Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!jeff From: jeff@dciem.UUCP (Jeff Richardson) Newsgroups: net.sport.football Subject: Re: Whither the USFL? Message-ID: <1637@dciem.UUCP> Date: Wed, 17-Jul-85 16:28:38 EDT Article-I.D.: dciem.1637 Posted: Wed Jul 17 16:28:38 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 21:25:10 EDT References: <8994@ucbvax.ARPA> <2338@ut-sally.UUCP>Reply-To: jeff@dciem.UUCP ( Richardson) Distribution: net Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada Lines: 26 Summary: Are even Arizona, Baltimore, Birmingham and Oakland strong enough franchises that the NFL would be willing to take them in? If I was a NFL owner, I'd probably hold out for another season, figuring that the USFL would die after that. I've never understood the USFL's move to the fall anyway. I always thought that the league was created because, after observing the growing popularity of the Canadian games on ESPN, somebody got the idea that Americans wanted to see more football than just September to January. (The Canadian regular season starts on the first weekend in July.) However, I heard for the first time a few months ago that the original intent was to play in the spring until they got their feet on the ground, and then move to the fall. There are two things about that attitude that don't make sense: 1) If the spring is good for getting their feet on the ground, then it should be even better for keeping their feet on the ground, and 2) They don't yet have their feet on the ground anyway. The league is still not that solid. On a related subject, when the move to the fall was announced, Tampa Bay Bandits owner John Bassett, realizing that playing in the fall would be suicidal, said that he would pull his team out of the USFL and start a new league in the spring. Was he bluffing or is he even more insane than the other USFL owners? If the latter, then have any details been announced? -- Jeff Richardson, DCIEM, Toronto (416) 635-2073 {linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd}!utcsri!dciem!jeff {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!dciem!jeff