network showing the games is Versus, which just went off DirecTV, so from the get-go, the UFL has no real TV exposure.

And speaking of the NFL going abroad, the NFL should take heed of the NHL, which is a niche sport. Here's a sport that's fast, action-packed, encourages not only hard hitting but plain old fist fights, yet it is still a niche sport... guess people don't relate to foreign players whose names they cannot pronounce. Sure they can fill up a stadium with a game here and there, but supporting a team abroad? I can see Mexico and Canada as they are close, but Europe? It already failed because the novelty wore out and people went back to their regular scheduled Soccer fandom, and putting one NFL team in say England would be a logistic nightmare, with anywhere from 9-12 hour plane rides just to make an away game.

And lastly, what a sight was it to see Haslett's body language as his team was screwing up on the field. Bittersweet,bittersweet...

Crusader · 10-11-2009, 05:41 PM

I wouldn't want NFL teams in Europe on a regular basis, just don't think that would work. NFL Europe was a good idea thou. The last season there wer games where the German teams had about the same number of spectators as the Jacksonville Jaguars does today.
Football is not seen as a novelty over here. There is a strong and established fanbase with a lot of diehard fans. Its just dwarfed by soccer. we hardly have any fair weather fans but that comes with the territory with games aired late at night and such.

sorry for being OT.

10-11-2009, 08:21 AM	#11
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,125 Blog Entries: 29	Re: EX Saints in UFL Originally Posted by Saint_LB There is so much money in the NFL...it's getting a little ridiculous, in fact. My worst nightmare is that the NFL someday turns into the WWF. It is my opinion, however, that the exorbitant amount of money that the NFL is bringing in could help bolster a sagging US economy if spent/invested properly. I have always marveled at the nostalgia, for lack of better word, that minor league baseball brings to America and it's smaller towns. Minor league football could catch-on like wildfire, IMO, if the NFL and it's owners and maybe even more wealthy players invested in it. Attaching their names and faces and more importantly money to the venture would give everybody something. The people in smaller towns like the one I'm living in now, Charleston, WV, would now have another alternative for entertainment not to mention the money that would be brought to the local economy. The NFL owners would now have more than just a practice squad to place project players, and there would be more jobs for everyone. I'm rambling now, but I think it is food for thought. I would love to see minor league football catch-on in the US the way minor league baseball has. IMO, minor league baseball is a way of life for some small town residents. True, but I think Goodell is more focused on international expansion. It'll be unlikely the NFL will expand in the USA anymore, despite available cities such as San Antonio. Besides Arena football is/was kinda like a minor league football system.

10-11-2009, 10:23 AM	#12
saintfan Donated Plasma Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 18,556 Blog Entries: 5	Re: EX Saints in UFL Bring back the arena league. Once I got wrapped around the fact that it was a different kind of football I really enjoyed it.

10-11-2009, 10:35 AM	#13
MatthewT 1000 Posts + Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Mississippi Posts: 2,729	Re: EX Saints in UFL The only way the UFL will make it is with full NFL support. If the NFL is truly interested in a minor league system it may fly. Even with that said, the Arena League had full NFL support and we know what happened there. With the NFL and College football being what it is, the possibility of other leagues succeeding are very dim.

10-11-2009, 10:37 AM	#14
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,125 Blog Entries: 29	Re: EX Saints in UFL Originally Posted by MatthewT The only way the UFL will make it is with full NFL support. If the NFL is truly interested in a minor league system it may fly. Even with that said, the Arena League had full NFL support and we know what happened there. With the NFL and College football being what it is, the possibility of other leagues succeeding are very dim. Agreed .... we just need a playoff system in college.

10-11-2009, 11:54 AM	#15
jnormand 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: The Free State of Idaho Posts: 5,662	Re: EX Saints in UFL Do you guys remember when Fakir Brown was our starting corner and Bockwoldt was an "up and comer"? HA!!!

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10-11-2009, 12:48 PM	#16
Tobias-Reiper Merces Letifer Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 4,161	Re: EX Saints in UFL ... random thoughts: Arena football is not football. It doesn't fill the void of actual football. It is just entertainment that kinda looks like football. Sometimes I don't understand how people who invest millions of dollars in a venture do not see the immediate flaws in their business model. The UFL says it doesn't want to compete with the UFL, so what do they do? They put their games against college football. Smart, very smart. I started watching last night's game which was aired on HDNet; not bad football wise, but right after the first quarter, I switched to the FLA-LSU game. Also, I noticed that of the 4 teams, 3 of them are using the same Carolina blue in their uniforms. Ugly uniforms too. You'd think that a team named the Redwoods would have something red or brown somewhere. Way to create team identities. Speaking of HDNet showing the games - btw they got Paul McGuire doing color commentary and the crew from Inside MMA sans Bas Rutten doing play-by-play and sideline reporting and, surprisingly enough, wasn't as awful as I thought it was going to be - the other network showing the games is Versus, which just went off DirecTV, so from the get-go, the UFL has no real TV exposure. And speaking of the NFL going abroad, the NFL should take heed of the NHL, which is a niche sport. Here's a sport that's fast, action-packed, encourages not only hard hitting but plain old fist fights, yet it is still a niche sport... guess people don't relate to foreign players whose names they cannot pronounce. Sure they can fill up a stadium with a game here and there, but supporting a team abroad? I can see Mexico and Canada as they are close, but Europe? It already failed because the novelty wore out and people went back to their regular scheduled Soccer fandom, and putting one NFL team in say England would be a logistic nightmare, with anywhere from 9-12 hour plane rides just to make an away game. And lastly, what a sight was it to see Haslett's body language as his team was screwing up on the field. Bittersweet,bittersweet...
	'Cause the simple man pays the thrills, the bills and the pills that kill

10-11-2009, 05:41 PM	#17
Crusader Resident Swede Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Märsta, Sweden Posts: 8,025	Re: EX Saints in UFL I wouldn't want NFL teams in Europe on a regular basis, just don't think that would work. NFL Europe was a good idea thou. The last season there wer games where the German teams had about the same number of spectators as the Jacksonville Jaguars does today. Football is not seen as a novelty over here. There is a strong and established fanbase with a lot of diehard fans. Its just dwarfed by soccer. we hardly have any fair weather fans but that comes with the territory with games aired late at night and such. sorry for being OT.
	W.T. Sherman is my favorite General. After all he did order Atlanta to be burned to the ground.