From the US to the World: A Spring Football TL

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    • OldNavy1988

    Q5xbaKD.png

    Nearly 40 years ago [This thread began in October 2020], very few people believed football would ever work in the spring. But that didn't stop New Orleans antique dealer David Dixon from outlining his grand vision in the early 1980's.

    After two years of preparation, Dixon formally announced the birth of the United States Football League on May 11, 1982. A month later, Dixon hired sports television pioneer Chet Simmons as the league's first commissioner.

    Over the summer and fall of 1982, Dixon successfully signed the USFL to television deals with ABC and a fledgling cable channel called the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, or ESPN for short.

    One important codicil that Dixon cleverly snuck into the USFL's constitution was that the league must stick with its spring schedule and abstain from competing directly with the more-powerful National Football League.

    For the twelve cities that will take the field in the Spring of 1983, Dixon selected these twelve:

    ATLANTIC
    Boston, MA; Co-owned by George Matthews and former Patriot Randy Vataha.
    New York/New Jersey; Owned by Oklahoma-based oilman J. Walter Duncan.
    Philadelphia; Owned by Myles Tanenbaum.
    Washington, DC; Owned by Berl Bernhard.

    CENTRAL
    Detroit, MI; Owned by Alfred Taubmann.
    Tampa, FL; Owned by Canadian-born and former WFL Memphis Grizzlies owner John Bassett. Actor Burt Reynolds is a minority partner for the club.
    Chicago, IL; Owned by Eddie Einhorn.
    Birmingham, AL; Owned by Marvin Warner.

    PACIFIC
    San Francisco Bay Area; Owned by Sacramento-based businessman Fred Anderson.
    Los Angeles, CA; Owned by Stockton-based businessman Alex G. Spanos.
    Phoenix, AZ; Owned by Dr. Ted Dietrich.
    Denver, CO; Owned by Ron Blanding.
     
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    • Ficboy

    Banned
    OldNavy1988 said:
    Some teams ITTL will be different while others stay the same. For instance, here are the Arizona Wranglers:
    4DDZFhN.png
    Click to expand...
    I wonder how a successful USFL wil effect pop culture and especially sports. A second league in the spring might inspire other examples in baseball, basketball and hockey. What movies, TV shows, video games, comic books and animated series are going to evolve from the USFL still existing.
     

    OldNavy1988

    Ficboy said:
    I wonder how a successful USFL wil effect pop culture and especially sports. A second league in the spring might inspire other examples in baseball, basketball and hockey. What movies, TV shows, video games, comic books and animated series are going to evolve from the USFL still existing.
    Click to expand...

    If the USFL stays in spring, here's what could happen...
    - The USFL could have more NFL guys jump to their league as a result of the '82 and '87 strikes.
    - The IHL, a longtime minor league on the same level as the current AHL, could be a potential NHL rival after the WHA had folded.
    - I dunno about basketball because David Stern hasn't taken over for Larry O'Brien yet.
    - If the USFL sticks around long enough, you could see a USFL team hat on one of the characters from Stranger Things or the recent It movies.
     

    Ficboy

    Banned
    OldNavy1988 said:
    If the USFL stays in spring, here's what could happen...
    - The USFL could have more NFL guys jump to their league as a result of the '82 and '87 strikes.
    - The IHL, a longtime minor league on the same level as the current AHL, could be a potential NHL rival after the WHA had folded.
    - I dunno about basketball because David Stern hasn't taken over for Larry O'Brien yet.
    - If the USFL sticks around long enough, you could see a USFL team hat on one of the characters from Stranger Things or the recent It movies.
    Click to expand...
    Good.
     

    OldNavy1988

    The second of twelve franchises for the 1983 season:

    The Tampa Bay Bandits, who will play their home games at Tampa Stadium, normally home to the NFL Buccaneers.
    dhzyUNg.png


    Tampa-stadium-big-sombrero-.jpg
     
    1982 NFL Strike
  • Index

    • OldNavy1988

    @Unknown

    Your wish is my command!

    NFL SEASON CUT SHORT DUE TO PLAYER STRIKE

    pete-rozelle-97f23596-a1be-46a6-bdfb-feac829db6b-resize-750.jpeg


    Pete Rozelle
    Commissioner of the National Football League

    November 30, 1982

    "I've said before that we owed it to the National Football League's fans to resolve the current work stoppage as quickly as we could. Now, it is becoming clearer with each passing day that the NFL owners and the players' union are much further apart than they were when the strike began. Because of the breakdown in communication between the players and owners, it is my deepest regret to announce the cancellation of the remaining games of the 1982 NFL season."​
     
  • Index

    • Ficboy

    Banned
    OldNavy1988 said:
    @Unknown

    Your wish is my command!

    NFL SEASON CUT SHORT DUE TO PLAYER STRIKE

    pete-rozelle-97f23596-a1be-46a6-bdfb-feac829db6b-resize-750.jpeg


    Pete Rozelle
    Commissioner of the National Football League

    November 30, 1982

    "I've said before that we owed it to the National Football League's fans to resolve the current work stoppage as quickly as we could. Now, it is becoming clearer with each passing day that the NFL owners and the players' union are much further apart than they were when the strike began. Because of the breakdown in communication between the players and owners, it is my deepest regret to announce the cancellation of the remaining games of the 1982 NFL season."​
    Click to expand...
    This will boost the USFL a lot. Good luck on your timeline.
     

    Ficboy

    Banned
    Since Donald Trump never owns the New York/New Jersey Generals you can bet that the USFL will never compete with the NFL and move to a fall schedule. They will be a formidable contender for years to come.
     

    OldNavy1988

    Ficboy said:
    Since Donald Trump never owns the New York/New Jersey Generals you can bet that the USFL will never compete with the NFL and move to a fall schedule. They will be a formidable contender for years to come.
    Click to expand...

    I wasn't really planning to include him anyways because of the rules concerning current politics.
     

    Ficboy

    Banned
    OldNavy1988 said:
    I wasn't really planning to include him anyways because of the rules concerning current politics.
    Click to expand...
    But he was part of the USFL and him not owning the New York-New Jersey Generals helps the organization stay afloat as the title of this timeline indicates.
     

    OldNavy1988

    The Oakland Tribune has leaked a prototype logo for the city's new USFL squad. The team is planning to compete in the Spring of '83 as the Oakland Condors.
    c3l4yRr.png

    ​
     

    OldNavy1988

    For the remaining teams yet to be unveiled, here are the name ideas:

    ATLANTIC
    Boston
    -> Breakers
    -> Beacons
    -> Shamrocks
    -> Cannons
    -> Blizzard
    -> Bruisers
    -> Brawlers

    New Jersey
    -> Generals
    -> Knights

    Philadelphia
    -> Stars
    -> Bell Ringers
    -> Spirits

    Washington
    -> Federals
    -> Regulators
    -> Sentinels
    -> Commandos
    -> Commanders

    CENTRAL
    Michigan Panthers
    Tampa Bay Bandits

    Birmingham
    -> Stallions
    -> Flames
    -> Forge

    Chicago
    -> Fire
    -> Blitz
    -> Crusaders
    -> Shamrocks

    PACIFIC
    Arizona Wranglers
    Oakland Condors

    Denver
    -> Apex
    -> Gold
    -> Grizzlies
    -> Cougars

    Los Angeles
    -> Action
    -> Express
    -> Jaguars
    -> Titans
    -> Guardians
    -> Breakers
    -> Lasers
    -> Lancers
     

    Ficboy

    Banned
    OldNavy1988 said:
    For the remaining teams yet to be unveiled, here are the name ideas:

    ATLANTIC
    Boston
    -> Breakers
    -> Beacons
    -> Shamrocks
    -> Cannons
    -> Blizzard
    -> Bruisers
    -> Brawlers

    New Jersey
    -> Generals
    -> Knights

    Philadelphia
    -> Stars
    -> Bell Ringers
    -> Spirits

    Washington
    -> Federals
    -> Regulators
    -> Sentinels
    -> Commandos
    -> Commanders

    CENTRAL
    Michigan Panthers
    Tampa Bay Bandits

    Birmingham
    -> Stallions
    -> Flames
    -> Forge

    Chicago
    -> Fire
    -> Blitz
    -> Crusaders
    -> Shamrocks

    PACIFIC
    Arizona Wranglers
    Oakland Condors

    Denver
    -> Apex
    -> Gold
    -> Grizzlies
    -> Cougars

    Los Angeles
    -> Action
    -> Express
    -> Jaguars
    -> Titans
    -> Guardians
    -> Breakers
    -> Lasers
    -> Lancers
    Click to expand...
    I suggest going with Breakers, Generals, Gold, Blitz and Express they're pretty catchy nicknames for the teams themselves.
     
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