82-668: The USFL championship game was the annual championship game for the United States Football League that was played from 2022 to 2023. Held at the end of each season to determine its league winner for that season, both USFL championship games took place during the first week of July at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio . Its modern successor is the USFL Conference championship ,
164-792: A conference within the UFL. With the merger, all of the USFL's four surviving teams will play in their home markets, with one—the Houston Gamblers —moving into the city and assuming the identity of their XFL counterpart, the Houston Roughnecks . The groundwork for the USFL was originally laid in the summer of 2020, after plans to purchase the XFL , a league that Fox had carried during the winter 2020 season , out of bankruptcy were abandoned. RedBird Capital Partners , which would have financed
246-517: A preliminary injunction to bar the new USFL from using the original league's name and trademarks, remarking that while the plaintiffs were "likely to prevail" on their claim of trademark infringement, "any alleged harm" could be "easily compensated by monetary damages". The Real USFL, LLC withdrew its suit with prejudice on August 22, 2022. On March 23, 2022, the USFL announced an initial series of rule tweaks it would implement for its games. The league's rule variations and subsequent changes include
328-461: A "better alternative." On June 27, 2023, President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston confirmed in an interview that the league will return for the 2024 season. Discussions between USFL and XFL for a potential merger began in July. On September 19, 2023, Axios reported that discussions had advanced far enough that a merger was possible before each league's 2024 season. On September 28, 2023,
410-567: A 13-part documentary series called "United by Football: A Season in the USFL" which produced by the league, NFL Films and Fox Sports . The series followed the USFL players and coaches "behind-the-scenes" during their 2022 journey, starting with the inaugural USFL Player Draft in Birmingham, and conclude with the USFL Championship Game . The series averaged 720,000 viewers per episode. The show caused controversy before
492-523: A 14–7 defensive struggle over the 10–0 49ers. They met again two weeks later in San Francisco, with the Browns now 12–0 and the 49ers 11–1. The Browns again won narrowly, this time 31–28, clinching first place. The rematch concluded an AAFC Thanksgiving week promotion: the Browns played three games in eight days. New Dodgers' part-owner Branch Rickey (of baseball fame) suggested this experiment, and
574-513: A 40-man active game day roster, along with a 10-man practice squad. The roster size stay the same for the 2023 season, and was supposed to increase to 42 active and 8 inactive for the 2024 season. As of September 2023, 320 USFL players earned invitations to workout for NFL teams, with more than 100 NFL contracts signed and more than 40 USFL players started the season either on active NFL rosters or practice squads, including 2022 season MVP KaVontae Turpin , who signed with Dallas Cowboys and finished
656-491: A Canadian offensive lineman, was disqualified from playing in the USFL because of the league's lack of revenue. On March 3, 2022, the league announced fifteen states have approved legal, regulated betting on USFL games. In December 2021 the Fox Sports-controlled league announced they signed a three-year rights deal agreement with NBC, which involves a rights fee (the agreed-upon fee was never published). It
738-557: A ball, then make a schedule, and then play a game". This insult, often paraphrased as "Tell them to get a ball first", would be long remembered. Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall was perhaps the NFL's hardest-liner regarding the AAFC. In 1945, he commented "I did not realize there was another league, although I did receive some literature telling about a WPA project". Later he declared, "The worst team in our league could beat
820-411: A home game and an away game with each of the other AAFC teams. The Cleveland Browns were the AAFC's most successful club, winning every annual championship in the league's four years of operation. The AAFC was founded by Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward on June 4, 1944. Ward was also the originator of baseball's All-Star Game and football's College All-Star Game . Ward brought together
902-545: A lot have gone broke thinking they could." At a time when the World Series had long been a national institution, and the Rose Bowl drew crowds of 90,000, the NFL's title game typically drew about 35,000 fans. Across the U.S., a growing number of college stadiums designed or retrofitted for football were being built and expanded across the U.S. Most pro football teams in contrast shared stadiums (and sometimes names) with
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#1732780802211984-519: A minority owner in the league. This was the fifth attempt to launch a league using USFL naming, including prior attempts in 1945 , a league proposed in the 1960s by eventual 1980s USFL founder David Dixon, the aforementioned league that existed between 1983 and 1985 , and in 2010 . On October 12, 2021, Tad Snider, the executive director of the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority, announced that
1066-432: A number of wealthy pro football enthusiasts, some of whom had previously attempted to purchase NFL franchises. Ward had previously encouraged the NFL to expand, but now he hoped to bring about a permanent second league and a championship game with the NFL, similar to baseball's World Series . The idea was not originated in vacuum, as two other upstart leagues were trying to challenge the NFL in 1944: On November 21, 1944,
1148-637: A playoff game in the United Football League . To date, all three USFL championships have been won by the Birmingham Stallions . Every winning team in bold . In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of appearances, then by number of wins, and finally by year of first appearance. In the "Season(s)" column, bold years indicate winning championship games. United States Football League (2022%E2%80%932023) The United States Football League ( USFL )
1230-709: A professional football record crowd of more than 60,000 fans. This historic game would prove a microcosm of much about the league: Other than New York, all of the quality teams were in the Western Division. In the West, Cleveland led with a 12–2 record, three games ahead of San Francisco, followed by Los Angeles and Chicago. In the East, New York was the only team to win more than three games, finishing 10–3–1. Brooklyn and Buffalo were seven games behind, followed by Miami. Despite Brooklyn's record, its tailback Glenn Dobbs led
1312-599: A record 14 games (a double round-robin ). The NFL's 10 teams played 11 games, its standard since 1937. Again acting ambitiously, the AAFC chose stadiums larger than the NFL's in Chicago, New York, and Cleveland. The two leagues’ franchises and home fields for 1946 were: NFL AAFC In the AAFC's first game, on September 6, 1946, the Cleveland Browns hosted the Miami Seahawks, winning 44–0 before
1394-557: A room. On December 15, 2022, USFL player representatives ( United Football Players Association and United Steelworkers ) and the league parent company FOX Sports tentatively agreed on a new three-year collective bargaining agreement starting at the 2023 season, six months after the league players voted to unionize. The proposed agreement increases minimum salaries and provides a stronger benefits package than they previously received, and slightly higher than most XFL salaries . USFL players' minimum salaries will be $ 5,350 per week, up from
1476-751: A season. The Boston Yanks had played only one season as an independent entity. Meanwhile, the AAFC had advantages not enjoyed by many challengers: Yet it remained to be seen if there was a market for this much pro football. Since achieving stability in the early 1930s, the NFL had never fielded more than 10 teams. No competitor had endured for more than two years. In 1946, there would be 18 teams, including three in Chicago, three in New York, and two in Los Angeles. Baseball and college football were substantially more popular. Longtime NFL president Joe Carr had said, "No owner has made money from pro football, but
1558-461: The 2022 NFL season as a Pro Bowler . USFL players and staff are able to receive a college degree "tuition-free and debt-free", through a partnership with for-profit universities Strategic Education's Capella University and Strayer University . They will be able to take classes online (Capella) or in-person (Strayer), giving them the flexibility to pursue associate, bachelor's or master's degrees in business, healthcare, IT and education. For
1640-583: The Kentucky Derby on NBC. Curt Menefee and Joel Klatt will return as Fox's lead commentary team for USFL coverage. Kevin Kugler and Mark Sanchez serve as the second broadcast team. Brock Huard will report from the sidelines during selected games. Devin Gardner will also appear on select games. All-America Football Conference#Founding The All-America Football Conference ( AAFC )
1722-598: The Los Angeles Express , Chicago Blitz , Tampa Bay Bandits , and Houston Gamblers . Additionally, the Generals rights are owned by The Spring League, another Woods entity. Since its original announcement, the USFL had purchased more trademarks including new team names like the Birmingham Stallions , Jacksonville Bulls , and Portland Breakers , and variations on the already existing trademarks. Eight teams were announced on November 22, 2021, all feature
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#17327808022111804-582: The NFL "has been supporting the launch of the USFL". For the 2022 season NBC and Fox Sports were the league's two official broadcast partners, with Fox carrying 22 games and NBC carrying 21. Telecasts for the 2022 season were produced by Fox Sports and NBC Sports . Fox broadcast 13 regular season games (1 simulcast with NBC), 1 semi-final, and the championship game. NBC broadcast 8 regular season games (1 simulcast with Fox) and 1 semi-final. Peacock broadcast 4 games exclusively and simulcast all NBC games (including
1886-441: The XFL ". Ehrhart would later explain that he was only "trying to protect the league legacy". By 2023, Ehrhart had given his full endorsement to the new league, stating "We have a lot of pride (and) we want them to succeed. They have the resources." On February 28, 2022, "The Real USFL, LLC," a group fronted by Larry Csonka (acting in his capacity as general manager of the original Jacksonville Bulls ) and claiming to represent
1968-436: The 1942 national championship at Ohio State , and had also coached successfully at the military's Naval Station Great Lakes . As coach of the new Cleveland franchise, Brown would become one of American football's greatest innovators and eventually have the team named for him. As might be expected, the NFL did not welcome its new rival. In 1945, Layden remarked that the AAFC, still a year from its first game, should "first get
2050-470: The 2022 regular season, tickets would be sold at $ 10 per person, with children aged 15 and under free, for the two semi-final games tickets are sold at $ 15 per person and children under 15 at $ 5 those prices are increased by $ 5 for the championship game. The league draws revenue of less than $ 10 million, making it ineligible to seek P visas for players from outside the United States; Liam Dobson ,
2132-409: The 2022 season, player pay structure was $ 45,000 for Active Roster players, $ 15,000 for Practice Squad Players, and $ 600 weekly during training camp. Players also received win bonuses of $ 850 per win and $ 10,000 for winning the championship. Players were required to pay their own rent, but the league offered a reduced hotel price at a cost of $ 75 per room per day, with an option for two players to share
2214-611: The AAFC chose James "Sleepy Jim" Crowley , one of the " Four Horsemen of Notre Dame ", as its commissioner. Not coincidentally, the NFL commissioner at this time was Elmer Layden , another member of Knute Rockne 's legendary 1924 "Fighting Irish" backfield at the University of Notre Dame . During the next months, the AAFC's plans solidified. The league initially issued franchises for Buffalo , Chicago , Cleveland , Los Angeles , New York , and San Francisco . Brooklyn and Miami were later added. A group representing Baltimore
2296-471: The AAFC. Having already lost Topping, the NFL reconsidered and approved the Los Angeles move. It was unprecedented for the NFL champion to move at all, let alone partly to avoid an unproven rival. On the other hand, the NFL would now face the AAFC as a national rather than regional league, and the AAFC would not have a West Coast monopoly. Rather than hold a collegiate draft, Crowley encouraged his owners to sign as many good players as possible to compete with
2378-399: The Browns were chosen as the guinea pigs. They survived unscathed, and went on to complete an unprecedented 14–0 regular season. The 49ers finished a heartbreaking second (and out of the postseason) at 12–2. Los Angeles followed at 7–7, and Chicago again finished last at 1–13. The quarterbacks of the two outstanding teams, Cleveland's Otto Graham and San Francisco's Frankie Albert , shared
2460-490: The Championship game, and FS1 and USA Network will broadcast 7 games each. Unlike the 2022 season, in order to increase the leagues exposure, Peacock will not air exclusive games. Instead, Peacock will simply simulcast all NBC and USA Network games. An emphasis will also be made on having high-profile events serve as lead-ins to the league, with some games following NASCAR and Major League Baseball broadcasts on Fox or
2542-766: The Dodgers, Rockets, and to a lesser extent the Colts were having serious problems. Playing near the Yankees and the NFL Giants, the Dodgers drew fewer than 12,000 fans per game, least in both leagues. The Rockets faced the NFL's flagship Bears and a Cardinals team enjoying rare success. After a decent start in 1946, the Rockets collapsed on the field and found themselves playing before tens of thousands of empty seats in huge Soldier Field. The first-year Colts did reasonably well at
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2624-411: The East with an 11–2–1 record, 2½ games ahead of Buffalo, with Brooklyn and Baltimore far back. Cleveland, led by MVP quarterback Otto Graham , won the West with a 12–1–1 record, 3½ games ahead of San Francisco. Los Angeles followed, and Chicago was last at 1–13. Former Commissioner Crowley would not return either as coach or owner. The title game was a defensive struggle, with the Browns again defeating
2706-469: The MVP. In the East, Buffalo and Baltimore tied at a mediocre 7–7, just ahead of 6–8 New York. Brooklyn was last at 2–12. Buffalo won a playoff and the dubious privilege of meeting Cleveland for the title. Cleveland won the title in a predictable rout, 49–7. With pro football's second perfect season (after the 1937 Los Angeles Bulldogs of the second American Football League ) and an 18-game winning streak and
2788-406: The NFL owners fired Commissioner Layden, replacing him with Pittsburgh Steelers co-owner Bert Bell . Bell had already made a major contribution to the league: the NFL draft , begun in 1935, was his idea. Meanwhile, Dan Reeves ' Cleveland Rams had consistently lost money, despite winning the 1945 NFL title. Compounding his problems, the local AAFC competition already looked strong: Arthur McBride
2870-407: The NFL. However, this open market favored Paul Brown, who had built the most extensive recruitment network in all of football. He thus had a head start in signing top players coming out of the colleges and military. Years later, Crowley acknowledged this was a fatal mistake, as it planted the seeds for the Browns' near-total dominance of the league. For 1946, the AAFC began play with 8 teams playing
2952-651: The NFL: the San Francisco 49ers , the Cleveland Browns and the original Baltimore Colts (not to be confused with the later Baltimore Colts team, now the Indianapolis Colts ). The AAFC was the second American professional football league (the first being the third American Football League of 1940–1941) to have its teams play in a double round robin format in the regular season: each team had
3034-425: The USFL and XFL announced their intent to merge. The merger would require regulatory approval, which was granted November 30. The merger was formally announced December 31. The league announced the 2022 season will be played "with a minimum of eight teams." In addition to obtaining the rights to the USFL name and logo, the new league has obtained the rights to the aforementioned former league's team names including
3116-667: The USFL and the City of Memphis, Tennessee announced that the Tampa Bay Bandits organization would effectively be relocated to Memphis as the Memphis Showboats , taking on the name and identity of the team from the original incarnation of the league. The team will play all of its home games at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium , which will also serve as another "hub" site for the league to host multiple teams at in addition to Birmingham. Johnston expressed disappointment for
3198-455: The USFL would return for another season in 2023. There would be no expansion that year, and the league would continue to use a hub model, with "two to four" locations housing all eight teams. In October 13, the league signed an exclusive partnership agreement with HUB Football , which ended in June 2023, when HUB's owner Don Yee decided to pull the plug on the operation. On November 15, 2022,
3280-404: The United States and Brian Woods, with Fox Sports as a minority owner; Fox Corporation took over sole ownership in 2023. Although the league owned the trademarks of the old USFL, which operated for three seasons during the mid-1980s, the new USFL was not officially associated with that entity. On September 28, 2023, the USFL announced its intention to merge with the XFL . On November 30, 2023,
3362-417: The Yankees, 14–3. By this time a pattern had emerged among the franchises. The Browns, Yankees, 49ers, Dons, and Bills all had stable ownership and at least one winning season. The Browns led both leagues in attendance by a wide margin, the Yankees and Dons outpaced their crosstown NFL rivals on the field and at the gate, and the 49ers and Bills (despite a small stadium) also enjoyed good attendance. However,
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3444-588: The best team in theirs." After the AAFC put a team in Baltimore , Marshall's opposition to it would be a major obstacle to interleague peace. Not coincidentally, his team was badly hurt by the AAFC. A top team from 1936 to 1945, the Redskins began a decades-long title drought after coach Ray Flaherty and many key players defected in 1946. Layden's successor, Bert Bell , pursued a policy of official non-recognition, generally answering "no comment" to queries about
3526-458: The current $ 4,500 per week payout ($ 2,500 for inactive players) and $ 150 a week toward 401K contributions, while weekly performance bonuses will be cancelled. During training camp, all USFL players will get $ 850 a week. The new deal also include a $ 400 per week housing stipend. For the first year of the CBA, the roster size will stay at 50 (40 active/10 inactive), while from the second year going forward
3608-671: The first new USFL champions, after winning the league championship game against the Philadelphia Stars on July 3, 2022, 33–30. Upon the conclusion of its first season, the league became the first high-level spring football league to complete a season since the original iteration of the XFL in 2001, following the early shutdown of the AAF and COVID-19-induced hiatus of the second XFL in 2019 and 2020, respectively. On June 27, 2022, Fox Sports confirmed to Sports Business Journal that
3690-544: The first time, the division races were close. One featured excellence, the other mediocrity. The 1948 AAFC draft was held on December 16, 1947, in New York City . Tony Minisi was the first overall selection. In the West, San Francisco and Cleveland both remained undefeated far into the season. On November 14, nearly 83,000 (a record) in Cleveland Municipal Stadium watched the 9–0 Browns win
3772-440: The first week, as a video clip, posted on social media, of Pittsburgh Maulers head coach Kirby Wilson releasing running back De'Veon Smith due to violating team protocol after asking to have pizza for lunch instead of the chicken salad. Telecasts for the 2023 season will air on Fox , FS1 , NBC and USA Network . Fox will air 17 regular season games and 1 semi-final, NBC will broadcast 9 regular season games, 1 semi-final and
3854-528: The following week on January 27, 2022. On January 25, 2022, the city of Birmingham announced that the league headquarters would be in Birmingham , and all games of the 2022 USFL season would be played at Protective Stadium and Legion Field . The first game was played on April 16, 2022, between the Birmingham Stallions and the New Jersey Generals at Protective Stadium. The game
3936-401: The following: Games that are tied after regulation will be resolved with an overtime session that combines elements of college football's overtime system with penalty shootouts used in soccer and ice hockey . For the inaugural season, each team originally had a 38-man active roster and a 7-man practice squad. However, the league decided midway through the 2022 season to expand rosters to
4018-414: The gate but finished last. All of these teams were at the bottom of the standings and all were sold after the 1947 season, the Rockets for the second time. Although 1947 had been a successful season for the AAFC in many respects, the league still lost money. In 1948, attendance in both leagues declined, and negotiations to end the war became serious. One factor affecting AAFC attendance was the gap between
4100-508: The interests of the owners of the former USFL franchises, filed suit to stop the current USFL from using the name or trademarks associated with the original league. In response, the league attorneys claimed "The new USFL registered its intellectual property rights in 2011". On April 14 (two days before the scheduled start of the new USFL's regular season), federal judge John F. Walter of the Central District of California denied
4182-400: The league announced that the 2022 Playoffs would be held in Canton, Ohio , at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium instead of Birmingham due to conflicting scheduling with the 2022 World Games . The following day, on February 17, 2022, the league revealed uniforms for each team. The day after that the league announced the draft order for the 2022 USFL draft . The Birmingham Stallions became
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#17327808022114264-500: The league in passing and was named the MVP. The title game was a tight affair, with the Browns coming from behind late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Yankees 14–9. Despite the fiasco in Miami, the AAFC had enjoyed a successful debut, establishing a high level of play and doing well at the gate. The NFL likewise set attendance highs for both its season and title game. However, as salaries shot up with two leagues competing for players:
4346-528: The league was in serious discussions with the board of directors of the BJCC about the possibility of the USFL playing all of its games in Birmingham, Alabama . According to initial information, USFL players/staff would be housed in Birmingham during the season for an estimated economic impact of about $ 15 million (47,000 hotel nights), while the league would play the bubble season at Protective Stadium and Legion Field . The "bubble" setup may possibly continue in
4428-406: The league's best and worst teams. To counter this, Commissioner Ingram attempted to get the strongest teams to distribute some players to the weakest. He was modestly successful: the Browns sent rookie quarterback Y. A. Tittle to the Colts, who enjoyed their first good season, and the Yankees were generous enough to fall into mediocrity. However, 1948 featured extremes despite Ingram's efforts. For
4510-623: The league's second year, with as many as four teams playing in Birmingham and as many as four in their respective cities. The teams would then be expected to play in their own cities by Season 3. The proposal included an eight-team 10-week season with two additional playoff rounds, from April 16 through July 3, 2022, with the broadcast proposal as follows: 25% each on Fox , NBC , FS1 and USA . Later on December 15, 2021, Fox and NBC had finalized their agreement. NBC announced that it would air nine games on NBC itself, eight on USA, and four on its streaming service Peacock . On November 17, 2021, it
4592-574: The league. Woods departed his positions with the USFL prior to the 2023 season. The Spring League, and later the NSFL, acquired most of the USFL's trademarks after the last attempt to revive them, the A-11 Football League , let them go dormant after its own failed launch in 2014. The new USFL did not inherit the old USFL's unpaid liabilities, nor its television contract ; it instead holds a new contract with Fox Sports, which already owns both
4674-467: The leagues issued a statement that they "have completed the antitrust review process in connection with the proposed merger of the XFL and USFL and intend to play a combined season this spring kicking off on Saturday, March 30. We are now finalizing terms of the definitive agreement". On December 31, the name of the combined league was confirmed as the United Football League ; a day later, the merged league announced that each component league would survive as
4756-521: The local baseball team, and as such had to make do in facilities designed for another sport with mediocre sight lines for football. Both leagues saw fit to choose college football legends as their commissioners. There was even a sense that collegians could defeat pros. 1946 saw the famous Army–Notre Dame scoreless tie in Yankee Stadium . At season's end, Arch Ward (the AAFC founder) opined that both teams were superior to either pro champion. It
4838-481: The lower bowl for XFL games, similar to the former AAF games and MLS matches played in large stadiums. The XFL has a target stadium size of 30,000 seats so that in the event of playoff games, the upper decks can be opened to increase capacity. " * " indicates Championship Season Deactivated Teams in grey There is no legal connection between the new entity and the source of its name, the original United States Football League , which operated from 1983 to 1986 and
4920-402: The makeup changes to 42 active and 8 inactive. The proposed CBA includes an annual opt-out option. The agreement was approved by the union members on January 9, 2023. The USFL inaugural draft, also known as the 2022 USFL player selection meeting , was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2022 USFL season . The draft was held on February 22–23, 2022, with
5002-521: The metropolitan areas of the cities after which they were named, with the entire league playing in Birmingham, Alabama during the inaugural 2022 season and each of the league's four host cities, mostly mid-sized markets and all east of the Mississippi River , sharing two teams in 2023. The league was owned by National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC , initially a joint venture between Fox Corporation 's sports unit, Fox Sports in
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#17327808022115084-485: The military to permit them to play during their post-graduation furloughs. In other highlights, a Yankees–Dons game in the Los Angeles Coliseum drew a pro record of more than 82,000, and division leaders New York and Cleveland locked horns on November 23 in the most famous game in AAFC history. Before more than 70,000 fans at Yankee Stadium, the Browns rallied from a 28–0 deficit to tie 28–28. New York won
5166-697: The names and colors of USFL teams that existed in 1984: Michigan Panthers, New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars and Pittsburgh Maulers in the North Division and Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers and Tampa Bay Bandits in the South Division. The Bandits were replaced in the 2023 season by the Memphis Showboats, in conjunction with the league agreement to play at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. †Full stadium capacity. The large stadiums with multiple decks only open
5248-605: The only teams to make a profit were the two champions, the Browns and the NFL Bears. The Chicago Rockets had experienced some disorganization in 1946. In a remarkable move, Commissioner Crowley (a successful former college coach) gave up a five-year contract to become their part-owner and coach. Admiral Jonas H. Ingram was named to replace him as commissioner. To replace the Seahawks, the Baltimore group turned down in 1945
5330-587: The opening game simulcast with Fox and NBC). Other games air on Cable networks USA Network (9 games) and FS1 (7 games). The opening game was broadcast on April 16, 2022, at 7:30 PM Eastern time on both Fox and NBC. Fox produced the game and NBC produced all studio coverage. It was the first football game to be simulcast across two major American broadcast networks since the 2007 New England Patriots–New York Giants game . Fox brought back its lead XFL broadcast team from 2020, Curt Menefee and Joel Klatt , for USFL coverage. Kevin Kugler and Mark Sanchez serve as
5412-525: The other league. In 1947, Pro Football Illustrated previewed both leagues in its annual publication and was banned from NFL stadiums. The AAFC posed a formidable challenge. In most interleague sports wars, the established league had major advantages over the challenger in prestige, finance, size, and public awareness. The NFL-AAFC war differed in several respects. The NFL was just emerging from its wartime retrenchment. The Cleveland Rams had suspended operations for 1943, and on three occasions teams merged for
5494-545: The purchase, instead brought on Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson as partners to purchase that league. In October 2020, Fox struck an agreement with The Spring League to partially finance and broadcast that league's games. On June 3, 2021, it was announced that the United States Football League "would be making a return" and would begin its inaugural season in April 2022. Fox was also announced as
5576-509: The results of the 280 players selected released through the USFL's social media channels. The 2023 USFL draft, also known as the 2023 USFL college draft , was the second annual meeting of USFL franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft consisted of 2023 draft eligible players and 80 players were drafted. Fox Sports owns the league and has reportedly committed $ 150–$ 200 million over three years to its operations, with plans to attract an additional $ 250 million from investors. For
5658-471: The rights to and an equity stake in The Spring League, and with NBC Sports . According to Steve Ehrhart, former USFL executive director, he still owns the league rights and the "USFL still exists", while stating that the league officials still get monthly royalty checks. He also mentioned that he refused previous attempts to "buy" the league, "including the people who founded the first version of
5740-420: The second broadcast team. Brock Huard reports from the sidelines during selected games. The NBC crew features Jac Collinsworth and Paul Burmeister handling play-by-play duties alongside analysts Jason Garrett , Michael Robinson and Cameron Jordan . Zora Stephenson and Corey Robinson are sideline reporters and Sara Perlman hosts halftime and post-game coverage. During the 2022 season , Fox also aired
5822-411: The viewership results of the 2023 season, acknowledging fan interest in Birmingham had diminished compared to 2022 and expressing anger that the league's television ratings were comparable to the XFL's and not the "far superior... not even close" results he had anticipated. In an interview later in the offseason, Johnston indicated that he believed the league was on track to surpass college football as
5904-491: Was a professional American football minor league that played two seasons from 2022 to 2023. It is now one of the two-component conferences of the United Football League (UFL), along with the XFL . The USFL was founded as a standalone league in 2022. In its two seasons of operation it operated eight teams; all with the brands of teams from a previous incarnation of the United States Football League that operated from 1983 to 1985. A majority of its teams did not play in
5986-428: Was a major professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations to the game. However, the AAFC was ultimately unable to sustain itself in competition with the NFL. After it folded, three of its teams were admitted to
6068-455: Was aggressively marketing the Browns, and coach Paul Brown was an Ohio icon. Accordingly, Reeves proposed to move the Rams to Los Angeles. With two teams planned for California, the AAFC had national aspirations. The NFL's thinking was more modest: it rejected Reeves' move because of travel expenses. After the NFL refused to consider his second choice (Dallas), Reeves threatened to move his team to
6150-719: Was announced that The Spring League founder Brian Woods would serve as the league's president, as well as Daryl Johnston as EVP of football operations, Mike Pereira as head of officiating, and Edward Hartman as EVP of business operations. On January 4, 2022, NBC Sports reported that a "player selection meeting" would be held on February 22 and 23 to set teams. Training camp was to begin on March 21. On January 6, 2022, four of eight teams unveiled their head coaches and general managers on The Herd with Colin Cowherd , Two weeks later on January 20, 2022, two more head coaches were announced. The final two head coaches were announced
6232-556: Was broadcast by Fox and NBC , the first football game simulcast on over-the-air broadcast networks since the final week of the 2007 NFL regular season when a game between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants aired on CBS and NBC in addition to cable NFL Network . Tickets were released to the public at $ 10 per person; children aged 15 and under were admitted for free. On February 16, 2022,
6314-413: Was considered for admission, but could not secure use of Baltimore's stadium. The league planned to begin to play in 1945, but postponed its opening for a year as World War II continued. As the eight franchises built their teams, no move was more far-reaching than Cleveland's choice of Paul Brown as its head coach. Brown had won six Ohio state championships in nine years at Massillon High School and
6396-600: Was in this landscape that the AAFC prepared to compete with the NFL. Dan Topping , owner of the NFL's Brooklyn Tigers , wished to move his team from Ebbets Field to the much larger Yankee Stadium . New York Giants owner Tim Mara used his territorial rights to block the move. He had good reason: the Yankees had displaced the Giants as New York's premier baseball team after moving into The House That Ruth Built , three rival football leagues had planted teams there hoping to duplicate that feat, and Topping (of Anaconda Copper )
6478-723: Was issued a franchise. The new Baltimore Colts would play in Municipal Stadium . Meanwhile, the Bisons were renamed the Bills and the NFL added a 12th game to its schedule. The AAFC enjoyed its most successful season in 1947. Some notable guests watched the Browns' opening game: the entire coaching staff of the 1946 NFL champion Chicago Bears. The 49ers obtained the rights to Army's legendary Heisman Trophy winners Felix Blanchard ("Mr. Inside") and Glenn Davis ("Mr. Outside"), and amid great publicity unsuccessfully attempted to get
6560-597: Was officially dissolved in 1990. No principals from the former USFL are involved in the current league's ownership; Brian Woods, who had previously launched the Fall Experimental Football League and The Spring League , was initially the primary owner of the new league. By October 2021, Woods had been demoted to a vice president role as Fox Sports set up a subsidiary, the National Spring Football League, to operate
6642-521: Was significantly wealthier than Mara. Topping responded by buying into the baseball Yankees and transferring his club to the AAFC. Most of his players followed. His renamed New York Yankees were rewarded with $ 100,000 from each of the other seven AAFC teams while the AAFC's initial New York investor withdrew. (Note that the AAFC Brooklyn Dodgers were a separate entity never associated with Topping's team.) Shortly after Topping defected,
6724-577: Was the first rights fee deal for alternative football league in the 21st century, after both the Alliance of American Football and XFL had a rights deal agreement with major networks, but none got paid for it (the only exceptions were two games involving the Hartford Colonials from the United Football League , which were sold to New England Sports Network in 2010). In an interview Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch mentioned that
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