A league to compete against the NFL

• jordo212000

  

  If I was loaded, I'd seriously think about starting a competing league against the NFL. I was talking to a friend about this recently... They could really do some damage to the league. Especially since the league is about to have a salary cap for rookies. The new league would have no salary cap for rookie draft picks and then furthermore you could also cut the legs of the NCAA by allowing kids from high school to make the jump to the league and enter the draft. Lock those guys up for the long term.
  
  You could also go with a XFL route with rules, nothing silly like the XFL, just eliminate all the gay protecting the QB rules and defenseless WR stuff.
  
  I think the NFL is at it's most vulnerable point right now. Not saying a competing league is going to take over or anything, I just thing they need to be careful not to alienate die hard fans.
• Rotinaj

  

  Would never work.
• trep14

  Definitely an interesting thought. I'm surprised a league hasn't already been developed that cuts the legs out of the NCAA to begin with. You would think someone would have a league out there, even if its just semi-pro ball, that allows players to bypass the current semipro (excuse me, NCAA) route and start earning money right away in a league that still gives them exposure to NFL scouts instead of going through the motions of a college scholarship when half of the kids could care less about it.
• KR1245

  

  Rotinaj;526625 wrote:Would never work.

  
  This. It would be foolish to challenge the NFL.
• jordo212000

  

  Would never work.

  
  
  This. It would be foolish to challenge the NFL.

  Maybe. But I don't think it has ever been done right. The usfl came the closest but the arena league, ufl, and xfl have all been off target IMO
• trep14

  KR1245;526636 wrote:This. It would be foolish to challenge the NFL.

  
  I mean its not actually going to happen, but I think there are aspects of the NFL that pretty much everyone agrees can be improved upon. If you had the cash to throw around, why not attempt to exploit it? IMO the thing with the NCAA is the most exploitable, but some of the ridiculousness of the NFL rules is certainly fair game too.
• jordo212000

  

  I love the NFL but I'd like to see Roger Gooddell squirm. Man I hate that guy. Tagliabue was awesome. Seems like Gooddell is on a perpetual power trip
• Little Danny

  

  Although not a direct competitor college football is > than the NFL.
• OQB

  

  I'd start a professional flag football league USFFL...United States Flag Football League. Wouldn't have to worry about hurting someone with the contact and change the way the game is played!
• Non

  

  If college had a playoff system it might be better than the NFL.
  
  But I think the college season ends poorly after a lot of fun all season.
  
  The late season NFL and playoffs are the ultimate. Cold weather games. Playoff crowds. The quest for the Super Bowl.
  
  That's where the NFL still takes it.
• trep14

  Little Danny;526684 wrote:Although not a direct competitor college football is > than the NFL.

  
  I used to think so, but I've had second thoughts. I'm sick and tired of college football operating under the disguise of being all about the "student-athlete" and schools exploiting their services. Somewhere along the way, I've just become disheartened by listening to the arrogance of administrators/BCS officials/NCAA officials talk about how a playoff would ruin the tradition of the game (it wouldn't, it would make it better) when they are so quick to completely blow up tradition (i.e. add conference championship games, almost move the OSU-Michigan game) to make a quick buck. Although the NFL is all about the money too, at least they are up front about it.
• darbypitcher22

  

  hmm if I remember right.... didn't they have a logo that looked like this?
  
  
  
  Obviously they didn't compete directly but Trump and some other owners wanted to begin trying to play a fall season before they went belly up
• jordo212000

  

  College is still king for me. The only thing keeps the NFL close for me is that they settle it on the field.
  
  I have less of a beef with the NCAA because the players are getting free schooling and then on top of that a lot of the players get stipends/grants.
  
  With that being said, I still think it would be very interesting if a league came out and allowed college-aged athletes the opportunity to make money as a professional athlete three years before the NFL would
• like_that

  

  They already have this. It's called the UFL. Good luck going against the NFL, as rotinaj said, it will never work.
• jordo212000

  

  like_that;526771 wrote:They already have this. It's called the UFL. Good luck going against the NFL, as rotinaj said, it will never work.

  
  The UFL is marketing itself as a developmental league and is trying very hard to try and get the NFL to use it as a psedo-minor league system.
• Ironman92

  

  and this leagues top player would be something of the sorts of He Hate Me.......anyone not have his jersey?
• trep14

  like_that;526771 wrote:They already have this. It's called the UFL. Good luck going against the NFL, as rotinaj said, it will never work.

  
  UFL doesn't allow high schoolers to jump into the draft, which imo would be a great way to undercut the NCAA. Heck, even if you didn't necessarily want to pay the players, maybe you could work out a system where the UFL pays for the players school while the player is still free to accept benefits and money from agents.
• like_that

  

  jordo212000;526776 wrote:The UFL is marketing itself as a developmental league and is trying very hard to try and get the NFL to use it as a psedo-minor league system.

  
  Fair enough, I still stand by saying that no one is going to be able to compete with the NFL. You would have a better shot at creating a competitor to Facebook.
  
  Side note: I did read however, that NFL players might play in the UFL during the lockout, so they don't have to sit a whole year out without playing football. I also read that they could stage their own games if the wanted to.
• jordo212000

  

  Ironman92;526780 wrote:and this leagues top player would be something of the sorts of He Hate Me.......anyone not have his jersey?

  
  I was a big He Hate Me fan back in the day. Vince McMahon (sp?) really screwed the pooch. They started out pretty well and then it got way too wrestling like towards the end. (too much talking, the camera man going into the cheerleader's lockerroom special... and then hitting his on the door and getting knocked and then not going in, etc)
• jordo212000

  

  like_that;526794 wrote: Side note: I did read however, that NFL players might play in the UFL during the lockout, so they don't have to sit a whole year out without playing football.

  
  Hmm that's interesting.
• sportchampps

  if u can get rookies to sign because of the rookie salary cap it kinda sounds like the aba with dr j
• jordo212000

  

  sportchampps;526801 wrote:if u can get rookies to sign because of the rookie salary cap it kinda sounds like the aba with dr j

  
  The same thing is kind of happening in the /NCAA/NBA. High schoolers are going overseas to make $$$ instead of playing for free and risking injury
• se-alum

  

  Lol....I'm going to assume this isn't serious. The NFL has/will crush any competitor. Why would players choose to play in a league where they aren't protected by rules as opposed to a league(the NFL) that cares about their safety?? The league would consist of James Harrison running around the field throwing the ball to himself.
• se-alum

  

  trep14;526792 wrote:UFL doesn't allow high schoolers to jump into the draft, which imo would be a great way to undercut the NCAA. Heck, even if you didn't necessarily want to pay the players, maybe you could work out a system where the UFL pays for the players school while the player is still free to accept benefits and money from agents.

  Do you seriously believe the NFL would pay any attention to guys that didn't play college ball? High schoolers would go to this hypothetical league, and be lost in obscurity. The NFL knows that college ball is their best farm system. If you were a GM for an NFL team, would you rather draft a kid that played at the highest level of college football against future pros or a kid that has played in some 2nd rate league against guys that couldn't cut it in the NFL and other kids just out of high school??
• trep14

  se-alum;526823 wrote:Do you seriously believe the NFL would pay any attention to guys that didn't play college ball? High schoolers would go to this hypothetical league, and be lost in obscurity. The NFL knows that college ball is their best farm system. If you were a GM for an NFL team, would you rather draft a kid that played at the highest level of college football against future pros or a kid that has played in some 2nd rate league against guys that couldn't cut it in the NFL and other kids just out of high school??

  Plenty of guys that play at the "highest level" of college football are going to be those very same guys that couldn't hack it in the pros. If you saw talented players going to the UFL, you would pay attention to them if you were an NFL scout. If a guy in there can run a 4.3 40, runs precise routes, and has good hands, it doesn't matter where he plays, he is going to get an NFL look.